The British authorities and officials can expect no apologies from one of the U.S. media outlets that published sensitive materials of the Manchester attack that killed 22 people and has left 59 others wounded. Dean Baquet, editor-in-chief of New York Times, denied that the photos they released were top confidential.
'No regrets'
In a one-on-one interview with BBC's Stephen Sackur, Baquet was straightforward in saying that he is not sorry for disclosing the materials in their publication shortly after the explosion outside the Manchester Arena last Monday night.
He said that the materials they revealed were "not at the highest levels of secrecy," stating that those photos were at the "level of secrecy that made it much more widely dispersed than people are acknowledging."
The NYT editor-in-chief described a top confidential case as something that happened when "very few eyes saw it," stating that the category does not fit the Manchester attack which he said, "was much more widely distributed." When asked if he is prepared to say sorry to the British people, Baquet immediately said 'no' and insisted that the authorities have to prove their claims before he can actually believe them.
He also said that he is not buying their claims that the series of media leaks has affected the ongoing investigation of the suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena.
The editor emphasized that their publication thoroughly checked the information and contents before making them public.
Baquet added they would do the same thing if the incident happened in New York, stating their news coverage of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. He also insisted that their publication has never heard an outcry from the victims of these incidents for publishing the stories.
'A grave threat'
After receiving complaints from the Whitehall and from the British authorities, Donald Trump finally addressed the issue of media leaks during his recent visit to Brussels. The U.S. president pledged to investigate the source of unauthorized publication and to possibly hold the culprit accountable according to the law.
The POTUS described the series of media leaks as "a grave threat" to the security of the nation, admitting that the leaks "have been going on for a long time." Trump also emphasized the importance of his nation's relationship with the United Kingdom during this current disagreement.
