Audio: Jeremy Bowen on the BBC; Boris Johnson on Paxman’s salary

From last night’s ceremony at the University of Westminster, at which BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen was presented with the British Journalism Review’s Charles Wheeler Award for achievements in broadcast journalism.

Bowen said the BBC’s loss of self-confidence and introspection was not justified, and the corporation should be proud of its global and national status. Referring to the BBC Trust’s ruling that he was inaccurate in his reports on Israel, he said he believed he was accused “wrongly”.

Boris Johnson, mayor of London, then spoke (or boomed) on the shifting power game between politics and media; and managed a quick jibe on the BBC’s lack of accountability when it comes to its journalists’ own salaries. Johnson asked Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman how much he earns 14 times, but he didn’t get an answer. The short speech in full is an entertaining listen.

Most of Bowen’s and all of Johnson’s speech is recorded in the clip below:

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