OMEN
07-19-2007, 07:59 AM
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Comic Relief in March was among the shows which were named
Some BBC executives are likely to be suspended while reviews are held into fake phone-ins unearthed by an inquiry.
Serious editorial breaches were found in six shows - including Comic Relief - and the BBC has suspended all its TV and radio phone-related competitions.
Director general Mark Thompson has outlined a "zero tolerance" approach to future lapses in editorial judgement.
ITV executive chairman Michael Grade said there was an "epidemic" in broadcasting beyond just the BBC.
'Deeply concerned'
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41266000/jpg/_41266895_thompson_203bbc.jpg
Director general Mark Thompson said he would not resign
The faked BBC phone-ins
Key points: Thompson speech
BBC phone-ins: Q&A
BBC One's Sports Relief in July 2006, Comic Relief in March 2007, Children In Need on BBC Scotland in November 2005, The Liz Kershaw Show on BBC 6 Music and CBBC programme TMi were all found to have breached editorial standards.
All phone-related competitions on BBC TV and radio ceased from midnight on Wednesday, while interactive and online competitions will be taken down as soon as possible.
Mr Thomson has also ordered an independent inquiry into footage that wrongly implied the Queen walked out of a photo session.
The BBC Trust said it was "deeply concerned that significant failures of control and compliance within the BBC have compromised the BBC's values of accuracy and honesty".
Other measures outlined in Mr Thompson's action plan include mandatory training for 16,500 staff.
But he denied that the issue of resignation had arisen at his meeting with the BBC Trust.
He said: "We are all utterly determined to do everything we can to fix this problem."
He has also called for a workshop involving other broadcasters to discuss issues surrounding editorial standards and training.
NEW BBC MEASURES
All competitions suspended
All staff to be trained on safeguarding trust
Independent inquiry into the Queen documentary
Commissioning from the Queen documentary production company RDF "paused"
Some editorial leaders asked to "stand back" from their duties
Contracts with staff and suppliers revised to emphasise editorial standards
Promotional materials must meet the same standards
Have your say on TV phone-ins
ITV's Michael Grade, himself a former chairman of the BBC, told BBC2's Newsnight that every broadcaster in the UK was affected.
He said: "It's partly to do with casualisation of the industry, people on short-term contracts under tremendous strain, tremendous pressure. Competitive pressure is enormous."
Earlier on Wednesday, a report by media regulator Ofcom said there had been a "systemic failure" in the way TV channels had run premium rate phone services.
An inquiry found that broadcasters were "in denial" about their responsibilities to viewers and saw phone-ins as a way to generate revenue.
Last week Ofcom fined the BBC £50,000 after the children's programme Blue Peter falsified the results of a phone-in competition during a live show.
The BBC also had to apologise over the clips from a documentary about the Royal Family that implied the Queen had walked out of a portrait session with a photographer.
The programme's makers, RDF Media, subsequently admitted that it was "guilty of a serious error of judgement".
BBC
Comic Relief in March was among the shows which were named
Some BBC executives are likely to be suspended while reviews are held into fake phone-ins unearthed by an inquiry.
Serious editorial breaches were found in six shows - including Comic Relief - and the BBC has suspended all its TV and radio phone-related competitions.
Director general Mark Thompson has outlined a "zero tolerance" approach to future lapses in editorial judgement.
ITV executive chairman Michael Grade said there was an "epidemic" in broadcasting beyond just the BBC.
'Deeply concerned'
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41266000/jpg/_41266895_thompson_203bbc.jpg
Director general Mark Thompson said he would not resign
The faked BBC phone-ins
Key points: Thompson speech
BBC phone-ins: Q&A
BBC One's Sports Relief in July 2006, Comic Relief in March 2007, Children In Need on BBC Scotland in November 2005, The Liz Kershaw Show on BBC 6 Music and CBBC programme TMi were all found to have breached editorial standards.
All phone-related competitions on BBC TV and radio ceased from midnight on Wednesday, while interactive and online competitions will be taken down as soon as possible.
Mr Thomson has also ordered an independent inquiry into footage that wrongly implied the Queen walked out of a photo session.
The BBC Trust said it was "deeply concerned that significant failures of control and compliance within the BBC have compromised the BBC's values of accuracy and honesty".
Other measures outlined in Mr Thompson's action plan include mandatory training for 16,500 staff.
But he denied that the issue of resignation had arisen at his meeting with the BBC Trust.
He said: "We are all utterly determined to do everything we can to fix this problem."
He has also called for a workshop involving other broadcasters to discuss issues surrounding editorial standards and training.
NEW BBC MEASURES
All competitions suspended
All staff to be trained on safeguarding trust
Independent inquiry into the Queen documentary
Commissioning from the Queen documentary production company RDF "paused"
Some editorial leaders asked to "stand back" from their duties
Contracts with staff and suppliers revised to emphasise editorial standards
Promotional materials must meet the same standards
Have your say on TV phone-ins
ITV's Michael Grade, himself a former chairman of the BBC, told BBC2's Newsnight that every broadcaster in the UK was affected.
He said: "It's partly to do with casualisation of the industry, people on short-term contracts under tremendous strain, tremendous pressure. Competitive pressure is enormous."
Earlier on Wednesday, a report by media regulator Ofcom said there had been a "systemic failure" in the way TV channels had run premium rate phone services.
An inquiry found that broadcasters were "in denial" about their responsibilities to viewers and saw phone-ins as a way to generate revenue.
Last week Ofcom fined the BBC £50,000 after the children's programme Blue Peter falsified the results of a phone-in competition during a live show.
The BBC also had to apologise over the clips from a documentary about the Royal Family that implied the Queen had walked out of a portrait session with a photographer.
The programme's makers, RDF Media, subsequently admitted that it was "guilty of a serious error of judgement".
BBC