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Crisis deepens, more heads to roll in BBC
The BBC announced that two of its executives were standing aside on Monday and warned more heads may roll as it battles with a major crisis over its reporting of sex abuse that toppled the director-general.
The BBC announced that two of its executives were standing aside on Monday and warned more heads may roll as it battles with a major crisis over its reporting of sex abuse that toppled the director-general.
The broadcaster also came under fresh pressure after it emerged that George Entwistle, who dramatically quit as director-general on Saturday, would receive a payoff of $450,000 (560,000 euros, $715,000) after just 54 days in the job.
British Prime Minister David Cameron reportedly said the payment was “hard to justify”, increasing the pressure on BBC Trust chairman Chris Patten.
Entwistle’s departure has left the BBC in chaos as it fights the fallout from allegations that its late star Jimmy Savile was a serial sex offender, and from a TV report that wrongly implicated a politician in child abuse.
Acting director-general Tim Davie is expected to set out his plans to deal with the crisis, amid speculation that a number of senior figures at the BBC are set to lose their jobs. At the heart of the scandal is the role of staff and managers overseeing the BBC's flagship current affairs programme Newsnight.
