Acting director general Mark Byford has named a group of executives that will review the BBC’s editorial processes following Lord Hutton’s damning verdict, writes Wale Azeez.
The editorial review team will be chaired by Ron Neil, a former director of BBC News and current affairs under John Birt. He was also the first editorial adviser of the BBC governors’ programme complaints committee.
Neil, who spent 30 years at the corporation, will be joined by Adrian Van Klaveren, head of newsgathering; Stephen Whittle, controller BBC editorial policy; Glenwyn Benson, controller of factual television; Helen Boaden, Radio 4 controller; and Richard Tait, former editor-in-chief of ITN and now an academic. Tait will be the only independent member of the team.
The BBC said its brief was to “examine the editorial issues for the BBC raised by the Hutton Inquiry and report and identify the lessons to learn and make appropriate recommendations, including necessary revisions to the producers guidelines and to the handling of complaints”.
The review team is expected to come up with a number of recommendations, which Byford will pass on to the BBC board of governors in June.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog