Here's BBC Director of Radio, Helen Boaden talking to Lisa Kerr, in a Radio Academy podcast, about what it was like to be part of a news story when you're Director of BBC News - as Helen was during Savile/Newsnight/Pollard. (The internal edits are not mine). The full item also talks about women in radio, leadership, and why 5Live is staying in Salford.
Showing posts with label Savile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Savile. Show all posts
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Forecast
The cloud of Savile will hang unexpunged over the BBC for another six months - because of the trial of Stuart Hall on charges involving alleged rape of two girls under 16. The trial date is set for May 6, with a case management hearing at the end of February - and the prosecution feel if Dame Janet Smith's review (which includes Dame Linda Dobbs reporting on issues arising from Hall's activities at the BBC) is published before then, there could be issues of prejudice. Hall, 83, is currently in jail serving 30 months after pleading guilty to 14 counts of indecent assault.
Meanwhile, on the general timetable of Dame Janet's work, this weekend tweet from copper-turned-tv-presenter Mark Williams-Thomas, suggests there's major elements still to complete.
Meanwhile, on the general timetable of Dame Janet's work, this weekend tweet from copper-turned-tv-presenter Mark Williams-Thomas, suggests there's major elements still to complete.
So much more to come out about #Savile about his child sex offending & what was know. I have yet to speak to BBC Dame Janet Smith review
— Mark Williams-Thomas (@mwilliamsthomas) January 18, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Update
My normally-on-the-case Media Guardian chums have yet to append comments from Dame Janet Smith to their report that Jimmy Savile "abused up to 1,000 victims on BBC premises" while "executives turned a blind eye".
Dame Janet (or her PR team?) describes the weekend reports, which started in the Observer/Guardian, as "speculative and unreliable". Speculative doesn't necessarily mean wrong, but unreliable is an interesting word. BBC house organ Ariel, perhaps understandably, places Dame Janet's comment against the "blind eye" line in its first para.
The most recent factoid from the Smith Review, came last November. It's hard to tell if the numbers in this revelation are cumulative or not.
The Review has been in contact with more than 720 people and continues to be grateful to the public for their support. In connection with the investigation into Jimmy Savile, the Review has had over 340 telephone conversations with witnesses (all of which have been noted) and approximately 140 witness interviews have taken place. In addition, in relation to the investigation into Stuart Hall, the Review has had over 102 noted telephone conversations with witnesses and a further 29 witness interviews have taken place.
Witness interviews are continuing and, as a result, the Review will not be in a position to finalise its report before the end of January 2014.
Dame Janet (or her PR team?) describes the weekend reports, which started in the Observer/Guardian, as "speculative and unreliable". Speculative doesn't necessarily mean wrong, but unreliable is an interesting word. BBC house organ Ariel, perhaps understandably, places Dame Janet's comment against the "blind eye" line in its first para.
The most recent factoid from the Smith Review, came last November. It's hard to tell if the numbers in this revelation are cumulative or not.
The Review has been in contact with more than 720 people and continues to be grateful to the public for their support. In connection with the investigation into Jimmy Savile, the Review has had over 340 telephone conversations with witnesses (all of which have been noted) and approximately 140 witness interviews have taken place. In addition, in relation to the investigation into Stuart Hall, the Review has had over 102 noted telephone conversations with witnesses and a further 29 witness interviews have taken place.
Witness interviews are continuing and, as a result, the Review will not be in a position to finalise its report before the end of January 2014.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
25
Good to know the BBC's Freedom of Information team was working on New Year's Eve. No evidence on the HR database of child sexual abuse since 2006, but....
As we have already released in a previous FOI response, the BBC Investigation Service has records of 1 allegation relating to one individual reported to the Investigation Unit which was alleged to relate to a minor. This allegation was found not to be substantiated following an investigation by the BBC in 2011.
In addition to the above, since the allegations about Jimmy Savile and others came to light the BBC has been actively encouraging anyone with information to come forward since 3 October 2012. As a result of this the BBC has received 45 allegations of inappropriate physical and non-physical behaviour of a sexual nature involving victims under the age of 18 relating to 25 BBC staff or contributors. The majority of these allegations relate to people who have died, or who have not worked for the BBC for many years although the dates supplied for these historic cases aren’t always specific.
As we have already released in a previous FOI response, the BBC Investigation Service has records of 1 allegation relating to one individual reported to the Investigation Unit which was alleged to relate to a minor. This allegation was found not to be substantiated following an investigation by the BBC in 2011.
In addition to the above, since the allegations about Jimmy Savile and others came to light the BBC has been actively encouraging anyone with information to come forward since 3 October 2012. As a result of this the BBC has received 45 allegations of inappropriate physical and non-physical behaviour of a sexual nature involving victims under the age of 18 relating to 25 BBC staff or contributors. The majority of these allegations relate to people who have died, or who have not worked for the BBC for many years although the dates supplied for these historic cases aren’t always specific.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Will it go away ?
