BBC director-general Tim Davie has said personal error was to blame for the broadcaster interviewing Jeffrey Epstein's former lawyer last month.
Alan Dershowitz was interviewed shortly after Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of trafficking young girls to late US financier Epstein.
Mr Dershowitz himself has been accused of sexual abuse by one of Epstein's accusers - but denies that allegation.
The BBC later decided the interview had breached its own editorial standards.
After the broadcast, the corporation admitted that the US lawyer had not been "a suitable person to interview as an impartial analyst" at that time.
Mr Davie was called to appear before the House of Lords communications and digital committee to answer parliamentarians' questions about the incident which took place in the week immediately following Christmas.
With BBC News in the midst of an ongoing programme of job cuts and restructuring, he was asked whether "centralisation" had risked "amplifying" editorial errors.
Referring to the interview with Mr Dershowitz, Mr Davie said: "We looked at what happened but there was no investigation.
"We admitted immediately it was in breach of our editorial guidelines and straight away said it was a mistake.
"Then you get to why it was a mistake. You can argue a little bit in terms of the amount of seniority and cover we had during Christmas, during Covid."
But he said: "This was simply about the amount of due diligence that was done by the planner and the knowledge level of the person who was putting the person on air."
Mr Davie told peers "not everything gets centralised" under the BBC's plans to make savings.
The interview with Mr Dershowitz, 83, was broadcast on BBC World News and the BBC News Channel, shortly after the Maxwell verdict was announced.
Mr Dershowitz used the airtime to denigrate Virginia Giuffre's claims against himself and Prince Andrew. Both men deny her allegations of sexual abuse.
He was introduced on the news segment as a "constitutional lawyer" to provide analysis on the verdict - and his connection with Epstein and Ms Giuffre was not made clear in the interview.
The interview was also featured on the BBC News live page about the trial, and a short clip was played twice on Newsday on World Service English, but those instances gave some context about who Mr Dershowitz was.
Latest Stories
-
FDA discovers expired food items at Zuarungu SHS storeroom
22 mins -
Bahamas World Relays: Ghana paired with world and Olympic champions in Heat 1
8 hours -
Bahamas 2024 Relays: Star-studded cast ready to put on pre-Paris show
9 hours -
Bahamas Relays preview: clash of global title-winning teams in men’s 4x100m
9 hours -
Arsenal keeper Raya wins Premier League Golden Glove
9 hours -
IƱaki Williams scores twice in Athletic Bilbao’s win over Getafe
9 hours -
Argument with Salah ‘completely resolved’ – Klopp
9 hours -
Reus to leave Dortmund at the end of the season
10 hours -
Uefa confirms 26-man squads for Euro 2024
10 hours -
Teacher Unions press home demands for the new allowances
10 hours -
Media’s failure to hold government accountable for ‘galamsey’ alarming – Mahama
10 hours -
Keta Presbytery urges Akufo-Addo to assent to anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
10 hours -
Ghanaian midfielder Lawrence Ofori nets maiden goal of the season with stunner against Vizela
10 hours -
Community fearful after off-duty policemen shot dead at East Trasacco
10 hours -
Dext Technology partners KNUST to train basic school teachers on STEM
11 hours