Mark Thompson, the incoming chief executive officer of the New York Times Company, is facing fresh accusations that his top office at the BBC was alerted to the child sex abuse allegations against former TV star Jimmy Savile.
Thompson has denied squelching an exposé by a BBC investigative program that claimed that children's TV host Jimmy Savile, a much-lauded star at the corporation, routinely coerced teenage girls into sex. Thompson served as the director-general of the BBC from 2004-2012.
But on Sunday, Sky News reported that journalist Miles Goslett and ITV, a major British network, contacted Thompson about the allegations.
A spokewoman for Thompson said she did redirect the reporter to the BBC's media inquiries department and said she "did not tell Thompson of the allegations" because he was on vacation at the time.
In response, the Times has doubled down on its support for Thompson. A spokesman for the paper previously told TheWrap it is satisfied with what he described as "an execellent job of explaining the matter."
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"There has been no change [in that]," Times spokeswoman Eileen Murphy told TheWrap on Monday morning.
Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. also expressed support for Thompson in last Thursday's third-quarter earnings call.
"I'm sure you've read recent reports of controversy regarding the BBC's decision to cancel a news story last year," Sulzberger told investors during the call. "Mark has provided a detailed account on that matter, and I am satisfied he played no role in that decision."