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| BBC Chief Defends Handling of Sex Abuse Scandal | BBC Chief Defends Handling of Sex Abuse Scandal |
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| LONDON — The director general of the British Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday defended the institution’s handling of a burgeoning sex abuse scandal involving one of its best-known personalities, saying the corporation was not trying to “avoid answering questions” and had begun inquiries that were “the opposite of an attempt to hide things.” | LONDON — The director general of the British Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday defended the institution’s handling of a burgeoning sex abuse scandal involving one of its best-known personalities, saying the corporation was not trying to “avoid answering questions” and had begun inquiries that were “the opposite of an attempt to hide things.” |
| The director, George Entwistle, was appearing before a parliamentary panel that has played a major part in investigating Britain’s phone hacking scandal and is known for its often abrasive interview techniques. | The director, George Entwistle, was appearing before a parliamentary panel that has played a major part in investigating Britain’s phone hacking scandal and is known for its often abrasive interview techniques. |
| But in more than two hours, Mr. Entwistle seemed to parry most questions, falling back frequently on the argument that formal inquiries that he has commissioned at the BBC would resolve some of the issues. Denying accusations of a cover-up, he expressed “horror” at the scandal and said it had raised questions of trust and reputation for the BBC. He insisted that his direct knowledge of the episode was minimal, prompting panel members to mock him for what they called an extraordinary lack of curiosity about events around him. | |
| The hearing came just a day after the BBC broadcast an examination by the “Panorama” program into a decision by the editor of another program, “Newsnight,” to cancel an investigation last December into accusations of abuse against Jimmy Savile, an iconic showman once depicted by the BBC as a national treasure. | The hearing came just a day after the BBC broadcast an examination by the “Panorama” program into a decision by the editor of another program, “Newsnight,” to cancel an investigation last December into accusations of abuse against Jimmy Savile, an iconic showman once depicted by the BBC as a national treasure. |
| “There is no question in my mind that this is a very grave matter indeed,” Mr. Entwistle said. | “There is no question in my mind that this is a very grave matter indeed,” Mr. Entwistle said. |
| “I would accept that there have been times when we have taken longer to do things than in a perfect world I would have liked,” he continued. “But I think if you looked at what we have achieved since the scale of the crisis became clear, I think you see we have done much of what we should have done and done it in the right order with proper respect paid to the right authorities.” | “I would accept that there have been times when we have taken longer to do things than in a perfect world I would have liked,” he continued. “But I think if you looked at what we have achieved since the scale of the crisis became clear, I think you see we have done much of what we should have done and done it in the right order with proper respect paid to the right authorities.” |
| It was not possible to look back on the decades of Mr. Savile’s behavior “with anything but horror that his activities went on as long as they did undetected,” Mr. Entwistle said. | It was not possible to look back on the decades of Mr. Savile’s behavior “with anything but horror that his activities went on as long as they did undetected,” Mr. Entwistle said. |
| Asked whether sexual abuse was endemic at the BBC, as some victims have suggested, Mr. Entwistle said he did “not have enough of a picture to know it was endemic.” | Asked whether sexual abuse was endemic at the BBC, as some victims have suggested, Mr. Entwistle said he did “not have enough of a picture to know it was endemic.” |
| But he went on: “There’s no question that what Jimmy Savile did and the way the BBC behaved — the culture and practices of the BBC seemed to allow Jimmy Savile to do what he did — will raise questions of trust for us and reputation for us.” | But he went on: “There’s no question that what Jimmy Savile did and the way the BBC behaved — the culture and practices of the BBC seemed to allow Jimmy Savile to do what he did — will raise questions of trust for us and reputation for us.” |
| The BBC has instituted two formal investigations, one into its culture over decades and one into the specific details of the canceled “Newsnight” program. Mr. Entwistle said the “scope and scale” of those inquiries was “as wide as it should be” to fully investigate the scandal. | The BBC has instituted two formal investigations, one into its culture over decades and one into the specific details of the canceled “Newsnight” program. Mr. Entwistle said the “scope and scale” of those inquiries was “as wide as it should be” to fully investigate the scandal. |
| The police are also inquiring into what they have called abuse on an “unprecedented” scale possibly involving more than 200 girls, some on BBC premises. And, on Tuesday, Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said the government order its own inquiry after the existing investigations. | The police are also inquiring into what they have called abuse on an “unprecedented” scale possibly involving more than 200 girls, some on BBC premises. And, on Tuesday, Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said the government order its own inquiry after the existing investigations. |
| David Jordan, the BBC’s head of editorial policy, told the panel that since the period when some of the abuse has taken place, the BBC has tightened its rules governing the protection of children on its premises. “The sorts of things that happened, where people were allowed to be taken into the dressing rooms of stars, as has been alleged, should not and could not happen today.” | David Jordan, the BBC’s head of editorial policy, told the panel that since the period when some of the abuse has taken place, the BBC has tightened its rules governing the protection of children on its premises. “The sorts of things that happened, where people were allowed to be taken into the dressing rooms of stars, as has been alleged, should not and could not happen today.” |
| The BBC announced on Monday that the editor of “Newsnight,” Peter Rippon, was “stepping aside” while the episode is investigated after it was found that his explanation of the cancellation was “incomplete” or “inaccurate.” | |