Problems of reputation and memory are the reason why the Pollard Report on Jimmy Savile/Newsnight, its genesis and aftermath, is unsatisfactory, and why the BBC Trust's insistence that the findings are robust is likely to be picked at for some time.
For Mark Thompson, as Director General of the BBC, 2012 was all about the Olympics and finding the next job, with the best CV possible. On 12 November that year, he started work as CEO of the New York Times. On 23 November he was interviewed by Nick Pollard, barrister Alan Maclean, and Dame Janet Smith; Mr Thompson's lawyers were Schillings. In his opening statement, Mark went pretty quickly to the key issue, as he saw it. "If I had known, or suspected, that Savile was a paedophile and rapist, I would have acted on the information".
Mr Thompson recalls being approached by BBC correspondent Caroline Hawley at a Christmas drinks do on 20th December 2011, and quotes her thus. "You must be worried about the Newsnight investigation into Jimmy Savile". But he can't remember his answer, beyond "I think I was very non-committal". Later he says "I subsequently addressed it with the people I believed to be the right people, Helen Boaden and BBC News, received reassurance, and indeed got the sense the whole matter was closed, crossed it off my list and went off to worry about something else". He managed to remain unaware of stories about this issue in The Oldie and Sunday Mirror, and FOI inquiries during most of 2012, until September, when his office sent lawyer's letters to the Sunday Times in a bid to block a story that he and Helen Boaden had worked together to suppress the Newsnight investigation.
The Pollard interview with Helen Boaden pivots on another half-remembered conversation, between her and George Entwistle, at an awards lunch on 2 December, when she tipped him off about the Newsnight/Savile investigation. She confesses she can't recall her exact words, but says "Common sense suggests I said it was about underage sex or something similar. But because I can't remember, I think it is unfair to say that I can". In 189 pages of transcript there's barely a reference to Mark Thompson, and no questions about discussions with him post the Hawley tip-off.
Helen put that right, as it were, in a letter to Pollard after reviewing the draft report. We don't have the full letter, but it said she had actually informed Mark Thompson "of the nature of the Newsnight investigation". Helen further explained to MPs in April this year that her memory had been jogged that she'd received a phone call from Thommo while he was on a visit to Salford.
"He asked me what I knew about an investigation by Newsnight into Jimmy Savile. It was not unusual for Mark to make contact with me over a story he had picked up on through an informal route, and as Editor in Chief he could be expected to take an interest in BBC News investigations. My recollection is that I told Mark what I knew: that Newsnight had been investigating thirty year old allegations of sexual abuse of teenage girls by Jimmy Savile at an Approved School in Surrey. The Editor did not think the allegations stood up so had discontinued the investigation for legitimate editorial reasons. I added that the Surrey Police had looked at the case more recently and decided not to pursue it. Mark thanked me and rang off. We did not discuss it again."
Given that this is in writing, to Parliament, it looks a pretty firm recollection. Pollard's position seems to be that he prefers Thompson's recollection, and thus won't change his findings. Many think it should be at least amended, especially the bit where he says "I have no reason to doubt what he [Thompson] told me".
For Mark Thompson, as Director General of the BBC, 2012 was all about the Olympics and finding the next job, with the best CV possible. On 12 November that year, he started work as CEO of the New York Times. On 23 November he was interviewed by Nick Pollard, barrister Alan Maclean, and Dame Janet Smith; Mr Thompson's lawyers were Schillings. In his opening statement, Mark went pretty quickly to the key issue, as he saw it. "If I had known, or suspected, that Savile was a paedophile and rapist, I would have acted on the information".
Mr Thompson recalls being approached by BBC correspondent Caroline Hawley at a Christmas drinks do on 20th December 2011, and quotes her thus. "You must be worried about the Newsnight investigation into Jimmy Savile". But he can't remember his answer, beyond "I think I was very non-committal". Later he says "I subsequently addressed it with the people I believed to be the right people, Helen Boaden and BBC News, received reassurance, and indeed got the sense the whole matter was closed, crossed it off my list and went off to worry about something else". He managed to remain unaware of stories about this issue in The Oldie and Sunday Mirror, and FOI inquiries during most of 2012, until September, when his office sent lawyer's letters to the Sunday Times in a bid to block a story that he and Helen Boaden had worked together to suppress the Newsnight investigation.
The Pollard interview with Helen Boaden pivots on another half-remembered conversation, between her and George Entwistle, at an awards lunch on 2 December, when she tipped him off about the Newsnight/Savile investigation. She confesses she can't recall her exact words, but says "Common sense suggests I said it was about underage sex or something similar. But because I can't remember, I think it is unfair to say that I can". In 189 pages of transcript there's barely a reference to Mark Thompson, and no questions about discussions with him post the Hawley tip-off.
