BBC behind the scenes war over Newsnight Savile report
The ruckus about why the BBC’s investigation into abuse allegations against Jimmy Savile was dropped, has revealed divisions between editorial staff and the corporation’s management.
Leaks and counter-leaks have marked this unseemly broadcasting row, with barely concealed fury among journalists concerned that a valid investigation was dropped because it clashed with planned glowing tributes to the BBC personality.
As the scandal has unfolded, not only have former BBC stars pointed their fingers at the corporation, claiming Savile’s alleged behaviour was widely known at the corporation, but journalists involved in making the report have spoken out against the BBC’s decision not to run its investigation.
Senior reporter Liz MacKean and producer Meirion Jones made clear that their version of events – which led to the Newsnight editor Peter Rippon stepping aside pending an externally led investigation – was at odds with the official one.
Ms MacKean has told Panorama’s investigation into the Newsnight probe that: “Ever since the decision was made to shelve our story, I’ve not been happy about public statements made by the BBC – I think they’re very misleading.”
She said there was “an abrupt change of tone” in Mr Rippon’s attitude towards the film, from enthusiasm to caution, to an email telling the reporting team: “I think we should stop working on the other elements… because we don’t really have a strong enough story without it. I’ll pull editing now.”
But there have also been counter-allegations about the programme team. At the weekend, a story appeared in a Sunday newspaper accusing Meirion Jones of covering up the potential involvement of his aunt in the scandal, a claim he strongly denies.
‘Substantial damage’
Emails were also leaked which showed that producer Meirion Jones had warned Mr Rippon about how a decision to drop his story might be perceived from outside the corporation, that it might cause “substantial damage to BBC reputation”.
And in a highly unusual move, the corporation published corrections to a blog written by Mr Rippon on 2 October 2012 including the amendment: “The blog says that all the women spoken to by the programme had contacted the police independently already and that Newsnight had no new evidence against any other person that would have helped the police.
“It appears that in some cases women had not spoken to the police and that the police were not aware of all the allegations.”
The BBC said the Newsnight report had been dropped because the programme could not establish any institutional failure on the part of the Crown Prosecution Service which had not pursued its enquiries into the entertainer.
In a twist, the Panorama report into Newsnight’s shelving of its allegations into Jimmy Savile will run at the same time as Newsnight over on BBC1.
Meanwhile, the BBC’s Director General George Entwistle is to appear in front of a commons committee, meanwhile the corporation awaits the results of two investigations it has launched into both the managerial culture at the BBC and another into why the Newsnight investigation didn’t make it to air.
Timeline of a scandal
29 October 2011
Jimmy Savile dies
25 November 2011
Newsnight editor emails staff giving the green light to broadcasting allegations against Savile
29 November 2011
The BBC’s PR team is in negotiations with Newsnight journalists to prepare for possible fallout from the programme’s investigation
30 November 2011
Peter Rippon tells the Savile story’s producer Meirion Jones he wants “a better story”, one which establishes the Crown Prosecution Service’s reasons for dropping its own enquiries into Savile
1 December 2011
Peter Rippon emails Meirion Jones to say he is dropping the story: “I think we should stop working on the other elements… because we don’t really have a strong enough story without it. I’ll pull editing now”
2 December 2011
BBC’s Director of News Helen Boaden reported to have had a 10-second conversation with George Entwistle warning him of the Newsnight investigation
7 December 2011
Meirion Jones warns Mr Rippon that if the story is dropped it could cause “substantial damage to BBC reputation”
9 December 2011
The CPS says lack of evidence was behind its decision not to prosecute Jimmy Savile
30 September 2012
The BBC says it has found no evidence misconduct allegations related to Savile in its files
2 October 2012
As ITV prepares to screen similar allegations against Savile, Peter Rippon writes a blog explaining why he dropped Newsnight’s report into the story
3 Octobe
ITV screens The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, triggering a shower of further allegations from people who either worked with the entertainer or claimed to have been abused by him
5 October 2012
BBC Director-General George Entwistle tells staff no pressure was put on Mr Rippon to spike the Savile story and that the report was about Surrey police’s investigation into alleged abuse by Savile
6 October 2012
Meirion Jones emails Mr Entwistle: “George – one note – the investigation was into whether Jimmy Savile was a paedophile – I know because it was my investigation. We didn’t know that Surrey police had investigated Jimmy Savile – no one did – that was what we found when we investigated and interviewed his victims.”
21 October 2012
BBC Head of Editorial Policy David Jordan says Newsnight’s investigation focused on Surrey police’s enquiries into Savile.
22 October 2012
Newsnight Editor Peter Rippon “steps aside” pending the results of two enquiries into the corporation’s handling of the Savile allegations and issues corrections to a blog written by Rippon explaining his decision to drop the investigation