MUMBAI: BBC has announced the revamping of its journalism guidelines and the creation of its own journalism training college as part of its damage control exercises after the bruising battle it had with the British government over its justification for the Iraq invasion.

BBC director general Mark Thompson is quoted in media reports as saying that the guidelines would be implemented at the earliest.

Recommendations in the Neil report, an internal review into how to learn the lessons of the Hutton inquiry, include general points like renewed emphasis on core values of accuracy, serving public interest, impartiality, independence and accountability. Announcing the shake-up of its complaints and compliance procedures, the BBC has also asked its journalists to discontinue writing columns in national newspapers.

"The BBC should also set up a college of journalism, led by an academic, to improve training and standards," said a report published on the network's website.

The BBC's reputation was sullied after judge Lord Hutton, who led the investigation on the scandal over BBC's reporting on Britain's pre-war intelligence about Iraq, harshly criticised the 80-year-old organisation for a May 2003 report that had quoted an anonymous source as saying the government had 'sexed up' evidence on Iraqi weapons to justify war.