Helen put that right, as it were, in a letter to Pollard after reviewing the draft report. We don't have the full letter, but it said she had actually informed Mark Thompson "of the nature of the Newsnight investigation". Helen further explained to MPs in April this year that her memory had been jogged that she'd received a phone call from Thommo while he was on a visit to Salford.
"He asked me what I knew about an investigation by Newsnight into Jimmy Savile. It was not unusual for Mark to make contact with me over a story he had picked up on through an informal route, and as Editor in Chief he could be expected to take an interest in BBC News investigations. My recollection is that I told Mark what I knew: that Newsnight had been investigating thirty year old allegations of sexual abuse of teenage girls by Jimmy Savile at an Approved School in Surrey. The Editor did not think the allegations stood up so had discontinued the investigation for legitimate editorial reasons. I added that the Surrey Police had looked at the case more recently and decided not to pursue it. Mark thanked me and rang off. We did not discuss it again."
Given that this is in writing, to Parliament, it looks a pretty firm recollection. Pollard's position seems to be that he prefers Thompson's recollection, and thus won't change his findings. Many think it should be at least amended, especially the bit where he says "I have no reason to doubt what he [Thompson] told me".
- A property mag in the States has revealed that Thommo has a housing project on his hands. He and his wife have bought a $3.4m four bedroom apartment in New York's Upper West Side. On the ninth-floor of a 12-storey block built in 1910, it has some original features, including a non-functioning gas fireplace and some stained glass windows. The couple apparently told the seller "We can see the treasure in a dilapidated castle".
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Pain postponed
A clearer December now for the management team at the BBC: Dame Janet Smith has once again postponed delivery of her report on "Savile" culture, this time til the New Year.
Witness interviews are continuing and, as a result, the Review will not be in a position to finalise its report before the end of January 2014.
The Review has been in contact with more than 720 people and continues to be grateful to the public for their support. In connection with the investigation into Jimmy Savile, the Review has had over 340 telephone conversations with witnesses (all of which have been noted) and approximately 140 witness interviews have taken place. In addition, in relation to the investigation into Stuart Hall, the Review has had over 102 noted telephone conversations with witnesses and a further 29 witness interviews have taken place.
Witness interviews are continuing and, as a result, the Review will not be in a position to finalise its report before the end of January 2014.
The Review has been in contact with more than 720 people and continues to be grateful to the public for their support. In connection with the investigation into Jimmy Savile, the Review has had over 340 telephone conversations with witnesses (all of which have been noted) and approximately 140 witness interviews have taken place. In addition, in relation to the investigation into Stuart Hall, the Review has had over 102 noted telephone conversations with witnesses and a further 29 witness interviews have taken place.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Fair selection
There'll be a vacant chair soon in Lord Hall's inner sanctum, c/o The Crystal Maze, Broadcasting House, BBC W1.
Jessica Cecil is moving from her post as "Chief of Staff/Head of the DG's Office" to the comforting bosom of Anne Bulford's Finance and Operations Division. She can't have expected to serve quite so many DG's when she first signed up, but then Jimmy Savile speeded up things - and she worked for Thommo, Entwistle, Davie (acting) and Hall. Previous work on the collapse of the Mayan Civilisation may have proved good grounding, as perhaps did her other job as a non-exec with the London Ambulance Service.
(Dear diary eds, can I have a back link for this one.... ?)
Will the job be advertised? Were the posts of Technology Editor, Newsnight, and Policy Editor, Newsnight advertised? As ever, there are more questions than answers...
Jessica Cecil is moving from her post as "Chief of Staff/Head of the DG's Office" to the comforting bosom of Anne Bulford's Finance and Operations Division. She can't have expected to serve quite so many DG's when she first signed up, but then Jimmy Savile speeded up things - and she worked for Thommo, Entwistle, Davie (acting) and Hall. Previous work on the collapse of the Mayan Civilisation may have proved good grounding, as perhaps did her other job as a non-exec with the London Ambulance Service.
(Dear diary eds, can I have a back link for this one.... ?)
Will the job be advertised? Were the posts of Technology Editor, Newsnight, and Policy Editor, Newsnight advertised? As ever, there are more questions than answers...
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Hired hands
The Evening Standard has FOI responses about additional help hired in the Pollard Inquiry into what went wrong with the Jimmy Savile investigation at Newsnight - but in one case it was pushing at an open door.
