Leveson inquiry: Top TV executives set to give evidence

Published on Saturday 21 January 2012 00:00

SENIOR television executives including, BBC director-general Mark Thompson, will give evidence to the Leveson inquiry into press standards next week.

Further testimony will come from bloggers, including the founder of celebrity gossip website Popbitch, and top managers from Google and Facebook.

Meanwhile, Mazher Mahmood, the News of the World’s former investigations editor, best-known for his “fake sheikh” disguise, has been recalled to answer further questions after first giving evidence last month.

Mr Thompson will appear with BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten, Channel 4 News editor Jim Gray and ITN head of compliance John Battle on Monday.

They will be asked about how they are governed by broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, which has stricter rules than newspaper and magazines regulator the Press Complaints Commission.

The inquiry will also receive written evidence from former BBC director-general Greg Dyke, who lost his job in 2004 following the publication of the Hutton report into Dr David Kelly’s death; BBC political editor Nick Robinson; BBC business editor Robert Peston; and ITV News political editor Tom Bradby.

Three senior judges ruled yesterday that some journalists can remain anonymous when giving evidence to the inquiry.

They dismissed an action brought by the publisher of two newspapers. Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, had said that its reputation could be unfairly tarnished by anonymous evidence which could not be fully tested or challenged.

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