Savile report: Culture of fear at BBC worse today than in Jimmy Savile’s day

Dame Janet Smith’s draft report into Jimmy Savile’s sexual abuse at the BBC has leaked to ExaroNews, and her words are pretty explosive. She condemns the BBC’s ‘above the law’ managers and ‘untouchable stars’ she says. Girls at Top of the Pops were exposed to moral danger. But, perhaps most worryingly, she finds that the culture of fear persists today. In this vast bureaucracy, employees are still afraid to speak up against wrongdoing. She says: 

‘It is still clear from the evidence that there is still a widespread reluctance to complain about anything or even for it to be known that one has complained to a third party. I found that employee witnesses who were about to say something to the review that was even mildly critical of the BBC were extremely anxious to maintain their anonymity. These people were, and still are, afraid for their positions. Even with modern employment protection, people fear that even if they do not lose their jobs, their promotion prospects will be blighted if they complain.