It says PR company Greab & Gavin Anderson was hired to field phone calls from journalists. This was openly reported by PR Week in November last year. Greab was founded in Sweden by its executive chairman Peje Emilsson and Jan-Erik Ander. They merged with US firm Gavin Anderson, also in financial and corporate PR, in 2009. Together they have 25 offices around the world - their London base is, aptly, in Scandinavian House, Cannon Street.
More interestingly, the Standard reveals that Kroll investigators were hired - they prefer the name Kroll Advisory Solutions for their global business. They don't come cheap. Kroll was bought by Altegrity Inc ('Make decisions smarter [sic]") in 2010. Altegrity in turn are owned by Providence Equity Partners, headquartered in Providence, Rhode IslandHired hands.
It says PR company Greab & Gavin Anderson was hired to field phone calls from journalists. This was openly reported by PR Week in November last year. Greab was founded in Sweden by its executive chairman Peje Emilsson and Jan-Erik Ander. They merged with US firm Gavin Anderson, also in financial and corporate PR, in 2009. Together they have 25 offices around the world - their London base is, aptly, in Scandinavian House, Cannon Street.
More interestingly, the Standard reveals that Kroll investigators were hired - they prefer the name Kroll Advisory Solutions for their global business. They don't come cheap. Kroll was bought by Altegrity Inc ('Make decisions smarter [sic]") in 2010. Altegrity in turn are owned by Providence Equity Partners, headquartered in Providence, Rhode IslandHired hands.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Mechanics
A BBC response to an FOI question first lodged in October last year demonstrates the mighty machine of the Press Office at work in the days running up to ITV's documentary - "Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile" - a programme the BBC nearly had in its grasp, but fumbled almost a year earlier.
The enquirer simply asked for anything that mentioned the ITV investigation. There are tantalising redactions, but this document, covering internal correspondence from 20th to 30th September 2012 shows how the press team monitor and change lines to stick with the BBC version of events.
The enquirer simply asked for anything that mentioned the ITV investigation. There are tantalising redactions, but this document, covering internal correspondence from 20th to 30th September 2012 shows how the press team monitor and change lines to stick with the BBC version of events.
Friday, June 21, 2013
The Savile papers
The nice man who made the Freedom of Information request asking the BBC how much they paid Jimmy Savile over the years has been led a merry dance. Instead of just adding it up, the BBC sent files to an outside company to scan, then posted (without a stamp) 1,000 pieces of paper to the inquirer.
Without moaning, Martin Salter has now made the documents available to the world, on Google Drive. They merit some sort of postgraduate study.
My first peek reminds us how often BBC producers in the mid-60s sought Savile's opinions on "youth" - when Savile was already in his forties. There's 10 guineas for an interview with the African Service, 20 guineas for appearing on Line Up, with Yehudi Menuhin, 10 guineas for talking to Arthur Murphy on Look North about "your ideas for outside activities for children who are unmanageable at home", 5 guineas for taking part in "Something to Say" on the Light Programme and 5 guineas for a contribution to Junior Points Of View. When Radio 1 came along in 1967, there was £100 for each edition of Savile's Travels and £82.50 for Speakasy. The going rate for Top of the Pops was 150 guineas - and when it moved from Manchester to London, there was an additional £5 for the return rail fare; no hotel expenses.
One eerie invoice - to Top of the Pops producer Johnnie Stewart, in November 1965, is for 25 guineas, for "for being filmed with children playing with toys" at Greenheys Primary School, Manchester.
Without moaning, Martin Salter has now made the documents available to the world, on Google Drive. They merit some sort of postgraduate study.
My first peek reminds us how often BBC producers in the mid-60s sought Savile's opinions on "youth" - when Savile was already in his forties. There's 10 guineas for an interview with the African Service, 20 guineas for appearing on Line Up, with Yehudi Menuhin, 10 guineas for talking to Arthur Murphy on Look North about "your ideas for outside activities for children who are unmanageable at home", 5 guineas for taking part in "Something to Say" on the Light Programme and 5 guineas for a contribution to Junior Points Of View. When Radio 1 came along in 1967, there was £100 for each edition of Savile's Travels and £82.50 for Speakasy. The going rate for Top of the Pops was 150 guineas - and when it moved from Manchester to London, there was an additional £5 for the return rail fare; no hotel expenses.
One eerie invoice - to Top of the Pops producer Johnnie Stewart, in November 1965, is for 25 guineas, for "for being filmed with children playing with toys" at Greenheys Primary School, Manchester.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Copying without looking
Sometimes the BBC's wriggling over FOI requests is reminiscent of scenes from Alice in Wonderland. Here's the latest on attempts to get information about how much Jimmy Savile was paid over the years..
A request was submitted in January. At the end of March, the BBC, apparently generously, said that although "contributor files.. fall outside of the scope of the Act, in this case the BBC is prepared to volunteer this information to you. Due to the age of the files in question, it has proved difficult to scan pages in sufficiently high quality. I therefore propose sending the information to you in hard copy form."
