The identity of the man known as Jihadi John “has been revealed today by BBC News”, announced Huw Edwards on Thursday. “Today the BBC revealed”, likewise boasted the Lucy Manning report that followed, with another “the BBC has revealed” added in case any viewer failed to get the point. But did its earlier coverage really break the story? The following day, a harrumphing, unbylined piece in the Daily Mail asked “why did the BBC claim all the credit?” (the Washington Post, it claimed, was first at 9.45am, followed by the BBC at 10.51am) while Sky News’ Adam Boulton sarcastically complimented Manning – whose reputation still hangs in the balance, after her resented arrival from ITV without a competitive appointment process – on “your exclusive reading of Washington Post story”. But a defence of the corporation and its “special correspondent” came from an unlikely quarter. The Times also devoted a report to the “Battle for scoop waged on Twitter”, and in its account (which quoted Manning) the UK broadcaster “pipped” the US paper “by three minutes”. Yes, that was the normally Beeb-loathing Murdoch title defending the BBC against its envious enemies.
