BBC任命新總裁
英
國
廣播公司(British Broadcasting Corporation, 簡稱BBC)任命英國皇家歌劇院(Royal Opera
House)主管Tony
Hall擔任其新總裁﹐稱這位“外來者”能夠以新的眼光審視本公司﹐幫助BBC擺脫因錯誤地報道政府高官性侵兒童而陷入的醜聞。
Hall曾在1996年-2001年擔任BBC News and Current Affairs總監﹐並在這期間推出了BBC News Online、Radio 5 Live和其他頻道﹐對媒體行業可謂熟門熟路。
BBC治理機構BBC Trust表示﹐Hall將於3月份履新﹐在他上任以前﹐總裁職務將由Tim Davie代理。
BBC此前因在報導中錯誤地報道一位政府高官涉嫌性侵犯兒童而備受批評﹐前總裁George Entwistle在幾週前引咎辭職。BBC承認﹐其時事欄目《新聞之夜》(Newsnight)在針對英國保守黨前政要涉嫌性侵犯兒童的報導中有失誤。
Jeanne Whalen
(本文版權歸道瓊斯公司所有﹐未經許可不得翻譯或轉載。)
Lord Patten: ''I didn't try to argue him out of it because I think he'd made his mind up''
Former
BBC director general George Entwistle will receive one year's salary,
worth £450,000, as part of a pay-off deal, the BBC Trust has said.
He quit on Saturday after a Newsnight report led to a former Tory treasurer being wrongly accused of child abuse.
Acting director general Tim Davie has urged senior corporation managers to "pull together" in the BBC's interests.
The BBC Trust said it "looked forward" to Mr Davie setting out his initial plans on Monday.
Speaking earlier, BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten said a radical, structural overhaul" of the corporation is now necessary.
He has said a new director general would be chosen within weeks.
'Swift resolution'
In a statement regarding the director general's departure
settlement, a BBC Trust spokesman said: "The BBC reached a consensual
termination agreement with George Entwistle last night and agreed to pay
him 12 months pay, in lieu of notice.
"This reflects the fact that he will continue to help on BBC business, most specifically the two ongoing inquiries."
The BBC's Norman Smith says it is understood the decision to
give him a full year's salary was taken on Saturday night in order to
reach a swift resolution to his departure.
Tim Davie was appointed acting director general immediately after Mr Entwistle's resignation
Reacting to details of Mr Entwistle's pay-out settlement, John
Whittingdale - who chairs the Commons Culture, Media and Sport select
committee - said his "immediate reaction" was that "it cannot be
justified".
"I think almost everybody hearing this news will say 'how can
somebody who has had to leave in these circumstances, as a result of a
serious failure, nevertheless get a whole year's salary'", he said.
Our correspondent reports that the acting director general
has urged senior managers on to "show leadership to your teams by
remaining visible, listening and engaging with them."
In an email to senior executives on Sunday evening, he said
staff would be feeling "sad and shocked" by the crisis, adding Mr
Entwistle's decision to resign was "honourable" and "he will be missed".
The BBC Trust said, on Sunday night, that it had had a
discussion with Mr Davie on Sunday and was "looking forward" to him
setting out his plans on Monday for dealing with some of the issues
arising from the 2 November Newsnight broadcast "as a first step in
restoring public confidence".
Before his departure, Mr Entwistle had commissioned a report
from BBC Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie into what happened with the
Newsnight investigation.
Earlier, Mr Davie held an hour-long meeting with members of
the BBC Trust, during which Mr MacQuarrie's report is understood to have
been discussed.
On 2 November Newsnight reported abuse victim Steve Messham's
claims against a leading 1980s Tory politician being an abuser in north
Wales, but he withdrew his accusation a week later, saying he had been
mistaken.
Lord McAlpine, although not named on Newsnight, was
identified on the internet as the subject of the allegations. He said
the claims were "wholly false and seriously defamatory".
The BBC issued an unreserved apology for the Newsnight report on Friday evening.
