New chief starts job of restoring BBC’s reputation
BBC is ‘learning the lessons’ from the recent ‘difficult times’, Tony Hall tells staff in an internal email
London: New BBC director-general Tony Hall took up his post on Tuesday, starting the task of restoring the reputation of the world’s biggest broadcaster that has been rocked by a child sex abuse scandal.
Hall walked into the the BBC’s Broadcasting House headquarters in central London to tackle an in-tray topped with the fall-out from police investigations which concluded that the corporation’s late presenter Jimmy Savile was one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders.
The British Broadcasting Corporation was subsequently damaged by a botched television report wrongly indicating that a lawmaker was a paedophile.
Engulfed by the scandals, Hall’s predecessor George Entwistle resigned as director-general in November after just 54 days in the job.
Hall, 62, a former head of BBC news, returns to the corporation after more than a decade as chief executive of the Royal Opera House.
In an internal email to staff, he said the corporation was “learning the lessons" from recent “difficult times".
“We are now winning back trust, something which will always be the most precious commodity for our organization."
“The BBC sets incredibly high standards. At our best we provide a service like no other."
“Our challenge is to perform at our best all of the time."
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