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| BBC Editor Steps Aside in Abuse Scandal | BBC Editor Steps Aside in Abuse Scandal |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — In a dramatic widening of a scandal scarring its reputation for probity and integrity, the British Broadcasting Corporation announced on Monday that the editor of a flagship news program was “stepping aside” after giving an “inaccurate or incomplete” account of his reasons for abandoning an investigation into a high-profile television personality accused of sexual abuse possibly involving at least 200 teenage girls. | |
| The editor, Peter Rippon, head of the often hard-hitting “Newsnight” program, was the first and most senior BBC news executive to face public censure in the scandal. The BBC, Britain’s public broadcaster which is financed by compulsory license fees from viewers, said the move involving Mr. Rippon would remain in place while an inquiry is held into the affair. The announcement came only hours before a BBC investigative program, Panorama, planned to broadcast its own inquiry into his decision to drop an investigation into the behavior of Sir Jimmy Savile, a prominent disc jockey and showman known also for his philanthropy who died last year aged 84. | |
| With his hallmark long cigars and collar-length peroxide blonde hair, Mr. Savile was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and was regarded by some as a national treasure until the scandal broke this month with accusations that he abused teenage girls in hospitals, children’s homes and on BBC premises. The police said Friday that more than 200 “potential victims” had come forward, more than triple the number of suspected cases just days earlier. | With his hallmark long cigars and collar-length peroxide blonde hair, Mr. Savile was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and was regarded by some as a national treasure until the scandal broke this month with accusations that he abused teenage girls in hospitals, children’s homes and on BBC premises. The police said Friday that more than 200 “potential victims” had come forward, more than triple the number of suspected cases just days earlier. |
| In a statement on Monday, the BBC said that Mr. Rippon’s explanation for dropping the segment on purely editorial considerations was “inaccurate or incomplete in some respects.” | |
| “The BBC regrets these errors,” the statement said, promising to work with an inquiry to be conducted by a former head of the rival Sky News. | “The BBC regrets these errors,” the statement said, promising to work with an inquiry to be conducted by a former head of the rival Sky News. |
| “In addition, the BBC has announced that Peter Rippon is stepping aside with immediate effect from his post while the review by Nick Pollard, the former head of Sky News, into the management of Newsnight’s investigation, is carried out,” the statement said. It did not explain whether Mr. Rippon had been ordered or had volunteered to step aside. | “In addition, the BBC has announced that Peter Rippon is stepping aside with immediate effect from his post while the review by Nick Pollard, the former head of Sky News, into the management of Newsnight’s investigation, is carried out,” the statement said. It did not explain whether Mr. Rippon had been ordered or had volunteered to step aside. |
| The correction to Mr. Rippon’s initial explanation in a blog posting relates to an assertion that there was no evidence that staff at the state-run Duncroft school for emotionally disturbed teenage girls could have known of accusations that Mr. Savile abused children. The school, located in an 18th century manor house near Staines in Surrey, has since been closed. | The correction to Mr. Rippon’s initial explanation in a blog posting relates to an assertion that there was no evidence that staff at the state-run Duncroft school for emotionally disturbed teenage girls could have known of accusations that Mr. Savile abused children. The school, located in an 18th century manor house near Staines in Surrey, has since been closed. |
| “In fact some allegations were made (mostly in general terms) that some of the Duncroft staff knew or may have known about the abuse,” the BBC statement said. | “In fact some allegations were made (mostly in general terms) that some of the Duncroft staff knew or may have known about the abuse,” the BBC statement said. |
| “The blog says that all the women spoken to by the program had contacted the police independently already and that Newsnight had no new evidence against any other person that would have helped the police. It appears that in some cases women had not spoken to the police and that the police were not aware of all the allegations,” the statement said. It also questioned an assertion that Mr. Savile’s behavior was not widely known at the BBC, saying there were allegations of “abusive conduct on BBC premises.” | “The blog says that all the women spoken to by the program had contacted the police independently already and that Newsnight had no new evidence against any other person that would have helped the police. It appears that in some cases women had not spoken to the police and that the police were not aware of all the allegations,” the statement said. It also questioned an assertion that Mr. Savile’s behavior was not widely known at the BBC, saying there were allegations of “abusive conduct on BBC premises.” |
