Blood Sport Rocks Public Broadcaster

Michael Hedges October 25, 2012 Follow on Twitter

Media organizations with a large social imprint are regularly placed on an ethical pedestal, always unattainable in real world terms, then set upon by feral beasts to gnaw and chew until the blood flows. Executives know this or learn it the hard way. The result turns a frighteningly large media organization into a large frightened one.

Four weeks ago George Entwistle became the BBC Director General and, according to the job description, the institution’s editor-in-chief. Tuesday (October 23) he faced pointed questions from members of the UK House of Commons Culture Committee over claims that a television news program investigated, produced and then shelved a report on alleged pedophilia of a famous, and now deceased, BBC TV show host dating from the 1960’s and 1970’s. Mr. Entwistle fared poorly, in the generally held opinions of UK media watchers.

That the late show host and DJ Jimmy Savile was likely a serial child molester during his years with the BBC has burned in the tabloid headlines. If half of what is alleged is true, it’s really sick stuff. Savile died almost precisely a year ago, October 29, 2011. His radio career began in the late 1950’s at Radio Luxembourg after which he joined BBC Radio 1 in 1968 hosting a variety of programs before moving to television. For charity work with hospitals for disabled young people he was knighted in 1990. Among the allegations are that Savile sexually abused hospital patients.

While Jimmy Savile’s sexual exploits had been subject of vast rumor and at least two police investigations, later dropped by police for lack of compelling evidence, the narrative of charity work with disabled children became subject of a BBC1 tribute broadcast Christmas 2011. George Entwistle headed BBC Vision (read:television) at the time. In a brief conversation with head of BBC News Helen Boaden on or about December 2nd he learned that reporters for investigative news program Newsnight were preparing an exposé on Jimmy Savile and “if it comes off… it may have an impact on your Christmas schedule.”

In BBC hierarchy Mr. Entwistle and Ms Boaden were equal department heads, both answering to then DG Mark Thompson. There is a meaningful separation between BBC News and other departments, journalistic independence drilled into the heads of all BBC employees. Culture Committee members were astounded, much as they were after grilling Rupert and James Murdoch on the corporate culture at News Corporation. Culture committee members accused Mr. Entwistle of being “incurious,” as they had also surmised after asking James Murdoch about down-stream decisions.

The Newsnight investigation never made it to air, killed by editor Peter Rippon for reasons clear to some, murky to others. Newsnight reporter Liz MacKean, who worked on the Savile feature, said Rippon was “lukewarm” to the sexual abuse story because “it was forty years ago” and “the girls were teenagers, not too young,” in an email reported by Channel 4 (October 24). Rippon’s explaination in a blog post was edited to correct “inaccuracies” perhaps by Deputy News Director Steve Mitchell. And shortly thereafter Rippon was asked to “stand aside” while internal investigations proceed. Competitor ITV aired its own investigative report, BBC’s Panorama another and the UK newspapers can’t get enough of it.

Appearing to chase a conspiracy theory, MP Paul Farrelly demanded to know “who sat on him? Who helped him change his mind?”

“Was it not possible that he changed his mind?” replied Mr. Entwistle. “It does not need any external agent for Peter Rippon to change his mind.” The BBC currently employs about 20,000.

Of course, all of this has become very political as Conservative Party ministers and MPs seize any opportunity to castigate to BBC. After all, scandals surrounding News Corporation’s UK newspapers have tainted the government of Prime Minister David Cameron for being too close to the Murdoch family. Culture Minister Maria Miller said the government was correct to “reflect the deep level of public concern.”

BBC Trust Chairman Chris Patten, further demonstrating well-honed diplomatic skills, has given Mr. Entwistle his unequivocal support, suggesting the politicians might not want to tread those waters. “I know that you will not want to give any impression that you are questioning the independence of the BBC,” he said in a formal response to Minister Miller. He also said he’d be in touch.

See also in ftm Knowledge

The BBC

Few pure media brands transcend borders and boundries to acheive the iconic status of the BBC. The institution has come to define public service broadcasting. Yet missteps, errors and judgment questions fuel critics. The BBC battles those critics and competitors and, sometimes, itself. 119 pages PDF (February 2012)

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