BBC defends itself over Brand-Ross fiasco
Tuesday, 18 November 2008 12:00 AM
BBC chiefs played down suggestions of wider failings following the recent scandal involving Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross in a grilling by MPs today.
Members of the culture, media and sport committee were questioning BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons and the BBC's director general Mark Thompson over the latest, and worst, in a series of incidents damaging public trust in the institution.
Ross was suspended without pay for three months while Brand quit broadcasting for the BBC after taking lewd comments about actor Andrew Sachs' granddaughter too far.
Today Sir Michael admitted the behaviour of the performers was "completely unacceptable" but dismissed any claim the BBC response was "lamentably slow".
"I refute and reject any suggestion there were further actions the Trust should have taken over that period," he said.
Yet the accusations eventually turned to possible failings within the BBC leadership itself.
"Do you not feel personally responsible that people within your organisation thought that under your leadership this type of thing might even be acceptable? Do you not think this is a personal failing of both your leaderships?" asked committee member Phillip Davies.
Denying this accusation, Sir Michael argued strong leadership does not mean making no mistakes.
"The right test of leadership is not that won't from time to time find members of your organisation doing things that you wouldn't approve of; indeed, of which you have categorically disapproved," he said.
"It is how you respond when those circumstances come up."
Sir Michael added the BBC does not flinch from apologising when it gets things wrong; it looks for evidence before it makes decisions; and it holds people accountable when they failed in their relevant responsibilities.
Adding on Sir Michael's testament to the "very strong compliance procedures the BBC has in place", the bulk of Mr Thompson's defence called attention to the scale of the BBC's activities.
He argued it is unreasonable not to expect human error from time to time considering the corporation's enormous output.
"Now, that is not to say that we should not learn lessons from individual serious lapses," Mr Thompson added.
Still, with the "many tens of thousands of hours broadcast on TV and radio and the millions of pages on the web", he said, "there is much, believe me, the BBC gets right".
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