Bureau of Investigative Journalism denies responsibility for Newsnight report, claiming BBC was in "complete control"
The Observer has revealed the findings of a report by the trustees of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) into the Newsnight programme which allowed Lord McAlpie to be wrongly accused as being a paedophile, siting a combination of political intervention, social media networks and poor decision-making by all involved as the main problems, but ultimately denying any responsibility.
The programme was presented by BIJ employee Angus Stickler and, although McAlpine was not directly named, Iain Overton, the BIJ's then editor, posted on Twitter: "We've got a Newsnight out tonight about a very senior political figure who is a paedophile," which led to mass speculation culminating in Lord McAlpine’s name trending on the social media site.
However, the report by the BIJ's trustees has placed responsibility for the programme firmly at the door of the BBC, stressing that it had "no responsibility for the making or transmission of the programme", which was subject to "editing, vetting and direction by" the BBC's lawyers and editors.
The report explains that on 25 October, Stickler was emailed by a former colleague at the BBC, "who referred to allegations [Labour MP] Tom Watson had made … in the House of Commons on the day before".
The report continued to state that Stickler "had a great deal of information, and he was advised to relay this to Liz Gibbons, acting deputy editor of Newsnight, who discussed a possible story with him.
“It was agreed that he [Stickler] would be seconded to work for Newsnight for a fee of £3,250 … during which he would assist with a programme over which the BBC would (and did) have complete editorial and legal control."
In the report the trustees make a point of explaining that Stickler did not take any information, notes or records belonging to the bureau to the BBC, and that all information used in compiling the Newsnight report came from the BBC. "All his information on the child abuse inquiry had been acquired years earlier, when he was employed by the BBC.”
It continues: “His involvement in the course of the Newsnight programme had no connection with the bureau; which was not contacted for any assistance or editorial advice during the making of the programme."
Whilst denying any responsibility for the airing of the programme, the BIJ's trustees accept it was a "serious mistake" to allow Stickler's secondment on such terms to help make a programme "in which he would be identified as a BIJ employee but over which the bureau would have no control".