Now we learn that the originals - many of them carbon copies - were sent outside the BBC to produce these hard copies. So they WERE scanned, but not by the BBC, and instead of getting a digital copy in the process, the BBC has only new paper copies. Which it hasn't got time or resources to SCAN. See ? From the organisation that brought you the iPlayer.
Enjoy the detail of this letter, sent out at the end of last week...
As we have previously explained, the original documentation is over 1000 pages, much of which is carbon copy paper from the 1960s-70s. Our own photocopiers are unable to replicate a copy of a readable quality documents of this quality, so we have organised for a third party with appropriate technology to produce a photocopy on our behalf which we can post to you if required.
We have not been able to scan this document to provide you with a copy via e-mail as the PDF document created by our scanning technology exceeds the size permitted to be saved and e-mailed by our systems. As I am sure you will appreciate, breaking the document down into more manageable chunks has significant staff time implications.
A request was submitted in January. At the end of March, the BBC, apparently generously, said that although "contributor files.. fall outside of the scope of the Act, in this case the BBC is prepared to volunteer this information to you. Due to the age of the files in question, it has proved difficult to scan pages in sufficiently high quality. I therefore propose sending the information to you in hard copy form."
Now we learn that the originals - many of them carbon copies - were sent outside the BBC to produce these hard copies. So they WERE scanned, but not by the BBC, and instead of getting a digital copy in the process, the BBC has only new paper copies. Which it hasn't got time or resources to SCAN. See ? From the organisation that brought you the iPlayer.
Enjoy the detail of this letter, sent out at the end of last week...
As we have previously explained, the original documentation is over 1000 pages, much of which is carbon copy paper from the 1960s-70s. Our own photocopiers are unable to replicate a copy of a readable quality documents of this quality, so we have organised for a third party with appropriate technology to produce a photocopy on our behalf which we can post to you if required.
We have not been able to scan this document to provide you with a copy via e-mail as the PDF document created by our scanning technology exceeds the size permitted to be saved and e-mailed by our systems. As I am sure you will appreciate, breaking the document down into more manageable chunks has significant staff time implications.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Savile wake
Some more detail from the BBC on the internal investigations post-Savile. Since the beginning of October last year, 152 allegations of a sexual nature have been made against 81 current and ex-BBC staff and
contributors both alive and dead. Of these 10 current staff or contributors are currently still
under investigation either by the police or the BBC.
Here's a BBC table with more detail. Click to "go large".
The FOI answer explains why it's hard to provide much more detail in general about "compromise agreements" - the exit strategy whereby money changes hands to secure a tricky parting quickly and without publicity. The level of churn is terrifying: "There are c20,000 people currently employed by the BBC and... c14,000 employees who have left the BBC in the past 3 years".
One other factoid: The BBC database of formal cases alleging bullying and harassment, raising grievances, or disciplinary cases totals around 2,200, from 2006 to January this year.
Here's a BBC table with more detail. Click to "go large".
The FOI answer explains why it's hard to provide much more detail in general about "compromise agreements" - the exit strategy whereby money changes hands to secure a tricky parting quickly and without publicity. The level of churn is terrifying: "There are c20,000 people currently employed by the BBC and... c14,000 employees who have left the BBC in the past 3 years".
One other factoid: The BBC database of formal cases alleging bullying and harassment, raising grievances, or disciplinary cases totals around 2,200, from 2006 to January this year.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Now then
Regular readers will know what joy I take in punters sparring with the BBC over Freedom of Information requests. At the moment, the BBC is adopting a very defensive stance. Take this simple question, from October last year
The BBC gloves, protecting the head, say they've found some written information, not the whole story, but it isn't apparently possible to scan them into PDFs. This seems odd, as there are PDFs of documents as venerable as the Magna Carta. And odder, because the inquirer asked for a total, not a set of documents. Nonetheless, the BBC is ready to post physical copies - so, address, please Richard.
Dear British Broadcasting Corporation,
What was the total amount of money given to Jimmy Saville by the
BBC before his death in 2011?
Yours faithfully,
richard
The BBC gloves, protecting the head, say they've found some written information, not the whole story, but it isn't apparently possible to scan them into PDFs. This seems odd, as there are PDFs of documents as venerable as the Magna Carta. And odder, because the inquirer asked for a total, not a set of documents. Nonetheless, the BBC is ready to post physical copies - so, address, please Richard.
Dear Stephanie,
Please send the documents to 10 Downing St, London SW1A 2AA.
Thanks.
Yours sincerely,
richard
Please send the documents to 10 Downing St, London SW1A 2AA.
Thanks.
Yours sincerely,
richard
Friday, March 29, 2013
Wriggle
FOI request: How much down the years did the BBC give to Jimmy Savile?
