Hutton report: the BBC in crisis

Bland: BBC has been tarred and feathered

Breakfast this morning looked at the unprecedented crisis which has engulfed the BBC since the publication of the Hutton report.

The BBC's chairman Gavyn Davies has resigned in the wake of Lord Hutton's report, which heavily criticised journalistic standards and management systems at the corporation - but left the conduct of the government almost unscathed.

THE HUTTON REPORT Full Report (PDF file 2MB) Summary of conclusions

This morning on Breakfast, one of Mr Davies' predecessors as BBC chairman - Sir Christopher Bland - said Lord Hutton had judged the BBC by different standards from the ones it used for politicians, civil servants and the security services

"He has whitewashed the government - and maybe that's right. But he has tarred and feathered the BBC," Sir Christopher told us.

The Hutton report has found that the most serious claims made by one of the BBC's journalists, Andrew Gilligan, were "unfounded".

Report is 600 pages of garbage: Forsyth

The Corporation came in for stiff criticism over Gilligan's story, for the BBC Radio Four Today programme, that the government "sexed up" its dossier on Iraq.

And the government was cleared by Lord Hutton of any "dishonourable, underhand or duplicitous" strategy to leak the name of weapons expert Dr David Kelly to the press.

This morning, Breakfast asked - does the BBC deserve Lord Hutton's stinging criticism - and what's the future for the independence of its journalists?

Some key moments:

Has the BBC been judged by different standards?
Former BBC chairman Sir Christopher Bland believes so - and says the Corporation has been "tarred and feathered"

A question of trust
Breakfast's Graham Satchell goes to Trust Road in Gorton, Greater Manchester - where he finds most people still believe the BBC.

Are editorial standards at the BBC to blame?
We brought together the former editor of the Times, Peter Stothard, with the novelist Frederick Forsyth, who describes the report as "600 pages of garbage".

Peter Stothard believes that the BBC does have structural problems: its Director General should not also be expected to act as editor in chief.

Hutton report: the regulars
Breakfast talked to two regulars in the public gallery at Lord Hutton's hearings last summer. Both confessed to being taken by surprise by his conclusions.

We also asked for your views.

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