最短命的BBC總裁
上任僅八周就辭職
英國廣播公司 (BBC)總裁喬治﹒恩特威斯爾10日宣布辭職,稱英國廣播公司近期“異常”狀況令他決意引退。
當天早些時候,恩特威斯爾剛出面道歉,英國廣播公司不應播出節目影射一名保守黨資深政客性侵兒童,但當時表示他不會辭職擔責。
“短命”總裁
在英國廣播公司位於英國首都
倫敦的總部
大樓外,恩特威斯爾10日說,自己要做件“體面的事”,辭職離開。此時距離他走馬上任僅8個星期。
“獲任(總裁)職務時,我已有23年出版人和英國廣播公司領導者工作經驗,”恩特威斯爾說,“我相信委托人選出了這一職務的最佳人選,選出應對今後挑戰與機遇的正確人員。然而,最近數周發生的異常事件讓我認為,英國廣播公司應當再擇新的掌舵者。”
10日當天,恩特威斯爾立場發生巨大變化。他早些時候為英國廣播公司影射保守黨政客道歉時堅稱,自己沒有辭職計劃。
恩特威斯爾兩個月前接任英國廣播公司總裁。他的前任馬克﹒湯普森8月獲任
美國紐約時報公司首席執行官,定于今年12月正式上任。
別無選擇
英國議會下院文化、新聞和體育委員會主席約翰﹒惠廷代爾說,恩特威斯爾除了辭職別無選擇,因為最近丑聞令外界認為英國廣播公司
管理層已經失去對這一新聞機構的掌控。
惠廷代爾說:“連日來發生的狀況極大地削弱了恩特威斯爾的威信和可信度。他在這樣的局面下難以繼續工作。”
在恩特威斯爾任期內,先是英國廣播公司已故著名節目
主持人吉米﹒薩維爾被曝性侵多人,公司卻于10月取消一檔新聞
調查節目,被外界指責替薩維爾護短遮丑。11月2日,英國廣播公司重頭欄目《新聞之夜》播出性侵受害人史蒂文﹒梅沙姆遭遇,謠言一時間匯聚議會上議院議員阿利斯泰爾﹒麥卡爾平,後者斷然否認,威脅訴諸
法律。
梅沙姆稍後發覺性侵者另有其人,發表聲明,證實麥卡爾平清白並表示歉意,令公眾猛烈抨擊《新聞之夜》不審慎。
信譽待補
恩特威斯爾10日道歉,承認不應播出《新聞之夜》那期“根本錯誤”的節目,但辯稱節目播出前,他並不知情。
然而,這一說法再度引發批評。政界與媒體人士質疑,英國廣播公司已因薩維爾丑聞陷入信任危機,何以在播出類似性侵相關節目時如此疏忽﹔另外,恩特威斯爾作為公司領導者,竟自稱不知情。
這家媒體的管理機構英國廣播公司理事會主席克里斯﹒帕滕把10日形容為自身 “公眾生涯中最糟時日之一”,但認可恩特威斯爾辭職所展現出的勇氣。
帕滕說,英國廣播公司對自身的定位是公眾信得過的
全球新聞機構,恩特威斯爾作為其領導人,為公眾無法接受的錯誤擔責,是體面做法。恩特威斯爾職務將暫由英國廣播公司音頻與音樂部
門主管蒂姆﹒戴維代理。
文化大臣瑪麗亞﹒米勒歡迎恩特威斯爾辭職決定,稱這一決定 “令人遺憾,但正確”。“重要的是,這一重要國家(新聞)機構的可信度和公眾信心得以修復。對英國廣播公司而言,現在至關重要的是使其運作體系回到正軌,確保製作一流新聞和時事節目。”
Max Nash/Associated Press
By JOHN F. BURNS and RAVI SOMAIYA 52 minutes ago
LONDON — George Entwistle, left, resigned on Saturday as director
general of the BBC amid deepening controversy over news coverage of
prominent figures accused of pedophilia.
----bbc
George Entwistle and BBC Chairman Lord Patten give their statements outside Broadcasting House
The BBC's director general, George Entwistle, has resigned in the wake of the Newsnight child abuse broadcast.
In a statement given outside New Broadcasting House, Mr
Entwistle said: "I have decided that the honourable thing to do is to
step down."
Earlier, Mr Entwistle said the Newsnight report, which
wrongly implicated ex-senior Tory Lord McAlpine should never have been
broadcast.
The broadcast covered cases of child abuse at north Wales care homes.
Mr Entwistle took up the post of director general on 17
September, and his sudden resignation makes him the shortest-ever
serving BBC director general.
In his statement, he said: "In the light of the fact that the
director general is also the editor in chief and ultimately responsible
for all content, and in the light of the unacceptable journalistic
standards of the Newsnight film broadcast on Friday 2 November, I have
decided that the honourable thing to do is to step down from the post of
director general."
'Great honour'
He said that when he was appointed to the role, he was
confident BBC trustees had chosen the best candidate for the post and
the "right person to tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead".
"However the wholly exceptional events of the past few weeks
have led me to conclude that the BBC should appoint a new leader," he
said.
Continue reading the main story
George Entwistle said he was stepping down because as director general of the BBC he was also its editor in chief.
He said it was the honourable thing to do after a BBC
Newsnight film alleged child abuse by an unnamed Conservative politician
- which was proved to be unfounded.
