Former editor of The Sun Kelvin MacKenzie, 76, criticized the newspaper for making a “terrible error.” He slammed the newspaper for failing to name the accused BBC presenter and for not submitting proof of its allegations.

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Amid the fiasco, the former editor recently claimed that the newspaper looked weak for failing to specify the claims after its robust allegations.

Who is Kelvin MacKenzie?

Kelvin Calder MacKenzie is a well-known English media executive and former newspaper editor. He became well-known when he took over as editor of The Sun in 1981, a year in which the daily had already established itself as the most widely circulated in Britain. After leaving The Sun, MacKenzie worked in executive roles with satellite television networks and other broadcasting companies. He also participated in a number of publishing endeavors.

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MacKenzie returned to The Sun as a writer in the same capacity after a brief stint as a columnist for The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph. However, following a suspension, his contract was ended by mutual consent in May 2017.

Recently, Mackenzie made it to the headlines after he blasted the publication for coming across as “weak” by withholding information on the claims that underlie its bombshell allegations. The Sun has claimed that an anonymous person, whose identity has not been made public, paid a teenager a total of £35,000 in exchange for sexually graphic pictures. The BBC has suspended the individual awaiting more inquiry in response to these accusations.

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MacKenzie asserted in an interview with I that The Sun’s failure to disclose the accused person and promptly address the situation constituted a terrible error. He thinks that if The Sun had exposed who they were, the BBC would have fired them immediately and the story would have been over by Sunday morning. As a result of The Sun’s failure to act, the problem is continuing, giving the appearance that they are either weak or that their reporting may be inaccurate.