Report blames chaos, not cover-up, for BBC scandal

Pollard's report does not appear to challenge Thompson's account of his role in the scandal, which has disquieted some at The New York Times. Chris Patten, head of the BBC Trust, said after the review was published that he has "no reason at all for disbelieving" the former director general.

Meanwhile, the scandal over Savile continues to draw more arrests. So far eight suspects have been questioned, the latest on Wednesday when police said that a man in his 70s had been detained in connection with the investigation. Police say Savile is a suspect in 199 crimes recorded so far, including dozens of cases of rape.

Other suspects arrested include former pop star Gary Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, singer Freddie Starr, and high-profile publicist Max Clifford. Starr and Clifford deny any wrongdoing; Gadd, who has previously been convicted of child sex offenses, has yet to speak publicly about his arrest.

A separate report also published Wednesday found the BBC had committed a "grave breach" of its editorial guidelines when it aired a "Newsnight" broadcast last month wrongly linking a politician to child sex abuse allegations.

Two additional internal inquiries are still in the works. One, led by former Appeal Court judge Janet Smith, is investigating the culture and practices of the BBC during Savile's tenure there. Another, led by lawyer Dinah Rose, is examining how the corporation has handled complaints of sexual harassment.

Other inquiries spawned by the scandal include a Department of Health investigation into decision to involve Savile in the management of Britain's Broadmoor psychiatric hospital in the 1980s, and an inquiry into prosecutors' decision not to prosecute Savile in 2009.

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Online:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/2012/pollard_review.html

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Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Cassandra Vinograd contributed to this report.