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BBC Look North's John Cundy to retire after more than 50 years in journalism

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BBC Look North correspondent John Cundy is to retire in the New Year after more than 50 years as a journalist, most of it with the BBC.

Cundy, 69, started his career on the Warrington Guardian series in Lancashire and Cheshire in 1965.

He later worked on the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo before joining BBC Radio Merseyside in 1974, also taking up roles as duty editor at Radio Scotland and news editor at Radio Leeds.

He joined Look North, the BBC’s regional news service, in 1991 and made his reputation covering some of the biggest crime stories in Yorkshire, including the murder of WPC Sharon Beshenivsky.

Cundy was the only journalist reporting on the ground in the midst of the Bradford riots in 2001. He also covered the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, which he himself witnessed.

Tim Smith, acting Head of BBC Yorkshire, said: “To work for more than 50 years as a journalist, much of it in one of the most high profile roles in Yorkshire, is a magnificent achievement.

“John’s colleagues look up to him, people he has interviewed respect him and most importantly of all, viewers trust him. John’s experience and knowledge of some of the biggest stories which have happened in Yorkshire are unparalleled. This really is the end of an era.”

Cundy’s last day with Look North will be Friday 19 January, just before his 70th birthday.

In the build-up to his retirement he will present a series of reports looking back at some of the biggest stories he’s covered during his career, the BBC has said.

Picture: BBC


Survey: Radio most trusted medium for national news while social media comes bottom

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Radio is the most trusted medium for national news stories, while social media is the least trusted, according to a new survey.

The survey, commissioned by  commercial radio industry body Radiocentre, asked questions of 1,200 commercial radio listeners.

The findings have been revealed as the Government prepares to publish proposals on commercial radio deregulation following a period of consultation.

Asked: “To what extent do you trust national news stories from each of the following news sources?” 77 per cent of respondents put radio top.

Behind was television at 74 per cent, print newspapers at 48 per cent, newspaper websites/apps at 45 per cent and social media at 15 per cent.

Of those surveyed, just over half (54 per cent) said they were “infrequent” BBC radio listeners – the rest were “frequent”.

A total of 71 per cent of listeners agreed with the statement that “commercial radio provides me with news I can trust”.

Digital minister Matt Hancock MP, who wrote a foreword for the report, said: “Commercial radio continues to play a crucial role in providing news and information for millions of people.

“Radiocentre’s new research provides a welcome reminder of the value of this coverage whether it’s providing headlines in the morning, updates when travelling in a car or breaking news throughout the day.”

Radiocentre said commercial radio has 36m listeners tuning in every week in the UK and more than 26m followers on social media, with the number of people getting news from commercial radio “at an all-time high”.

According to the report, Radio is the most popular source for regular news updates at 38 per cent while print newspapers were lowest at 3 per cent.

Radio is shown to be the most popular medium for accessing the news both in the morning and afternoon, higher even that social media, but TV remains dominant in the evening.

Asked how concerned they were about “fake news” on a scale of one to five, 61 per cent of respondents said they were “concerned” or “very concerned” while 4 per cent said they were “not concerned” about fake news.

Siobhan Kenny, chief executive of Radiocentre, said: “Commercial radio’s great strength is providing short, punchy news all day.  It scores particularly well during emergencies and local incidents.  Above all, it is trusted, accessible and impartial.

“To ensure listeners continue to have access to this treasured resource, we look forward to the Government publishing its proposals on commercial radio deregulation.”

Picture: Pixabay

BBC Controller of English Regions David Holdsworth to step down after 33 years at corporation

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The controller of BBC English Regions David Holdsworth will step down next year after 33 years at the corporation.

Holdsworth, who was appointed controller in December 2008, has been overseeing the Local News Partnership scheme that is recruiting 150 local democracy reporters to work in the regional press.

BBC English Regions are responsible for all regional, non-networked television, text and radio output in England, including regional news programmes such as Look North and Points West.

Holdsworth said choosing to leave had been a “difficult decision” but that it was a “good moment” to hand over, adding: “Our budget is secure and the importance of the services we provide is understood clearly.”

He said: “I am hugely proud of the teams I have led for nearly nine years.”

