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Martin Bashir interviewing Michael Jackson

Martin Bashir (born January 19, 1963 (age 44), in London) is a British journalist of Pakistani descent.

Bashir came to wide prominence in 1995 when he interviewed (for the BBC's Panorama programme) Diana, Princess of Wales about her failed marriage to the Prince of Wales. Since then he has conducted interviews with, amongst others, Louise Woodward, the five suspects in the Stephen Lawrence case, Michael Barrymore, Jeffrey Archer, Major Charles Ingram, and Joanne Lees.

In his 2003 dialogue with Michael Jackson, titled Living with Michael Jackson critics contend the documentary was yellow journalism as Bashir edited the tapes in a sensational manner that only presented Jackson in an unflattering light. After seeing the edited version of the interview, Jackson released a rebuttal interview, filmed by his personal cameraman. Living with Michael Jackson was watched by 14 million viewers in the UK. When it was aired in the U.S., the furore over insinuations of pedophilia began a series of events that led to Michael Jackson being tried for molesting a boy who appeared in the film. Jackson was acquitted.

Bashir was born in London and grew up in Wandsworth. He was educated at King Alfred's College of Higher Education, Winchester (since 2004 the University of Winchester), studying English & History from 1982-85, and at King's College London [2]. He still keeps a house in Winchester. He started work as a journalist in 1986. He worked for the BBC until 1999 on programmes including Songs of Praise, Public Eye and Panorama and then he joined ITV, working on special documentary programmes and features for Tonight with Trevor McDonald. Bashir has also appeared in the film Mike Bassett: England Manager, where he played himself. He is a devout Christian^[1].

Currently, Bashir serves as a correspondent for ABC's 20/20. Bashir also became one of the three full-time anchors of Nightline following Ted Koppel's last broadcast in November 2005.

1. ^ Talk To Me, The Guardian, 22 Jan 2003, from [1] (retrieved 2 Feb 2007)

• Martin Bashir at the Internet Movie Database
• ABC News Bio
• CNN: Michael Jackson statement on Martin Bashir interview
• Johns Hopkins University Newsletter on Bashir's Michael Jackson documentary