The BBC does not hold a single figure that represents the amount paid to Jimmy Savile over the course of his career. However, the BBC holds a number of contributor files for Jimmy Savile at its Written Archives Centre which contain hundreds of payment slips for his appearances, for the use of footage featuring him or for expenses occurred in the course of filming. Whilst the BBC considers that contributor files, like other programme related material, fall outside the scope of the Act, in this case the BBC is prepared to volunteer this information to you. Due to the age of the files in question, it has proved difficult to scan pages in sufficiently high quality. I therefore propose sending the information to you in hard copy form. To that end, could you please contact us with a physical address to which we can send these documents ?
The BBC does not hold a single figure that represents the amount paid to Jimmy Savile over the course of his career. However, the BBC holds a number of contributor files for Jimmy Savile at its Written Archives Centre which contain hundreds of payment slips for his appearances, for the use of footage featuring him or for expenses occurred in the course of filming. Whilst the BBC considers that contributor files, like other programme related material, fall outside the scope of the Act, in this case the BBC is prepared to volunteer this information to you. Due to the age of the files in question, it has proved difficult to scan pages in sufficiently high quality. I therefore propose sending the information to you in hard copy form. To that end, could you please contact us with a physical address to which we can send these documents ?
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Busy line
Just a catch up on former BBC DG Mark Thompson in his new job as CEO of the New York Times. In the last month or so, 30 staff at the paper have been given deals or laid off, and a range of promotions followed; the Boston Globe has been put up for sale; the International Herald Tribune is to be renamed the International New York Times; and Mark has been delivering pizza to the NYT team providing live streamed coverage of the Oscars.
So perhaps he just hasn't had time for the series of "town hall" meetings he promised NYT staff. These were delayed from December, because of the Pollard inquiry, and promised for early in the New Year. But we have one worrying element at large - a story in The Sunday Times (prop R Murdoch) claiming that lawyers for Helen Boaden say she telephoned Mark in December 2011 about the Newsnight allegations against Jimmy Savile. This story does not appear in any of the Pollard transcripts, emails or submissions published last week; it comes from freelance Miles Goslett. If true, it makes Mark's protestations of what he knew and when about JS difficult to maintain, to say the least. So far, there's no response from Boaden, Thompson or the NYT.
So perhaps he just hasn't had time for the series of "town hall" meetings he promised NYT staff. These were delayed from December, because of the Pollard inquiry, and promised for early in the New Year. But we have one worrying element at large - a story in The Sunday Times (prop R Murdoch) claiming that lawyers for Helen Boaden say she telephoned Mark in December 2011 about the Newsnight allegations against Jimmy Savile. This story does not appear in any of the Pollard transcripts, emails or submissions published last week; it comes from freelance Miles Goslett. If true, it makes Mark's protestations of what he knew and when about JS difficult to maintain, to say the least. So far, there's no response from Boaden, Thompson or the NYT.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Thought for today
Your esteemed blogger was invited to express an opinion on the Pollard annexes yesterday afternoon on the airwaves - and remains pleased he turned it down. I've read nearly all of the stuff now, and expect my opinions will change on a re-read.
But here's some early thoughts. First: I blame Birt.
He skipped a generation of editors when he arrived to run news as Deputy Director General. Jenny Abramsky became editor of radio news and current affairs in 1987 at the age of 41; Tony Hall became editor of television news and current affairs in 1990 at 39. Slowly but surely, everyone over the age of 45 in the division knew that their chances of a big job were gone. They either left, or hung on til exit deals arrived (then achievable at the age of 50). Depending on your view, time-servers or the acquired wisdom of experience went out of the door.
Whilst News is responsible for hours and hours of output, the only topics of internal debate are the 10 (or previously 9) O'Clock News on BBC1; Newsnight; Panorama; and Today on Radio 4. Ambitious young turks know they must not only run one or two of these shows, they must make an impact, to avoid Logan's Run, to join senior management, and then tilt at an Executive role. And they must make more impact than their contemporaries, inside and outside the BBC, as the pyramid of management becomes flatter, and there are fewer roles to tilt at. As an old colleague reminded me last month, part of the job specification to run the four Crown Jewel shows seemed to demand confidence-bordering-on-autocratic-arrogance - and that's what the teams that produced the glittering output liked, and often aped.
Now we start to run into trouble. Impact came to mean scoops - big interviews that make headlines and establishment-rattling investigations. As we moved through the Millennium, teams concealed and manouevred, to provide their leaders with the c.v. they required to progress. They rubbished others' work - across all forms of journalism. The leaders sought aggressive fixers, daring reporters, and brilliant but biddable minds; HR were left to pick up the pieces of those that didn't make the grade.