BBC English Regions manages 39 radio stations attracting 6m listeners and produce the most watched news programme on British television in the 6.30pm BBC One regional bulletin, said Holdsworth.

But, he added: “The local media landscape has changed significantly since I first became a journalist 40 years ago.

“There has been a sharp drop in the number of journalists on local newspapers and there is less genuinely local radio or regional current affairs made outside the BBC.

“This makes the BBC’s local mission more crucial than ever. I will be cheering on my successor and the whole of English Regions once I have left.”

James Harding, director of BBC News and Current Affairs, said: “David is one of the most influential figures in the modern history of local radio and regional television at the BBC.

“During his 33 years at the BBC, he has launched two radio stations, worked as a TV producer and TV editor and ran three BBC regions.

“David is a relentless advocate of innovation. He has championed the transformation of English Regions into digital newsrooms, driving journalism online, on mobile and social media.

“He is decent and considerate, has sound judgment, strong principles and a good sense of humour. I’d like to thank him and wish him well for the future.”

Picture: BBC

Diabetic BBC newsreader explains how low sugar levels left him talking 'gibberish' live on radio

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Diabetic BBC World Service journalist Alex Ritson explains how a hypoglycemic attack left him dazed and confused while reading the news live on the radio. 

To hear the incident, from which he recovered fully and made it back on-air the same morning, listen to the audio below (warning: some listeners may find this distressing).

 

Most newsreaders I know have one thing in common – a recurring dream where everything starts going wrong a few minutes before the top of the hour and they only just make it into the studio on time.

When the pips finally sound, they look down and realise all their scripts are blank, and they end up spouting seemingly endless gibberish before finally waking up in a cold sweat, only to find they are safely in bed.

On the first of December, it happened to me, live on the BBC World Service and Radio 4 at 5am in the morning. But it wasn’t a dream. This time, it was real.

The reason was medical. I have type one diabetes and my on-air nightmare was caused by a severe hypoglycemic attack, or “hypo”.

To put that simply – it’s “low batteries”. A lack of sugar, or fuel for all the cells in the body, most notably key bits of the brain.

And it was terrifying. As I was trying to read the script, my eyes started operating independently of each other, creating two swirling pages of words, neither of which would stay still.

And I had a strange sensation which I can only describe as my subconscious, for reasons of survival, independently trying to wrestle my life controls away from my failing conscious mind.

Abilities which are secondary to vital functions like the heartbeat – such as the power of speech and of reasoning – were being switched off.

Fortunately, I work with a great team. Producer Neil Nunes steadied the ship by reading a perfect news bulletin after my cringe-worthy opening sequence, as my colleagues helped me wolf down more than a dozen sachets of sugar.

I returned to the airwaves, at six minutes past the hour, and before long was pretty much back to normal. I explained what had happened to the listener, and had some really lovely messages from all over the world.

And I was lucky to be able to do this. Roughly one in three hundred people have the condition – and many would agree with me that one of the worst parts is the embarrassment caused by such episodes.

People who witness your symptoms generally assume you are drunk or rude. There have been terrible cases of people being arrested for their disorderly behaviour and thrown in the cells – only to be found dead the following morning.

I know a few other people at the BBC who have this condition. We have all shared private horror stories with each other – near misses which we don’t even dare tell our partners about. But that’s life – that is the reality of living with type one diabetes.

If it’s well controlled, you will have occasional low sugar episodes. We don’t want to be wrapped in cotton wool, or asked to work less, or do easy things.

I spend my life trying to do as much as possible. I play football three or four times a week, I do lots of DIY with power tools.

I have strategies for making sure I’m fine at these and other key moments – such as when I’m presenting radio programmes. In a pretty long career, they’ve been very effective.

If someone you know has type one diabetes and you see them sweating, yawning or looking incredibly tired or being uncharacteristically drunk or moody, ask them to check their sugar level.

If it’s less than four, get them a can of coke – or some sachets of sugar from the tea bar.  You could save them from – what was for me – my worst ever day at work.

Picture: BBC

BBC appoints World Service Group director Fran Unsworth as its next head of news and current affairs

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The BBC has appointed World Service Group director Fran Unsworth as its new director of news and current affairs.

Unsworth, who replaces James Harding in the New Year, is also currently deputy director of news and current affairs.

