Following a string of scandals, including the departures of Huw Edwards and Gregg Wallace, the BBC is now looking to replace the team that is responsible for complaints and whistleblowing.
A dedicated member of the whistleblowing and investigations team is being hired by the BBC. The corporation that currently advertises jobs for the licence fee-payer-funded charity offers high salaries of up to £120,000.
Head of Investigations (Corporate Investigations and Whistleblowing), Head of Investigations (HR), and Director of Investigations and Whistleblowing are currently being advertised for three positions within the network. The BBC has recently been the subject of a number of scandals, and the jobs are part of a company-wide restructuring.
The candidate who secures any of the positions will form a breakout unit to assist staff in leaving one division of the business. According to the job descriptions, those who apply and are successful will “play a crucial role in fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and trust.”
The successful candidate will “oversee the governance of whistleblowing or corporate investigations,” including those involving serious criminal behavior, violent and sexual offenses, increased personal risk, harassment, and cases involving BBC reputational risk,” it states.
Huw Edwards, a former BBC NewsLink opens in a new tab.” rel=”follow” tabindex=”0″>BBC News anchor, was suspended in 2023 and given a year-long salary of £435, 000 after it became known that he had paid a young man for explicit images. Edwards, a former slave who committed sex crimes and was spared jail in 2024, left the business the same year. However, a secretive whistleblower claimed that the allegations against him hadn’t been thoroughly investigated and that “things have been swept under the carpet.”
Simon Adair, the BBC’s director of safety, security, and resilience, conducted the investigation into Mr. Edwards. Gregg Wallace, a former MasterChef host, was fired by the network in another area as a result of an investigation into his behavior.
Wallace received 45 out of 83 complaints, which included comments that were racially or sexually inappropriate, as well as those that were culturally inappropriate or racist. He later apologised and said he “never intended to harm or humiliate” anyone.
The allegations against Mr. Wallace had spread throughout the course of 19 years. Two stand-alone allegations against other people were supported by a substantiated second. The allegations, which weren’t made by Gregg, involved offensive language, including racist and swearing.
The BBC apologized for “missing opportunities” to address Tim Westwood’s claims of “bullying and misogynistic behavior” elsewhere. In February of last year, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy discussed Westwood’s alleged behavior with the BBC’s former director general.
She stated at the time, “Tim Westwood’s accusations are very serious.” The BBC must have confidence in both staff and the general public as our nation’s broadcaster.
The media industry has seen far too many instances of appalling behavior, and there has been a culture of silence for far too long regarding inappropriate behavior. This is unsustainable. I made it clear to the BBC Board and Executive in my discussion with the BBC Director General that they must address the issue of workplace culture and respond quickly to the independent review they have ordered.
Westwood, who has worked for almost 20 years, left his show on Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra in 2013. Westminster resident Westwood was charged in October of last year with four counts of rape, nine of indecent assault, and two counts of sexual assault. Between 1993 and 2016, according to what sources, the alleged incidents occurred. Westwood refutes any accusations made against him. He previously stated, “All of these allegations are false. He will be tried this month, he said.
These positions are merely a part of a larger restructuring, according to a BBC spokesman. We strike a balance between our budget and ability to attract and retain the best people, and over 95% of our spending is spent on content and delivery.
Source: Mirror
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