The Hindu : More heads likely to roll in BBC

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 29, 2004

International

International

More heads likely to roll in BBC

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JAN. 28. The BBC chairman, Gavyn Davies, resigned tonight, barely hours after the Hutton inquiry report criticised the corporation for broadcasting "unfounded'' and "grave'' allegations against the Government over the use of intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war last year.

Lord Hutton, who chaired the inquiry, lambasted the BBC management for rushing to defend its reporter, Andrew Gilligan's report on Radio 4 last May, accusing the Government of "sexing up'' the threat from Iraq, without checking its accuracy. He said the editorial controls at the BBC were "defective,'' and criticised it for not properly addressing the Government's concerns over the report which it saw as an attack on its "integrity.''

The Gilligan broadcast sparked an unprecedented row with the Government triggering a chain of events culminating in the death of the weapons scientist, David Kelly, who committed suicide after being named as the source of the broadcast.

Mr. Davies was reported to have submitted his resignation at an informal meeting of the Board of Governors here amid speculation that more heads were expected to roll. Key BBC figures, who were believed to be under pressure, included the director-general, Greg Dyke, the director of news, Richard Sambrook, and Kevin Marsh, editor of Radio 4's Today programme, which had broadcast the Gilligan story.

A full meeting of the BBC governors is to be held tomorrow to review the fallout from the Hutton report. The view in media circles was that the report was a little too harsh on the BBC considering that the thrust of its report was right and that in recent weeks it had taken corrective measures. The Prime Minister, Tony Blair's former communications chief, Alastair Campbell, who was at the heart of the BBC-Government row, demanded more resignations at BBC that is likely to come under intense pressure.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News Update

Stories in this Section

Blair emerges unscathed

Eight killed in Gaza raid

Kerry wins New Hampshire

9/11 panel seeks extension

Dhaka to deploy sky marshals on planes

Asian strategy to combat bird flu

Row over Euro MPs' pay, perks

Chandrika-Ranil standoff dangerous: LTTE

More heads likely to roll in BBC

Chandrika, Ranil `close to settlement'