BBC review finds 'no evidence' of hacking among journalists

There is "no evidence" that BBC journalists engaged with phone or computer hacking, or bribery of the police, an internal review launched in the wake of the News of the World scandal has found.

But the review, started in July to investigate the BBC's investigative journalism and general editorial practices, has prompted BBC director Mark Thompson to strengthen guidelines for journalists.

Results of the review, revealed in minutes of meetings published by the BBC Trust, found that the BBC occasionally employed private investigators, but mostly for "surveillance
or security services".

During a meeting of the BBC Trust held on October 24, Thompson said that investigators, who have come under fire for their role in criminality in the media, would typically help the BBC "ensure the safety of journalists or to check the safety or carry out a 'recce' of a location where filming is taking place".

They were also on occasion used to "obtain the whereabouts or identity of individuals who are the subjects of significant public interest programme", he said.

However, the director general did admit that there were "shortcomings" in the current BBC guidelines for journalists, and said that he would recommend some changes to "strengthen these safeguards further".

The internal report will be discussed again this month after it has been evaluated by the BBC's executive board and the Trust's Editorial Standards Committee.

In a statement to The Guardian, a BBC spokesman said: "The BBC presented a report of its editorial practices and policies in investigative journalism to the Trust following disclosures about the use of phone hacking in the British press.

"The review also reflected information requested from the BBC by Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press.

"The review found no evidence of phone or computer hacking or bribery. It has however recommended some changes to the guidelines or guidance to strengthen these safeguards further."

Meanwhile, the BBC's coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings is to be evaluated in a review of impartiality and accuracy overseen by former UN head of communications Edward Mortimer.