BBC reveals terms of reference for review of non-editorial complaints process after Huw Edwards allegations

The BBC has published its terms of reference for the review of its non-editorial complaints process following last week's Huw Edwards scandal.

The review will be led by BBC Group COO Leigh Tavaziva and Deloitte, under the direction of Simon Cuerden. It should start this month and end in late fall.

"The purpose of the review is to assess the effectiveness of the BBC's current policies and processes relating to non-editorial complaints and allegations (complaints) reaching the BBC," according to a press release. “The review will cover complaints received by the BBC Public Service or World Service in the UK. It will not cover the editorial complaints process. Areas of the BBC which are not currently covered by the scope, eg BBC Studios will be considered for assessment under the action plan for this review.”

News broke in early July that a BBC presenter was facing allegations of paying a teenager for sexually explicit photos, later revealed to be Edwards.

Edwards' wife, Vicky Flind, released a statement on July 12 saying that Edwards suffered from "serious mental health issues" and had been hospitalized. "As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years," she said. "The events of the past few days have made matters considerably worse."

According to the BBC, the exam will include the following steps:

"1. Identify any channels at the BBC where different types of non-editorial complaints can be made (the channels) and the relevant BBC policies and processes (processes) which are applied to deal with such complaints.

2. Evaluate identified routes and processes. This will cover the processing and handling of different types of complaints, including: intake and triage, escalation, evidence gathering, coordination between business units, roles and responsibilities, governance and oversight.

3. Collect specific learnings about the processes deployed in the presenter's recent case.

4. Identify weak points related to complaints channels and processes. Develop priority improvement actions.

5. Present the findings of the review and the key management action plan to be implemented. »

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