Figures obtained by The Sun on Sunday indicate that the BBC has spent just shy of £10m on inquiries triggered by the Jimmy Savile sex scandal.
An article in today's newspaper, written by Savile-exposing journalist Miles Goslett, explains that the figure is so high because BBC bosses tried to cover up Savile's sex crimes when its own reporters tried to expose them shortly after his death in 2011.
Miles writes: "That cover-up led to an internal inquiry that cost £3million. It resulted in no job losses and the person responsible for the cover-up was never officially identified.
"The other Savile-related inquiries are the £382,000 Dinah Rose Review into the Beeb’s culture and policies in relation to sexual harassment and bullying, and the Dame Janet Smith Review into the star at the BBC, which has so far cost £6.4million."
As we have previously mentioned, the completed Dame Janet Smith Review is currently locked away with the BBC seemingly loathe to publish its findings. According to media sources, the report "tears the BBC apart" and reveals "a culture of abuse".
BBC bosses are said to be terrified at the prospect of Dame Janet's highly critical findings derailing Charter renewal negotiations. But with the next Royal Charter not coming into force until 1st January 2017, there is the worrying prospect that the BBC could selfishly try to sit on the completed report for another whole year.
Investigative magazine Exaro has previously quoted a Whitehall insider as saying it was always the BBC's intention to block publication of the report until after Charter renewal. The BBC's Strategy Department is said to have taken the decision years ago that the completed report would either have to be rushed out well ahead of Charter renewal, or kept on ice until afterwards.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: "It looks like Dame Janet’s findings are so shocking the BBC is trying for selfish reasons to pick the best moment to publish."
The victims of Savile and their families deserve to know the truth about how the BBC failed to act upon widely held suspicions.
It's time to press print on the Dame Janet Smith Review, even if Government intervention is required to force the BBC into compliance.
1 comment:
I get the impression that the BBC are trying to put all their [rotten] eggs in one basket, before releasing their findings in one [fatal] blow. £10m to investigate one person (more or less), that's a huge stinking waste of tax payers money that could probably have been used to make a feature length drama series (and then some), for which the BBC are usually pretty good at. But instead, it's practically being flushed down the toilet in a selfish attempt to hide te truth, of which we are all more than entitled to. If the government did something like that, heads would roll [like kid's marbles].
It's time to put their (I mean our) money where their mouth is and just accept the consequences of their actions like the rest of us. Just because they are a multi-million pound corporation, doesn't mean they can sweep things under the proverbial rug as and whenever they choose. They have a lot to answer for, now's not the time for being secretive, they've been doing that for the last 40+ years.
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