London:
The BBC's director of news, Helen Boaden, and her deputy Stephen Mitchell have "stepped aside" amid the crisis over a report wrongly accusing a British politician of child abuse and similar allegations against late BBC presenter Jimmy Savile, media reports said today.
The BBC press office told AFP it could not confirm the reports, which were carried on both the BBC News channel and rival Sky News television, but an announcement is expected shortly.
The crisis has already claimed top BBC executive George Entwistle's job. He stepped down on Saturday after the broadcaster's marquee news magazine wrongly implicated the British politician in the child sex-abuse scandal.
Mr Entwistle had resigned just eight weeks into his job, saying he thought that was the "honourable thing" to do. "The wholly exceptional events of the past few weeks have led me to conclude that the BBC should appoint a new leader," he said.