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As the BBC NW's Manchester-based political editor, Jim Hancock has reported on Hunt & Keith-Hill's investigation several times.  These include the publication of the two freelances' interim report in October 1997; the publication of Hunt's book Trial by Conspiracy a year later; the formation of a group of supporters in 1999; and two items announcing Hunt's candidature in the June 2001 general election.  However, in these short, local news items Jim did not discuss the story that Hunt and his colleague unearthed (see Section Two of this website), nor did Jim discuss any of documentary evidence they unearthed showing that Guardian journalists had conspired to pervert the course of the Downey inquiry (see Section Three). 
    Despite Jim Hancock's reports, and despite the relevance of Hunt & Keith-Hill's investigation to a major national political controversy, at time of writing (August 2002) BBC News & Current Affairs has aired the existence of the two freelances' investigation nationally only once - a 3-minute interview with Hunt transmitted by BBC News 24 following Neil Hamilton's libel defeat of December 1999.

Based at its Westminster studios opposite the Houses of Parliament, Graham Forrester is one of ITN's most senior political producers, often to be found in the thick of the action (as captured, right - click on photo for the big picture). 
    Graham first took an interest in Hunt & Keith-Hill's investigation after a discussion with Hunt on 3 July 1997, in the aftermath of the publication that day of Sir Gordon Downey's report into The Guardian's allegations.  Hunt subsequently briefed Graham on developments from time to time over the following year. 
    In October 1998 Hunt gave Graham details of his forthcoming press conference in the Palace of Westminster to launch his book Trial by Conspiracy.  Graham attended with two-man camera crew and recorded the entire proceedings, including addresses by chairman Conservative MP Gerald Howarth; Labour Peeress Baroness Turner; Neil & Christine Hamilton; and Jonathan Boyd Hunt.

However, despite the discussion of evidence proving that The Guardian had conspired to pervert the course of Sir Gordon's inquiry; and despite news being light that day, ITN did not mention Hunt & Keith-Hill's investigation in any of its news bulletins then or since.  Later, ITN's editor-in-chief Richard Tait justified censoring Graham's report on the grounds that "Hunt's allegations" were "not sufficiently newsworthy".

Jane Corbin is one of BBC Panorama's most respected journalists.  After taking an interest in Hunt & Keith-Hill's work, on 10 October 1997 Jane wrote to Hunt requesting a copy of their report, which Hunt duly supplied.  On 4 November she then met up with Hunt & Malcolm Keith-Hill at the BBC's White City complex, London. 
    During this meeting Jane examined key documents from their investigation and agreed that they betrayed sufficient anomalies to warrant another meeting.  Accordingly on 8 December Hunt met Jane and her producer Thea Guest for further discussions.  At the conclusion of this meeting Jane and Thea agreed that there were sufficient anomalies in The Guardian's evidence to the Downey Inquiry to warrant Panorama undertaking an independent investigation of its own.

Subsequently Jane lobbied Panorama's series editor, Peter Horrocks, to commission an investigation using Hunt & Keith-Hill's research as a starting point.  However, Horrocks declined her requests on the grounds that "the story was too political for Panorama's new social issues brief."
    Corbin then passed the file to the head of the BBC's political unit, Anne Tyreman, who declined to take up the case on the basis that the BBC's political unit "didn't do investigations into newspapers".

Tom Anstiss was the Senior Researcher for a BBC TV documentary about City financial scandals, entitled "The Mayfair Set", broadcast in August 1999. 
    Tom first contacted Jonathan Boyd Hunt during the Summer of 1998, after being put in touch by Mohamed 'Al'  Fayed's former (i.e. estranged) Director of Security, Bob Loftus, who had provided Hunt with vital documents proving The Guardian's conspiracy (see Section Three of this website). 
    A few weeks after this first contact Tom drove from London to meet up with Hunt in Cheshire.  After spending several hours examining documents, he agreed that The Guardian had withheld documents and had lied and supplied false documents to Sir Gordon Downey's parliamentary inquiry, all as part of a cover-up.
    Subsequently Tom Anstiss interviewed two other of Hunt's supporters: the former Observer financial journalist, Lorana Sullivan, and the Labour Peeress, Baroness Turner of Camden.  Following his meeting with the Baroness on 10 September 1998 Tom wrote her a thank you letter, in which he confirmed his intention: "to help redress an imbalance of reporting that has occurred over the Cash for Questions affair"; and stating his opinion: "it does seem quite strongly that there has been a miscarriage of justice and many people have had their lives significantly hurt and affected by the whole affair."
    In the following months Tom Anstiss and Hunt met several more times, during which Tom confirmed his intention to interview Hunt, Bob Loftus, and Baroness Turner, on camera, for a programme that he said would "blow wide open" the entire 'cash for questions' affair.  He also revealed that he had been secretly talking to a Guardian journalist who, he said, was ready to 'blow the whistle' on what had actually happened - his suggestion being that this person would confirm Hunt & Keith-Hill's research.
    However, in December 1998 Tom Anstiss informed Hunt that he was leaving the BBC to take up a job offer from Granada Television - which has strong links to The Guardian.  Hunt responded by suggesting that he was being "got out of the way", but Tom Anstiss denied this and assured Hunt that the Mayfair Set's producer, Adam Curtis, would soon contact him.  In the event Adam Curtis did not contact Hunt and Curtis also failed to return Hunt's phone calls.  The BBC also failed to contact Bob Loftus or Baroness Turner again.
    The BBC eventually transmitted The Mayfair Set on 8 August 1999.  The programme portrayed successive Conservative governments as corrupt and drunken with power, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as being personally responsible for mass unemployment and the destruction of British industry.  In the section of the programme that dealt with The Guardian's 'cash for questions' affair, witnesses linked to Mohamed Al Fayed and The Guardian featured to the exclusion of all others, leaving the viewer with the impression that the paper's campaign had exposed a web of corruption within the Conservative government of John Major.

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