New York Times chief Mark Thompson just can’t escape the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Thompson, who ran the BBC between 2004 and 2012, has refused to appear in a new BBC film about Jimmy Savile being made by journalist Louis Theroux.
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Thompson was invited to take part in the film but according to sources he declined.
He did not respond to questions about this from Heat Street.
When asked, the BBC refused to say on what date the new Savile documentary will be broadcast.
Theroux has been working on the film tirelessly – and, at times, frustratingly – for months.
That Thompson has snubbed this chance to set the record straight over what he knew and when he knew it regarding Savile’s sex crimes could be significant in view of recent legal developments.
MORE: Questions For New York Times Chief Thompson
Last month it was revealed that two employees of the New York Times had launched a civil law suit against Thompson and his colleague, Meredith Levien.
Thompson has been accused by of presiding over “an environment rife with discrimination based on age, race and gender.”
In court papers filed in New York by the employees in this civil case, the two plaintiffs cited the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal, which Thompson was accused of “seemingly [being] involved in attempting to conceal” when he worked at the BBC, as one example of their concerns about him.
They claim Thompson’s “tumultuous tenure” at the BBC was “riddled with controversy, given the numerous humiliations and indignities he presided over”.
Eileen Murphy, the Times’ head of communications, has previously said: “This lawsuit contains a series of recycled, scurrilous and unjustified attacks on both Mark Thompson and Meredith Levien. It also completely distorts the realities of the work environment at the New York Times. We strongly disagree with any claim that The Times, Mr. Thompson or Ms. Levien have discriminated against any individual or group of employees. The suit is entirely without merit and we intend to fight it vigorously in court.”
The claimants’ lawyer, Elizabeth Chen of Wigdor LLP told Heat Street: “The deadline for The New York Times to respond is July 11. At that point we will exchange documents and take testimony.”
Ms. Chen added that her clients cited Savile in the papers for the following reason: “Part of it is the general decision-making [of Thompson] that is problematic. There’s the overall pattern of problematic decision-making that comes from Mark Thompson at the top of the New York Times. Looking at the organization as a whole, it’s not just discrimination that’s problematic, but also we know there’s a pattern of questionable unethical decision-making on his part going back to his time at the BBC.”
Thompson has insisted for years that he only heard allegations against Savile after he left the BBC, in September 2012.
However, in April 2013 his colleague Helen Boaden, who remains a senior BBC executive, told a parliamentary select committee that in December 2011 – while Thompson was still BBC chief – she had a telephone conversation with him about allegations of Savile sexually interfering with young girls.
Thompson has said he does not recall asking Boaden what the allegations relating to Savile were about.
Days after their conversation, the BBC broadcast a tribute programme praising Savile’s life and career.
