THE BBC should have laid out “exactly what happened” in the Huw Edwards probe sooner, according to former BBC executive and presenter Roger Bolton.
Former BBC newsreader Edwards admitted making indecent photographs of children earlier this week, with the BBC later acknowledging it knew he was arrested in November but continued to pay his salary until he resigned in April on medical advice.
BBC boss Tim Davie has since defended his decision to not fire Edwards despite knowing of his arrest over the most serious category of indecent images.
Bolton, who hosts the podcast Beeb Watch, said the broadcaster has found itself in an “extraordinarily difficult position”.
“It’s a nightmare,” he told the PA news agency.
“I think the mistake BBC has made, but it may be a relatively minor mistake, is not to get all the facts out and the details quickly and explain their thinking.”
Bolton said the broadcaster was placed in a difficult position when Edwards was arrested, as the broadcaster could not “assume his guilt” and “still had a responsibility to Edwards as an employee who hadn’t been convicted of anything”.
“Once he was charged and certainly once he convicted, what you ought to have done at the BBC, is it ought to have given a complete timeline,” he said.
“The only thing I would accuse them of, frankly, or say they got wrong so far on this, is not laying out for everybody exactly what happened. They know why they did it.”
Bolton said the BBC “should have been rather more open” with the facts of the case, adding it is “likely to be in the firing line” given it is a “prime broadcaster, responsible for hundreds of hours across radio and television”.
It comes after the BBC confirmed that Edwards resigned from the broadcaster “without notice or financial settlement” during a confidential disciplinary process.
A BBC spokesperson said: “In the case of Huw Edwards, we considered carefully all issues raised with us as part of a fact finding disciplinary investigation and that informed a confidential disciplinary process.
“During this period he chose to resign and did so with immediate effect – without notice or financial settlement.
“We fully appreciate the complexities and confidentiality of this work can be frustrating for those who have come forward and shared their experiences, but we are extremely grateful to everyone who did so and will always listen with great care to anyone who wants to raise concerns with us.”
The BBC added that it has “confidence” in its processes.
It comes after two whistleblowers, one current and one former BBC worker, expressed disappointment that an internal inquiry into Edwards had not been made public after they alleged they received “inappropriate messages” from him.