| In his blog, Mr. Rippon said: “We had no evidence that anyone from the Duncroft home could or should have known about the allegations. We had no evidence against the BBC.” | In his blog, Mr. Rippon said: “We had no evidence that anyone from the Duncroft home could or should have known about the allegations. We had no evidence against the BBC.” |
| Explaining his decision, he wrote that the Newsnight inquiry “had not established any institutional failure and I judged it weakened the story from a Newsnight perspective. I took the decision not to publish. There were some of my team who disagreed strongly with my judgment, and others who agreed equally strongly.” | Explaining his decision, he wrote that the Newsnight inquiry “had not established any institutional failure and I judged it weakened the story from a Newsnight perspective. I took the decision not to publish. There were some of my team who disagreed strongly with my judgment, and others who agreed equally strongly.” |
| “However, those who disagreed accepted my decision. There were no rows of any kind as has been reported,” he said | “However, those who disagreed accepted my decision. There were no rows of any kind as has been reported,” he said |
| “Did we withhold evidence from the police? No,” Mr. Rippon continued. “We are confident that all the women we spoke to had contacted the police independently already. We also had no new evidence against any other person that would have helped the police. “ | “Did we withhold evidence from the police? No,” Mr. Rippon continued. “We are confident that all the women we spoke to had contacted the police independently already. We also had no new evidence against any other person that would have helped the police. “ |
| “Did my bosses order me to do anything? No. I did discuss it with my bosses in News in the same way I do any contentious story we are working on. I was told in the strongest terms that I must be guided by editorial considerations only and that I must not let any wider considerations about the BBC affect my judgment.” | “Did my bosses order me to do anything? No. I did discuss it with my bosses in News in the same way I do any contentious story we are working on. I was told in the strongest terms that I must be guided by editorial considerations only and that I must not let any wider considerations about the BBC affect my judgment.” |
| The accusations against Mr. Savile have stunned many Britons, shattering the public image of a television personality who for decades attracted a young audience through his role as host of two popular BBC programs, “Top of the Pops,” a music chart-countdown show, and “Jim’ll Fix It,” in which Mr. Savile promised to grant viewers’ wishes. | The accusations against Mr. Savile have stunned many Britons, shattering the public image of a television personality who for decades attracted a young audience through his role as host of two popular BBC programs, “Top of the Pops,” a music chart-countdown show, and “Jim’ll Fix It,” in which Mr. Savile promised to grant viewers’ wishes. |
| The accusations first came to light in a documentary broadcast this month on the rival commercial channel ITV. As a result, several inquiries have been launched both the BBC, Parliament and by the police. | The accusations first came to light in a documentary broadcast this month on the rival commercial channel ITV. As a result, several inquiries have been launched both the BBC, Parliament and by the police. |
| The circumstances surrounding Mr. Rippon’s decision exposed the broadcaster to attack both from politicians and from its own governing body. | The circumstances surrounding Mr. Rippon’s decision exposed the broadcaster to attack both from politicians and from its own governing body. |
| Prime Minister David Cameron called the developments “concerning because the BBC has effectively changed its story about why it dropped the Newsnight program about Jimmy Savile. These are serious questions. They need to be answered.” | Prime Minister David Cameron called the developments “concerning because the BBC has effectively changed its story about why it dropped the Newsnight program about Jimmy Savile. These are serious questions. They need to be answered.” |
| The BBC Trust, the corporation’s governing body, said it was “deeply concerning that there have been inaccuracies in the BBC’s own description of what happened in relation to the Newsnight investigation.” | The BBC Trust, the corporation’s governing body, said it was “deeply concerning that there have been inaccuracies in the BBC’s own description of what happened in relation to the Newsnight investigation.” |