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BBC news executives 'step aside' BBC news executives 'step aside'
(35 minutes later)
The BBC's director of news, Helen Boaden, and her deputy have "stepped aside" pending the outcome of an internal review. The BBC's director of news, Helen Boaden, and her deputy Steve Mitchell have been asked to "step 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. It 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. A single management was being re-established to deal with all output "to address the lack of clarity around the editorial chain of command".
Mr Entwistle resigned after a Newsnight report led to a former Tory treasurer being wrongly accused of child abuse. The staff changes come about after Newsnight investigations into 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. Mr Entwistle resigned after a Newsnight report led to former Tory treasurer, Lord McAlpine, being wrongly accused of child abuse in north Wales in the 1980s.
Clear line of control A report was commissioned by Mr Entwistle after Newsnight unreservedly apologised on Friday for the programme.
Neither Ms Boaden or Mr Mitchell were in the decision-making chain that led to Newsnight's north Wales abuse broadcast.
They had removed themselves from decision making on some areas of BBC News output while a separate inquiry, by former head of Sky News Nick Pollard, was held into a decision to shelve an earlier Newsnight investigation into abuse claims against former BBC presenter Jimmy Savile.
Disciplinary action
Ken MacQuarrie, director of BBC Scotland, in his report on the north Wales broadcast said: "To address the lack of clarity around the editorial chain of command, a decision has been taken to re-establish a single management to deal with all output, Savile related or otherwise."
"Helen Boaden has decided that she is not in a position to undertake this responsibility until the Pollard review has concluded."
Disciplinary action could be taken if appropriate.
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.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 he did not ask Ms Boaden for further details, he told MPs during an appearance. She has overall editorial and managerial responsibility for UK-wide and global news and current affairs on radio, television and online.
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. Mr Entwistle said the pair had a brief discussion about the Newsnight Savile investigation but he did not ask Ms Boaden for further details, he told MPs during an appearance.
Temporary heads
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.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.
Ms Boaden has overall editorial and managerial responsibility for UK-wide and global news and current affairs on radio, television and online.
Fran Unsworth, head of newsgathering, and Ceri Thomas, editor of BBC's Radio 4 Today programme have been asked to fill their respective roles, for the time being.Fran Unsworth, head of newsgathering, and Ceri Thomas, editor of BBC's Radio 4 Today programme have been asked to fill their respective roles, for the time being.
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.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.
Mr Davie and Lord Patten are understood to believe that Ms Boaden's and Mr Mitchell's decision to withdraw from all decision-making on the way the BBC reports the Jimmy Savile scandal has created confusion at BBC News about who is in charge, our correspondent added.Mr Davie and Lord Patten are understood to believe that Ms Boaden's and Mr Mitchell's decision to withdraw from all decision-making on the way the BBC reports the Jimmy Savile scandal has created confusion at BBC News about who is in charge, our correspondent added.
He said the decision to ask Ms Boaden and Mr Mitchell to stand aside would have been rooted in the results of this weekend's investigation into a later journalistic mistake by Newsnight, it broadcast 10 days ago of allegations that a senior Tory was involved in child abuse. Peston said he had learned that lawyers acting for Ms Boaden and Mr Mitchell have informed Mr Davie that they are quite capable of running BBC News, even with the uncertainty created by the Pollard inquiry.
However neither Ms Boaden or Mr Mitchell were in the decision-making chain that led to Newsnight's broadcast. Chain of command
Meanwhile, more details have emerged about the decision-making process behind Newsnight's care home story.
The controller of Radio 5 live, Adrian Van Klaveren, was in overall charge of the investigation, and he reported to a member of the BBC's management board, the BBC Northern Ireland controller Peter Johnston.
BBC broadcaster David Dimbleby said Mr Entwistle was not the suited to the job.
"The fact he chose to resign rather than fight showed he wasn't actually the right choice for director general, admirable man though he may be.
"If you're going to be the DG you've got to fight for the organisation, and you've got to fight for the many people who work for it - who you and I know are often underpaid, hard pressed, and baffled and confused by the management above them."