The BBC’s director-general, Tim Davie, is expected to appear before a parliamentary committee next week to answer questions about the recent controversy involving the broadcaster’s lead news presenter, Huw Edwards.
Edwards, who has been anchoring the BBC’s flagship news programme, News at Ten, since 2003. He was recently accused of paying a teenager for explicit images.
Davie, along with acting chairwoman Dame Elan Closs Stephens and policy director Clare Sumner, will appear before the Lords Communications Committee on Tuesday to address concerns about the BBC’s governance arrangements and how it is addressing them.
The Edwards controversy
In response to the allegations that a high-profile presenter, later identified as Edwards, paid a young person for explicit images, Davie has already ordered a review to “assess how some complaints are red flagged up in the organization”.
The Metropolitan Police has stated that no criminal offence has been committed by Edwards, allowing the internal BBC investigation to continue.
Edwards, the highest-paid newsreader at the BBC, has not resigned from the corporation.The Sun, the publication that first reported the allegations, has also confirmed that it has no plans to publish further claims and will cooperate with the BBC’s internal investigation process.Tim Davie, in a note to staff, emphasised the importance of continuing the internal investigation while following due process. He added: “immediate concern is our duty of care to all involved.” The BBC is currently conducting fact-finding investigations into the allegations against Edwards, reports The Independent.
New harassment claims come to light
The recent controversy, as per The Independent, has prompted new claims from one current and one former BBC worker who reported receiving inappropriate messages from Edwards.
On Wednesday, BBC Newsnight reported that both persons said there was “a reluctance among junior staff to complain to managers about the conduct of high-profile colleagues in case it adversely affected their careers.”
Mental health problems
Edwards, as per his wife is suffering from serious mental health issues and receiving in-patient hospital care. Talking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, a long-time colleague of Edwards, Jon Sopel, has revealed that Edwards is “very angry” about the coverage of the story.
He revealed that “He (Edwards) was very angry, I think felt very let down by what happened in The Sun, furious with their coverage, not overly impressed with the BBC’s coverage either.”
“If there’s no question of illegality, there’s no question of sexual assault and things might change, but, as things stand now, there’s been no illegality, there’s been no abuse of power, as far as I can see. Therefore, what is it to do with anybody?” he added.