Coming on top of the Jimmy Savile crisis, which was prompted
partly by the fact that Newsnight had shelved an earlier investigation
into allegations of child abuse, this was particularly damaging to the
BBC.
But this was also about the handling of the crisis. Last
month, Mr Entwistle was accused by MPs of showing "an extraordinary lack
of curiosity" over the Jimmy Savile affair and they told him to "get a
grip".
On Saturday in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme,
he said he knew nothing in advance about the Newsnight broadcast nor
had he seen a newspaper report revealing Lord McAlpine may have been
wrongly accused.
MPs, former editors and broadcasting executives were unimpressed and so, I understand, were members of the BBC Trust.
On Sunday, the job of acting director-general will be taken
by Tim Davie, who's been running the radio side of the BBC but who has
no direct journalistic experience.
The BBC still faces very serious questions, not just about its journalism but about how the organisation is run.
"To have been the director
general of the BBC even for a short period, and in the most challenging
of circumstances, has been a great honour.
"While there is understandable public concern over a number
of issues well covered in the media - which I'm confident will be
addressed by the review process - we must not lose sight of the fact
that the BBC is full of people of the greatest talent and the highest
integrity.
"That's what will continue to make it the finest broadcaster in the world."
Later, speaking outside his home following his resignation, Mr Entwistle said he was going to "spend some time with my family".
During his 54 days in charge, Mr Entwistle has also had to
deal with controversy over the BBC shelving a Newsnight investigation
into former BBC presenter and DJ Jimmy Savile, who police say could have
abused as many as 300 people over a 40-year-period.
As a result, former Sky News head Nick Pollard is examining
whether there were BBC management failings following the Newsnight
programme not being broadcast, Also, an inquiry has begun into the
culture and practices at the BBC in the era of alleged sexual abuse by
Savile. Another review is to examine sexual harassment policies at the
BBC.
BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten, who made a statement
following Mr Entwistle's resignation, said: "This is undoubtedly one of
the saddest evenings of my public life."
He said: "At the heart of the BBC is its role as a trusted global news organisation.
"As the editor in chief of that news organisation George has
very honourably offered us his resignation because of the unacceptable
mistakes - the unacceptable shoddy journalism - which has caused us so
much controversy.
"He has behaved as editor with huge honour and courage and would that the rest of the world always behaved the same."
Acting DG
Culture Secretary Maria Miller said: "It is a regrettable, but
right decision. It is vital that credibility and public trust in this
important national institution is restored.
"It is now crucial that the BBC puts the systems in place to
ensure it can make first class news and current affairs programmes."
But Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, who sits on the culture select committee, said Mr Entwistle's departure was a "terrible mistake".
Steve Messham was featured in the Newsnight broadcast on child abuse in Wales
He added: "Who else is going to clear up this mess? I'm very
worried that the BBC has come under political pressure from the
government. George Entwistle has been badly let down by BBC News
managers and the people around him. He was trying to get to grips with
that. The BBC should have given him time."
BBC reporter Ben Geoghegan says the decision has divided
opinion. The likes of Mr Bradshaw and former BBC chairman Sir
Christopher Bland say that he has been wrongly sacrificed. However, many
other people - the majority - believe it is probably the right decision
because of the depth of the crisis, our reporter said.
Tim Davie, director of BBC Audio and Music, will take over as acting director general from Sunday.
BBC home editor Mark Easton said the BBC was at a "real
crossroads, because its whole future depends on convincing the public in
the United Kingdom that this is an organisation in which they have
confidence, and in which they have trust, and that they believe in the
integrity of our news coverage".
The organisation is, in some ways, in a very dangerous position, he added.
Newsnight reported on 2 November an abuse victim's claims against a leading 1980s Tory politician.
Wrongly identified
Lord McAlpine, although not named on Newsnight, was wrongly
identified on the internet as the alleged abuser at care homes in north
Wales in the 1980s.
The former senior Tory has said the claims are "wholly false and seriously defamatory".
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
The corporation finds itself wounded, under attack and, in effect, leaderless”
One abuse victim, Steve Messham,
has apologised to Lord McAlpine, Tory treasurer during Margaret
Thatcher's leadership, after saying he did not assault him.
Mr Messham said in the 1990s he was shown a photograph by
police of his alleged abuser but was incorrectly told it was Lord
McAlpine.
The BBC has ordered an "immediate pause" in Newsnight
investigations to assess editorial robustness and a suspension of all
co-productions with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which worked
on the Newsnight broadcast.
Before his departure, Mr Entwistle had commissioned a report
from BBC Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie into what happened with the
Newsnight investigation.
And the BBC also ordered a senior news executive to
"supervise" Friday night's edition of Newsnight, during which an apology
was broadcast.