It was George Entwistle’s misfortune to take over as the BBC’s director-general just as allegations were surfacing that the broadcaster had dropped an investigation into the predatory sexual behaviour of its one-time star presenter Jimmy Savile. Only days into the job, he found himself in the teeth of the media equivalent of a force 8 gale.
While Mr Entwistle was able to survive that first storm – reasonably so, as he had not been director-general when the Savile decision was taken – his inability to handle the crisis left him acutely vulnerable. When a second controversy erupted, involving the same news programme and inaccurate revelations of child abuse, his credibility was shot. In such circumstances, he was right to resign.
Part of the director-general’s formal role is to be the corporation’s editor-in-chief. If that is to mean anything, it must involve taking responsibility when material is broadcast that falls far short of the standards expected of the BBC.