Budget cuts, however, meant that, if you didn't axe shows, you had to cut their resources. The easy cut is dedicated reporting and investigation effort - and managers like Helen Boaden and Steve Mitchell had to argue that young turks could "share" more stories, because the audience wouldn't mind. This is a message that makes no sense to the warring teams, and never has done.
Now we add some more of the Pollard/Savile protagonists to the mix, and look at their evidence and emails. Whatever Peter Rippon was like when he got the Newsnight job, by the time we come to the last quarter of 2011, we have a vacillator, who has largely "lost" the dressing room. We have Meirion Jones and Liz McKean, producer and reporter, who are certain that the story "stands up", and can't believe it's not running. We have a much wider circle across news who knew the story was coming, and then know it's dropped. In January and February, this gets worse, through the efforts of Miles Goslett, yapping at the BBC's heels. News' response is about protecting reputations. A position of high dudgeon is maintained - the story was dropped for editorial reasons (code for it didn't stand-up). At this stage, nobody does a forensic job on what Jones/McKean/Livingston actually had. As far as I can tell, neither Peter, or any manager above him ever watched the material that had been filmed. That may even have lasted until ITV made their version of the same story in October 2012.
This protection of reputation becomes an unwavering stance. Nothing must happen to stain Mark Thompson, in his final months as DG; as George emerges as his successor, we must protect his new role, and his history, as Director of Vision. As cock-up becomes clear with the award-winning ITV investigation, the hunt for a head on a pole becomes vicious. Panorama takes up the shining sword of unhelpfulness and lays into Newsnight, just like the good old days. Newsnight without Rippon seeks to regain the tough-guy title, and trips up entering the ring over McAlpine. The unspoken feuding between those in top roles, and those who would supplant them, is still going on when Pollard conducts his interviews; the rubbishing of other people's positions and actions takes columns and columns.
Meanwhile Pollard, surprisingly for a hack, gets tangled in process, and, presumably encouraged by barristers, remorsely pursues the issue of a-list-of-risky-programmes-in-the-making, with an interest close to OCD.
I can already smell a training course on list maintenance being part of the BBC's inevitable lessons-learned response. It's simpler than that. BBC News dropped one of the stories of the year, when it was in their hands. And the organisation spent a year fixated on the protection of reputations, as others looked for evidence that made the Savile story stronger - and more damaging to the wider BBC.
But here's some early thoughts. First: I blame Birt.
He skipped a generation of editors when he arrived to run news as Deputy Director General. Jenny Abramsky became editor of radio news and current affairs in 1987 at the age of 41; Tony Hall became editor of television news and current affairs in 1990 at 39. Slowly but surely, everyone over the age of 45 in the division knew that their chances of a big job were gone. They either left, or hung on til exit deals arrived (then achievable at the age of 50). Depending on your view, time-servers or the acquired wisdom of experience went out of the door.
Whilst News is responsible for hours and hours of output, the only topics of internal debate are the 10 (or previously 9) O'Clock News on BBC1; Newsnight; Panorama; and Today on Radio 4. Ambitious young turks know they must not only run one or two of these shows, they must make an impact, to avoid Logan's Run, to join senior management, and then tilt at an Executive role. And they must make more impact than their contemporaries, inside and outside the BBC, as the pyramid of management becomes flatter, and there are fewer roles to tilt at. As an old colleague reminded me last month, part of the job specification to run the four Crown Jewel shows seemed to demand confidence-bordering-on-autocratic-arrogance - and that's what the teams that produced the glittering output liked, and often aped.
Now we start to run into trouble. Impact came to mean scoops - big interviews that make headlines and establishment-rattling investigations. As we moved through the Millennium, teams concealed and manouevred, to provide their leaders with the c.v. they required to progress. They rubbished others' work - across all forms of journalism. The leaders sought aggressive fixers, daring reporters, and brilliant but biddable minds; HR were left to pick up the pieces of those that didn't make the grade.
Budget cuts, however, meant that, if you didn't axe shows, you had to cut their resources. The easy cut is dedicated reporting and investigation effort - and managers like Helen Boaden and Steve Mitchell had to argue that young turks could "share" more stories, because the audience wouldn't mind. This is a message that makes no sense to the warring teams, and never has done.
Now we add some more of the Pollard/Savile protagonists to the mix, and look at their evidence and emails. Whatever Peter Rippon was like when he got the Newsnight job, by the time we come to the last quarter of 2011, we have a vacillator, who has largely "lost" the dressing room. We have Meirion Jones and Liz McKean, producer and reporter, who are certain that the story "stands up", and can't believe it's not running. We have a much wider circle across news who knew the story was coming, and then know it's dropped. In January and February, this gets worse, through the efforts of Miles Goslett, yapping at the BBC's heels. News' response is about protecting reputations. A position of high dudgeon is maintained - the story was dropped for editorial reasons (code for it didn't stand-up). At this stage, nobody does a forensic job on what Jones/McKean/Livingston actually had. As far as I can tell, neither Peter, or any manager above him ever watched the material that had been filmed. That may even have lasted until ITV made their version of the same story in October 2012.
