Life with Lyons

Sir Michael Lyons and the BBC Trust have some way to go before they understand the mechanics of news. Their ruling of errors in reports by Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen was unsurprisingly lighted on by many journalists inside and outside the corporation as a vote of no confidence in an experienced, brave and intelligent reporter. It will undoubtedly pave the way for a torrent of further complaints from self-appointed guardians of truth in a part of the world where there are few certainties - and the BBC has more output than most. The quasi-judicial style of Trust rulings invites that sort of approach - and frankly, they're now welcome to the caseload this ruling will provoke.

Normally, these sort of decisions are choreographed a little, with BBC execs allowed to have their say in mitigation at the time of the press release. It didn't happen on this occasion, and now Sir Michael has had to write to The Independent, in a rather hurt way, saying JB's ok really. If the Trust had thought it through, they would have dealt with the complaint in a different way.