On the left, Nick Serpell, BBC Obituaries Editor and former Father of the Chapel for News. On the right, former BBC Executive Ron Neil (brought back by Mark to lead the post-Hutton review aimed at "putting things right" in News).
Ron started it, with a letter defending Mark's character...
Mark did not negotiate this deal; it's what he was informed he would receive. Nevertheless, many staff have been highly critical of the pay-offs issue and the large sums of money involved. That is perfectly understandable.
What is less understandable, and hugely unfair, is the suggestion in some of the press that Mark was nothing other than a self serving, time serving BBC mandarin. Since balance is so important to the BBC, let me say, as his old boss, that Mark Byford was an inspirational leader of the BBC's journalism who worked tirelessly to bring cohesion, wise management and good judgement to the running of this huge division and, in so doing, the journalism was never stronger.
The rejoinder from Nick is pointed.
I never met Mark Byford but I do not doubt that everything Ron Neil wrote about him was completely true.
It is impossible to imagine that lowly members of staff would ever be offered a redundancy deal way over their contractual terms to persuade them to 'stay focused'. If that ever did happen, I would hope that their own honesty and integrity would persuade them to decline the offer.
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