| Mr. Entwistle said there was no question of managerial pressure on Mr. Rippon to cancel the investigation. “The decision was made by Peter Rippon,” he said. | Mr. Entwistle said there was no question of managerial pressure on Mr. Rippon to cancel the investigation. “The decision was made by Peter Rippon,” he said. |
| Mr. Entwistle, who took over as director general on Sept. 17, was also questioned about a conversation he had last December at a time when the BBC was planning a series of glowing, year-end tributes to Mr. Savile, who died last year at 84. | |
| At that time, Helen Boaden, the BBC’s director of news, told Mr. Entwistle at a lunch that the investigation by “Newsnight” could have an impact on year-end schedules and he might have to change them. | At that time, Helen Boaden, the BBC’s director of news, told Mr. Entwistle at a lunch that the investigation by “Newsnight” could have an impact on year-end schedules and he might have to change them. |
| “I was grateful to her for giving me the heads-up,” Mr. Entwistle told the panel on Tuesday. But, he said the “key message” from the conversation was whether the “Newsnight” investigation “was going to stand up or not.” When he did not hear from Ms. Boaden about the Savile inquiry again, he said, he “inferred” that the program was not going ahead. | |
| Asked whether he regretted broadcasting the tributes to Mr. Savile, Mr. Entwistle said: “In the light of what happened, of course I do.” | Asked whether he regretted broadcasting the tributes to Mr. Savile, Mr. Entwistle said: “In the light of what happened, of course I do.” |
| Mr. Entwistle said he did not inquire about the details of the “Newsnight” investigation, prompting members of the panel to accuse him showing an extraordinary lack of curiosity. He did not wish to seem to be influencing the investigation by showing “undue interest,” he said. “The possibility in my mind was that the investigation would not come to anything. I was waiting to hear,” he said. | Mr. Entwistle said he did not inquire about the details of the “Newsnight” investigation, prompting members of the panel to accuse him showing an extraordinary lack of curiosity. He did not wish to seem to be influencing the investigation by showing “undue interest,” he said. “The possibility in my mind was that the investigation would not come to anything. I was waiting to hear,” he said. |
| John Whittingdale, the chairman of Parliament’s select committee on culture, media and sport, had said earlier that Mr. Entwistle “was in the process of commissioning the most fulsome tributes to Jimmy Savile, which went out on the BBC over that Christmas, and I just find it very surprising that, having been told by the director of news, given a warning, he didn’t think it appropriate at least to ask what the investigation was about.” | John Whittingdale, the chairman of Parliament’s select committee on culture, media and sport, had said earlier that Mr. Entwistle “was in the process of commissioning the most fulsome tributes to Jimmy Savile, which went out on the BBC over that Christmas, and I just find it very surprising that, having been told by the director of news, given a warning, he didn’t think it appropriate at least to ask what the investigation was about.” |
| Mr. Entwistle might also be questioned about the BBC’s earlier assertion that the “Newsnight” investigation was about a police inquiry into Mr. Savile’s behavior, not about the BBC’s failure to respond to broad rumors of abuse by one of its most enduring television personalities, some of it reportedly on BBC premises. | |
| But in a news release on Tuesday the BBC said that, after the “Panorama” documentary broadcast late on Monday “we should also make it clear we now accept that the ‘Newsnight’ investigation did not start out as an investigation into the Surrey police’s handling of the case against Mr. Savile.” | |
| Since July 2011, the committee has been closely associated with inquiries into phone hacking mainly at Rupert Murdoch’s British tabloid, the now defunct News of the World, interviewing both Mr. Murdoch and his son James in closely-watched sessions. | Since July 2011, the committee has been closely associated with inquiries into phone hacking mainly at Rupert Murdoch’s British tabloid, the now defunct News of the World, interviewing both Mr. Murdoch and his son James in closely-watched sessions. |
| The director general of the BBC at the time the “Newsnight” segment was canceled was Mark Thompson, the incoming president and chief executive of The New York Times Company. In a letter sent to members of Parliament earlier this month, a BBC spokeswoman said that neither Mr. Thompson nor Mr. Entwistle, his successor, was involved in the “Newsnight” decision. | The director general of the BBC at the time the “Newsnight” segment was canceled was Mark Thompson, the incoming president and chief executive of The New York Times Company. In a letter sent to members of Parliament earlier this month, a BBC spokeswoman said that neither Mr. Thompson nor Mr. Entwistle, his successor, was involved in the “Newsnight” decision. |
| On Oct. 13, Mr. Thompson said: “I was not notified or briefed about the ‘Newsnight’ investigation, nor was I involved in any way in the decision not to complete and air the investigation. I have no reason to doubt the public statement by the program’s editor, Peter Rippon, that the decision not to pursue the investigation was entirely his, and that it was made solely for journalistic reasons.” | On Oct. 13, Mr. Thompson said: “I was not notified or briefed about the ‘Newsnight’ investigation, nor was I involved in any way in the decision not to complete and air the investigation. I have no reason to doubt the public statement by the program’s editor, Peter Rippon, that the decision not to pursue the investigation was entirely his, and that it was made solely for journalistic reasons.” |
| On Tuesday, the BBC quoted a spokesman for Mr. Thompson as saying he was asked by a journalist at a party last year about a “Newsnight” investigation into Mr. Savile. Up until that point, Mr. Thompson had been unaware of the investigation, the spokesman said. | On Tuesday, the BBC quoted a spokesman for Mr. Thompson as saying he was asked by a journalist at a party last year about a “Newsnight” investigation into Mr. Savile. Up until that point, Mr. Thompson had been unaware of the investigation, the spokesman said. |
| Mr. Thompson later mentioned the conversation “to senior colleagues in BBC News and asked if there was a problem with the investigation,” but was told it had been dropped by “Newsnight” for journalistic reasons, the spokesman was quoted as saying. | Mr. Thompson later mentioned the conversation “to senior colleagues in BBC News and asked if there was a problem with the investigation,” but was told it had been dropped by “Newsnight” for journalistic reasons, the spokesman was quoted as saying. |