Outraged BBC staff defended their ex-boss today and there were renewed demands for an inquiry into Britain's case for war in Iraq as the fallout from the Hutton Report showed no sign of abating.
Dismayed by judge Lord Hutton's strong censure of the BBC and near-total exoneration of the British government over the suicide of Iraq weapons expert Dr David Kelly, hundreds of BBC employees paid for a full-page newspaper ad to vent their feelings.
"Greg Dyke stood for brave, independent and rigorous BBC journalism that was fearless in its search for the truth," they said of the BBC's former director general who resigned a day after Wednesday's Hutton report.
In a remarkable implosion at one of the world's best-known media, BBC chairman of the board of governors Mr Gavyn Davies also stepped down on Wednesday and the investigative reporter at the centre of the storm, Mr Andrew Gilligan, resigned yesterday.
"We are resolute that the BBC should not step back from its determination to investigate the facts in pursuit of the truth," added the BBC staff, some of whom walked out in protest at offices across the country on Thursday.
Mr Gilligan's broadcast last year claimed Prime Minister Tony Blair's government had "sexed up" the threat from former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in an intelligence dossier.
Government scientist Dr Kelly was the anonymous source for Mr Gilligan's story and committed suicide when his name came out. The BBC accepted Mr Gilligan's report had errors.
But many were shocked by the severity of Hutton's criticism of the BBC, versus his lightness with the British government. Critics say Blair officials' involvement in the outing of Dr Kelly was papered over, while the underlying question of Mr Blair's case for war was ignored.
Anti-war campaigners were due to protest outside Mr Blair's offices today over what they called Hutton's "whitewash". They were due to burn a copy of the Hutton report.