BBC Director General George Entwistle resigns over Newsnight child abuse claims

[Guest howyousawtheworld]

George Entwistle said his position was untenable after a day of humiliation in which he admitted knowing nothing of a Newsnight investigation which led to Lord McAlpine being falsely named as a child abuser - and nothing of it unravelling.

 

 

He has lasted just 54 days in the job. Mr Entwistle’s decision plunges the BBC into its deepest-ever crisis and leaves it leaderless at a time of mounting questions over its journalism.

 

The director-general was dealt the final blow when Lord Patten was directly challenged to issue a vote of confidence earlier tonight - and refused.

 

Mr Entwistle, 50, had to accept responsibility for blunder after blunder which culminated in an interview with John Humphrys on the Today programme this morning in which he admitted to being completely ignorant that Newsnight was going to effectively accuse Lord McAlpine of child abuse, and then did not read newspapers which revealed that the story was entirely false.

 

Lord Patten, who appointed Mr Entwistle, was fighting for his own future tonight in the face a staff revolt over the fiasco, which started with the failure of Newsnight to run an investigation which showed that Jimmy Savile was a serial child abuser.

 

 

 

The dramatic statement at 9pm after a day of shame for the BBC in which:

 

* Jeremy Paxman, the main Newsnight presenter and one of the BBC’s biggest stars, was said to be considering his future;

 

* Jonathan Dimbleby said the whole crisis was a “disaster which should have been prevented”;

 

* It emerged that it took the BBC 12 hours to apologise on Friday for its error even though Steve Messham, the man who mistakenly believed Lord McAlpine was his abuser, phoned the corporation to say he had made an error.

 

Mr Entwistle’s career ended 12 hours after he was questioned by John Humphrys on the Today programme and disclosed the full extent of his ignorance of Newsnight’s latest blunder.

 

He said did not know of the flawed investigation until the day after it was broadcast, then said that he had not read any papers last Friday morning when they disclosed that Lord McAlpine was innocent. He said he was too busy to read the papers or even receive a precis of the most important developments because he was delivering a speech, ironically apologising to Savile’s victims.

 

One of the BBC’s most respected broadcasters said last night: “It just couldn’t be any worse. I think they will all have to go - Patten, [Helen] Boaden, the lot of them.”

 

Miss Boaden, the head of news, has been implicated in the Savile fiasco and had stepped aside, leaving another executive to approve the botched child abuse report.

 

Tracey Crouch, a Conservative member of the Commons culture media and sport select committee, said: “I’m sorry that a man who was well respected within the BBC and had worked hard throughout his career to make it to the top has had to resign because of basic errors of journalism and lack of respect for process.

 

“The BBC needs to look to put in strong management as soon as possible if it is to maintain the public’s trust.”

 

Mr Dimbleby said: “The decision to broadcast the Newsnight report was a disaster and a disaster that should have been foreseen.

 

“We were told that this went up through some kind of chain. It seems to me that at best the chain was very, very frail.”

 

A source close to Newsnight’s main presenter Jeremy Paxman said he had thought of quitting after the Savile fiasco and added: “After 20 years and at 62 he must now be considering his future.”

 

If he were to quit, the show itself would struggle to survive. Presenters including Paxman had refused to front last Friday’s Newsnight which apologised for the previous week’s broadcast, a source said.

 

Instead Eddie Mair, a radio presenter, was told to fill in, ending the programme: “We will be back on Monday. Probably.”

 

Mr Entwistle has already stopped all Newsnight investigations, and any dealings with the Bureau for Investigative Journalism which prepared the report on North Wales child abuse. The “not for profit” body is funded by David and Elaine Potter, who made their fortune with the Psion technology company and previously donated to Labour. Yesterday it apologised for “failings” but did not suspend anyone involved.

 

One of the BBC’s senior executives, Ken MacQuarrie, the director of BBC Scotland, is to carry out an investigation and disciplinary action could follow.

 

The key journalistic failings were to base its investigation solely on the word of Mr Messham, a man badly psychologically scarred by years of sexual abuse at a children’s home, and then to suggest that the inquiry into North Wales had not investigated whether there was a paedophile ring of powerful people when the report makes clear that it did. The BBC also failed to ask Lord McAlpine for comment.

 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9669681/George-Entwistle-quits-as-director-general-over-Newsnight-fiasco.html

[busybeeburns]

Jumped before he was pushed, methinks.

[Black Rose]

He didn't last long

 

Bagpuss for Director General!

[Guest howyousawtheworld]

Jumped before he was pushed, methinks.

 

Seems that way. I think that Lord Patton should go as well if Entwistle is to go. I think it's unfair on him. What about the levels of management and editorship between the Director General and the Newsnight programme itself? Where's the resignations from those levels? Mistakes were made at all levels but I think it was really unfair that it was just him answering the calls (this morning's Today Programme on Radio 4) and it seems that he was being put forward as a sacrifice while the real people at fault were lying low. Seems the whole BBC machine was geared towards making Entwistle the fall guy.

[Black Rose]

It's happened before (Greg Dyke in 04) a DG has been made the fall guy