Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:33 pm by globalturbo
BBC head of news ‘steps aside’
The BBC’s director of news, Helen Boaden, and her deputy have “stepped aside” pending the outcome of an internal review.
The move by Ms Boaden and Steve Mitchell comes after director general George Entwistle quit on Saturday.
The BBC said it was not commenting yet, but there will be an announcement within hours.
Mr Entwistle resigned after a Newsnight report led to a former Tory treasurer being wrongly accused of child abuse.
He had also commissioned two inquiries into an earlier Newsnight
decision not to broadcast a report on allegations of abuse by former BBC
presenter Jimmy Savile. The DJ died last year and tribute programmes
were aired over the Christmas and New Year period.
Ms Boaden was director of BBC News and Mr Entwistle was director of
BBC Vision at the time of the decision not to broadcast the Savile
allegations late last year.
Mr Entwistle said the pair had a brief discussion about the Newsnight
investigation but that he did not ask Ms Boaden for further details.
One of the inquiries into the Newsnight Savile report is being headed
by former Sky News head Nick Pollard. He is looking into why the
six-week investigation was shelved.
Ms Boaden and Mr Mitchell have been asked to surrender all their
responsibilities as head and deputy head of BBC News, pending the
results of the Pollard inquiry.
The acting director general of the BBC, Tim Davie, and the chairman
of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, have concluded that BBC News needs a new
clear line of management control, BBC business editor Robert Peston
reported.
They have asked Fran Unsworth, head of newsgathering, and Ceri
Thomas, editor of BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme to fill their respective
roles, for the time being.
BBC News – BBC head of news ‘steps aside’.
Thanks to: http://2012indyinfo.com
The BBC’s director of news, Helen Boaden, and her deputy have “stepped aside” pending the outcome of an internal review.
The move by Ms Boaden and Steve Mitchell comes after director general George Entwistle quit on Saturday.
The BBC said it was not commenting yet, but there will be an announcement within hours.
Mr Entwistle resigned after a Newsnight report led to a former Tory treasurer being wrongly accused of child abuse.
He had also commissioned two inquiries into an earlier Newsnight
decision not to broadcast a report on allegations of abuse by former BBC
presenter Jimmy Savile. The DJ died last year and tribute programmes
were aired over the Christmas and New Year period.
Ms Boaden was director of BBC News and Mr Entwistle was director of
BBC Vision at the time of the decision not to broadcast the Savile
allegations late last year.
Mr Entwistle said the pair had a brief discussion about the Newsnight
investigation but that he did not ask Ms Boaden for further details.
One of the inquiries into the Newsnight Savile report is being headed
by former Sky News head Nick Pollard. He is looking into why the
six-week investigation was shelved.
Ms Boaden and Mr Mitchell have been asked to surrender all their
responsibilities as head and deputy head of BBC News, pending the
results of the Pollard inquiry.
The acting director general of the BBC, Tim Davie, and the chairman
of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, have concluded that BBC News needs a new
clear line of management control, BBC business editor Robert Peston
reported.
They have asked Fran Unsworth, head of newsgathering, and Ceri
Thomas, editor of BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme to fill their respective
roles, for the time being.
BBC News – BBC head of news ‘steps aside’.
Thanks to: http://2012indyinfo.com
