We need to remember, Maitlis’ assault on Cummings wasn’t just an accidental venting of opinion. It was a full on assault, carefully scripted by (almost certainly) herself, with potential to seriously impact a person’s reputation and career, yet not based on actual fact. It came across to me more as an expression of personal hatred, rather than an expression of opinion.
I do ‘get’ that most people in this thread strongly dislike Cummings and agreed with her sentiment, so they didn’t mind Maitlis beating him up, in fact they quite liked it. But for a state-sponsored broadcaster, that acceptance is dangerous territory... what if, next week, Maitlis sinks their teeth into somebody we do all like? The precedent’s been set, we’ve told her it’s ok, so why not?
And emphasise again, Maitlis’ alleged transgression is not based on the opinion of anybody here. Regardless of whether we share that opinion, it is based on the opinion of her own bosses. And I do still believe, at the top level, BBC is still directed by some decent minded individuals.