Mail an article...

BBC orders inquiry as pressure mounts

The BBC has launched a wide-ranging internal investigation into the mistakes that led the controller of BBC1 to claim that the Queen had walked out of a photoshoot "in a huff".

Last night a senior BBC figure said the whole episode revealed a "catastrophic" failure of management. "If you are going to show footage of the Queen having a hissy fit to the press then you have got to make sure of what you are showing," the source said.

Yesterday the row showed no sign of abating. Former BBC chairman Michael Grade, who now runs ITV, told the Today programme he saw a wider problem in broadcasting because an influx of young, inexperienced people.

There has been a huge influx of young talent into the industry as it expands.

They have not been trained properly, they don't understand that you do not lie to audiences at any time, in any show

"We are in an age today where there has been a huge influx of young talent into the industry as it expands. They have not been trained properly, they don't understand that you do not lie to audiences at any time, in any show - whether it's news or whether it's a quiz show ... It's desperately important that we restore trust and that the programme-makers get to understand - whether through hard lessons or through training or a combination of both - that you do not lie to audiences under any circumstances."

The internal inquiry ordered by senior BBC executives will seek to discover how the mistakes were made - not just regarding the latest row with Buckingham Palace but also in the phone line controversy that engulfed Blue Peter recently.

Thompson appealed to all staff to help identify "any further issues or incidents of serious intentional or unintentional deception of the audience".

In an internal BBC email yesterday, Mr Thompson warned that the two incidents threatened to "defy our values and threaten the precious relationship of trust between the BBC and our audiences". He said the corporation could not take that relationship for granted and appealed to all staff to help identify "any further issues or incidents of serious intentional or unintentional deception of the audience".

BBC Vision director Jana Bennett is understood to be overseeing the internal review of procedures. It is understood that she was particularly angry that another row about deception had blown up just as the BBC was attempting to draw a line under the Blue Peter phone line fiasco, which saw the corporation fined £50,000 for "serious management failings".

Following the meeting the BBC issued a new statement in which RDF took the blame for the editing of the tape that was shown to journalists.

Took one for the side, eh?

More on the Blue Peter phone line fakery here.

Posted by: lotp 2007-07-14

http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=193419