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Helen Boaden 'steps aside' as head of BBC News Helen Boaden 'steps aside' as head of BBC News
(35 minutes later)
The BBC's director of news, Helen Boaden, and her deputy, Stephen Mitchell, have "stepped aside" as the fallout from the Newsnight scandal continues.The BBC's director of news, Helen Boaden, and her deputy, Stephen Mitchell, have "stepped aside" as the fallout from the Newsnight scandal continues.
Boaden and Mitchell became the latest senior BBC News bosses to stand aside on Monday morning and follows the resignation of director general George Entwistle on Saturday night. Newsnight itself appears to be safe for now – ending widespread speculation that it could be axed – with Karen O'Connor, a former deputy editor of the BBC2 programme, returning as acting editor.
It is thought that Boaden will be replaced as head of news by Fran Unsworth, head of the BBC newsroom. The Radio 4 Today programme editor Ceri Thomas will take over as deputy. The BBC confirmed Boaden and Mitchell were stepping away from day-to-day management of BBC News on Monday morning, as the corporation was also facing widespread criticism after it emerged that George Entwistle, who resigned as director general late on Saturday, will receive a full year's salary of £450,000 in lieu of notice – despite only being in the job for 54 days.
Senior editors at BBC News will brief their staff at 10am and at 11am there is a TV news departmental meeting to discuss the changes and fall out of the Newsnight crisis. Boaden will be replaced on a temporary basis by by Fran Unsworth, head of the BBC newsroom. The Radio 4 Today programme editor Ceri Thomas will take over Mitchell's deputy role in an acting capacity.
Their departure comes on the day that the corporation is expected to announce what action it will take over the calamitous Newsnight report that mistakenly linked a Conservative peer to allegations of child sexual abuse. Monday's announcement came after Ken MacQuarrie, director of BBC Scotland, reported his findings into the Newsnight story on 2 November that mistakenly linked a Conservative peer to allegations of child sexual abuse
The interim BBC director general Tim Davie is expected to outline the results of an urgent internal inquiry, led by BBC Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie, into who approved the Newsnight film on 2 November. In a statement, the BBC said Boaden and Mitchell were stepping aside: "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."
A BBC spokesman declined to comment, but said a statement was being prepared. "Helen Boaden has decided that she is not in a position to undertake this responsibility until the Pollard review has concluded.
More to follow … "Consideration is now being given to the extent to which individuals should be asked to account further for their actions and if appropriate, disciplinary action will be taken."
Boaden and Mitchell were already "recused" from Savile-related coverage – including the 2 November Newsnight report – because of their involvement in the handling of the BBC2's current affairs programme's abandoned Jimmy Savile sex abuse investigation in late 2011. Former head of Sky News Nick Pollard is leading an inquiry into management's handling of that story.
The BBC's business editor, Robert Peston, reported that Davie believed it was "unfair" to ask Boaden and Mitchell to continue in their day jobs with the shadow of the internal reviews into Newsnight. However, lawyers for Boaden and Mitchell told Davie that they were capable of continuing in their posts, according to Peston.
The BBC said O'Connor was returning to Newsnight "to address the pressure" on the programme team.
O'Connor, the BBC head of London factual, is a former Newsnight and Panorama deputy editor, and has also been acting commissioning editor for news and current affairs.
Senior editors at BBC News will brief their staff at 10am and at 11am there is a TV news departmental meeting to discuss the executive changes and fallout of the Newsnight crisis.
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