Jimmy Savile Scandal Shakes British Media Giant
The recent allegations surrounding the BBC cover up of child sexual abuse has shaken the core of the broadcasting station. The offense was carried out by one of the company's most prominent television personalities.
The controversy involves the late Jimmy Savile, who first started his career in the entertainment industry in the 1960s as a promoter and BBC radio disc-jockey. He died last year in October of 2011.
As his career developed during the 1970s and 1980s, he was routinely on BBC television programming hosting family-oriented shows, which dominated the television landscape. He received accolades and awards and was even recognized by the Queen.
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He also contributed extensively to charities and was often seen with politicians and celebrities at various fundraisers around the United Kingdom.
That is why the allegations in the months since his death have struck the heart of the entertainment community. It's also why BBC is scrambling to control any perception of covering up the alleged abuse.
The accusations of sexual abuse, which have been called "unprecedented," stretch all to way back to 1959, and include incidents as recent as 2006. Savile allegedly sexually abused over 200 victims over the course of decades.
The accusations of Savile sexually abusing children are atrocious in their own right. Still, the allegations that members of the BBC- his colleagues and manager included- may have known about the abuse and failed to report it is just as shocking.
What fueled the loudest calls for a full investigation of the alleged cover up was the rumored decision by BBC higher-ups to cancel an investigative report detailing Savile's abusive history. The BBC then is thought to have aired a Christmas tribute program that the BBC had been working on.
On Monday, former Court of Appeals Judge Dame Janet Smith will review the events that led to certain practices at BBC during Savile's time at the broadcasting station. The judge will also look at the BBC's child protection and whistleblowing policies.
"We have talked about the paramount importance of full public trust in the BBC's inquiries and agreed that it is essential that license fee payers can be assured that they are being conducted thoroughly and with the full co-operation of the BBC," Culture Secretary Maria Miller said in a statement.