This protection of reputation becomes an unwavering stance. Nothing must happen to stain Mark Thompson, in his final months as DG; as George emerges as his successor, we must protect his new role, and his history, as Director of Vision. As cock-up becomes clear with the award-winning ITV investigation, the hunt for a head on a pole becomes vicious. Panorama takes up the shining sword of unhelpfulness and lays into Newsnight, just like the good old days. Newsnight without Rippon seeks to regain the tough-guy title, and trips up entering the ring over McAlpine. The unspoken feuding between those in top roles, and those who would supplant them, is still going on when Pollard conducts his interviews; the rubbishing of other people's positions and actions takes columns and columns.
Meanwhile Pollard, surprisingly for a hack, gets tangled in process, and, presumably encouraged by barristers, remorsely pursues the issue of a-list-of-risky-programmes-in-the-making, with an interest close to OCD.
I can already smell a training course on list maintenance being part of the BBC's inevitable lessons-learned response. It's simpler than that. BBC News dropped one of the stories of the year, when it was in their hands. And the organisation spent a year fixated on the protection of reputations, as others looked for evidence that made the Savile story stronger - and more damaging to the wider BBC.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Twiglets
It looks like downloading the Pollard annexes and emails is going to be a long job - so here are some bits from tweets from those who've got in early.
From Paxman: "It is not any secret that xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
"The news division has been taken over by radio. These people belong to a different kind of culture"
From Paxman: "It is not any secret that xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
"The news division has been taken over by radio. These people belong to a different kind of culture"
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Selector !
The past comes to the aid of the displaced again, with former Newsnight editor Peter Rippon resurfacing as Editor, BBC Online Archive. He will be charged with developing an "Online Journal Of Record". This is apparently different from looking for cached stuff on Google, and doesn't require high pressure decisions. He has to choose a television and news bulletin from every day of the year from the last 80 years to put online in some form.
History also found a job for Adrian Van Klaveren, now looking after World War One centenary programmes - if it lasts for four years, he'll have more job security than many News colleagues.
History also found a job for Adrian Van Klaveren, now looking after World War One centenary programmes - if it lasts for four years, he'll have more job security than many News colleagues.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
How much ?
Here's a simple question. To which the answer should be £x.x, with the x's filled in appropriately.
What was the total amount of money given to Jimmy Saville by the BBC before his death in 2011?
The BBC is apparently about to answer this Freedom of Information question, lodged in October 2012 last year, in a belated but interesting way.
I am preparing to disclose information in response to your FOI request [reference number RFI20121161]. Due to the age of the files in question, it has proved difficult to scan pages in sufficiently high quality. I therefore propose sending the disclosure documents to you in hard copy form. Could you please provide a physical address to which I can send the response ?
Let's hope the person who asked the questions has a magnifying glass, a calculator and a commitment to Freedom of Information greater than the BBC's.
What was the total amount of money given to Jimmy Saville by the BBC before his death in 2011?
The BBC is apparently about to answer this Freedom of Information question, lodged in October 2012 last year, in a belated but interesting way.
I am preparing to disclose information in response to your FOI request [reference number RFI20121161]. Due to the age of the files in question, it has proved difficult to scan pages in sufficiently high quality. I therefore propose sending the disclosure documents to you in hard copy form. Could you please provide a physical address to which I can send the response ?
Let's hope the person who asked the questions has a magnifying glass, a calculator and a commitment to Freedom of Information greater than the BBC's.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
It's only words
On Thursday, Cath-Kidston-overalled Under-Keepers at the BBC Trust will ritually seal the windows along the street side of their rooms at 180 Great Portland Street. With the piri-piri chicken skin aromas of Nando's thus excluded, the Trustees will assemble and scan the redacted Pollard Annexes. Those less discreet will go straight to the index, look for Horrocks and Paxman, and then turn to what are expected to be wide open spaces of white.
Publication is set for Friday. We note that Jeremy is still not in the presenter's chair at Newsnight - this coming week it's Wark (picket lines permitting), Esler, Esler, Esler and Mair. Eddie will be salivating already at the annex opportunity, with Acting Editor Karen O'Connor working on a containment plan.
Publication is set for Friday. We note that Jeremy is still not in the presenter's chair at Newsnight - this coming week it's Wark (picket lines permitting), Esler, Esler, Esler and Mair. Eddie will be salivating already at the annex opportunity, with Acting Editor Karen O'Connor working on a containment plan.
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