Crisis Communication in an International Organization: An Investigation of the BBC’s Reputation in the Aftermath of the Savile Scandal

In October 2012, it was revealed that BBC television host Jimmy Savile had sexually abused victims on the premises of the BBC. The first reported instance of abuse on BBC premises had occurred and 1965 and continued until two years before his death. In the aftermath of the scandal, the BBC was accused of turning a blind eye to Savile\u27s actions. The BBC\u27s response to the crisis was confusing and inept. The BBC appeared to have no crisis communication strategy in place and lacked any sort of variation in its response to stakeholders in individual countries. This paper discusses the differences in the media expectations to the BBC\u27s response in the aftermath of the Savile scandal. Sources in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States were examined through content and textual analyses. Committee: Dane Kiambi (Chair), Valerie Jones, Bryan Wang