I liked Huw Edwards as a presenter and am shocked by what he has done and the character that has emerged to be the real him.
However, we should all think about how we post about this. Yes it is horrible and completely unacceptable.
But do not think for one second he is the only well known man who behaves like this. Some have already been exposed- for varying seriousness of offences and behaviours- Philip Scofield, Jimmy Saville, Prince Andrew. There will be many others, some who colleagues/the public are already aware of (Donald Trump, Prince Andrew), many who they aren't. There are hundreds of thousands of men like Huw Edwards, and many worse. They work in the Houses of Parliament, our, hospitals, schools, GP practices, churches, social services, childrens' clubs, shops, local sports centres, swimming pools. They are on our tvs, we listen to their music, they are idolised as sportsmen. They are the joiner/builder/plumber who came to your house to do a job this week, your NDN, that nice man you chat to while you walk the dog, your child's friend's dad who picks them up and takes them all to football training. They are your brother, brother-in-law, your DP's best friend, your DP/DH/FIL, your dad and grandad.
They are not men in grubby overcoats luring children with sweets. Most are much more sophisticated, often protected by the layers of respectability in their lives, many are our idols.
It's very easy to mouth off about what the BBC should have done, how disgusting Huw Edwards is, how the licence fee should be got rid of etc. Infact, the licence fee is a form of regulation- it means the BBC can be held to account. GB News is dangerous and almost unregulated and produces lies and completely shit broadcasting- but it's free of course.
There are much more complex issues here about how we behave as a society- the regulation of the internet, the easy availability of porn and it's effect on our society and our behaviours, the quality of tv programming (the way males and females are allowed to behave and are presented, particularly in 'reality celeb' stuff), the whole cult of 'celebs', their behaviours and putting people on platforms.
We should not accept it from any man- why is Trump admired by anyone? He sexually assaulted women and admitted it. Why are Woody Allen and Roman Polanski still admired and making films? Why is Philip Scofield apparently planning a tv comeback? Why do people admire Kanye West? Chris Brown? Defend Russell Brand? Defend Kevin Spacey?
Our attitudes to fame and to the behaviours from men (that we are prepared to accept/tolerate) are complex and they shouldn't be. We don't question enough, we are not watchful enough, we don't call out unacceptable behaviours.
What Philip Scofield did was inappropriate but not illegal but people knew it was happening and did not act- because of the power of the celebrity. No one should have that power. The same was true of Huw Edwards- it looked inappropriate but not illegal and that was that until by chance the police picked up, through a different investigation, him conversing with a man they were investigating for pedophile images. Had his inappropriate behaviour been dealt with earlier at the BBC they would not be in the mess now when he has been prosecuted for worse. But let's be clear- they would not have stopped him, he would have continued with whatever he was doing privately.
How many of us know exactly what our DPDH/male family members look at on the internet? We don't. What is our tolerance of porn? Youporn, XXX Or whatever they are called- they are mainstream but have been associated with child abuse and sexual exploitation. Do we know/mind that our partners watch them? Perhaps we watch them ourselves.