She first joined the BBC in 1980, starting her career in local radio, and has already done the role to which she has now been appointed, having acted as director of news and current affairs from November 2012 to August 2013.

Unsworth made the call in August 2014 to allow transmission of the police raid on Cliff Richard’s house (James Harding was on holiday at the time). The coverage is the subject of an ongoing High Court privacy action brought by the veteran singer.

Unsworth said: “We are living through a period of significant change at home and abroad.  In a complex world, the BBC’s journalism matters more than ever. I am proud to lead a team of such dedicated and talented people.”

BBC director general, Tony Hall, said: “The director of news and current affairs is one of the most demanding of any in broadcasting. News is at the very heart of the BBC.

“I am delighted Fran Unsworth is taking up the role. She brings a combination of excellent news judgement, authority, management knowhow, and the trust of her colleagues both in news and across the BBC.”

Unsworth has previously worked on Radio One’s Newsbeat and Radio Four’s The World At One and PM, having also spent time as a network radio producer in the US.

She was later appointed the BBC’s home news editor and, in 2005, became head of newsgathering at the BBC.

In December 2014 she took up the post of BBC World Service Group director, with overall editorial and managerial responsibility for BBC World Service radio, BBC World News television and BBC Monitoring.

She currently earns a salary of £216,000 a year.

Journalist of the Year Nick Ferrari on the art of the political interview: 'The secret is to listen to the answers'

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“I think if radio was invented by Bill Gates tomorrow it would be the greatest invention ever made,” LBC’s Nick Ferrari tells Press Gazette while clutching his Journalist of the Year award.

“Because you can do anything… while you are listening to the radio. It’s the complete complementary medium, which is what I think makes it so potent.”

Ferrari also picked up the popular journalism prize at the Press Gazette British Journalism Awards for public interest journalism – partly in recognition of his pre-election interview with shadow home secretary Diane Abbott.

According to the awards judges, this created the “where were you” moment of this year’s general election campaign.

In the interview with Ferrari on 2 May, Abbott struggled to say how much a Labour Party policy to recruit an extra 10,000 more police officers would cost. At one point the Hackney North MP claimed it would be £300,000 – equivalent to £30 per police officer.

Shortly before the general election on 8 June, Abbot faced another tough interview on Sky News and then unexpectedly pulled out of two planned media appearances “due to illness”. She later revealed she had type two diabetes and that it had gotten “out of control” during the campaign.

Given his interview had seemingly been the start of Abbott’s difficult patch – in which she temporarily was removed from the Shadow Cabinet prior to polling day – did Ferrari regret his part in it?

“If it is your day, it’s a general election, it is the Shadow Home Secretary’s day, you’re going to be talking about how you’ll revolutionise the police, I don’t think it’s asking that much to try and make your figures stack up,” he told Press Gazette.

“If she was suffering some kind of illness then of course, [I have] nothing but sympathy towards her, but as it was presented she was fairly robust in interviews before me so, if she’s ill I wish her well and I’m grateful for this extraordinary night, but I think she did actually bring what she thought was her A game and it was a D game.”

Ferrari says the secret to his apparent quick maths during the interview is that Abbott wasn’t in the studio but calling in “down the line” so while she was talking he was able to check the figures with his team.

He says: “If you watch [the video recording of the interview] very carefully I’m clicking a button where I can talk to my production team and I’m saying words to the effect of – and I’ll moderate my language – ‘for goodness sake I need this jolly figure damn soon because I make it ridiculous’.

“And so as there are pauses I’m saying ‘just confirm’, ‘do you agree’ and it’s like Countdown without Rachel Riley and they’re all going ‘yes, yes, that’s right’, so that’s how we were able to do it.”

He said that once a situation like that arises in an interview “you kind of concentrate on it, because you don’t want to give an inch where it will all go away”.

“So you have to make sure that you don’t suddenly open a door where they can just win the interview over and say ‘well of course I didn’t say that’ or ‘why would you say that figure’, so you are so intent.

“It’s like taking a final paper in your A-levels – you’re all over it.”

I ask him, then, if the secret to good broadcast journalism is being dogged and not letting something go? “No, the secret is just listen to the answers, always listen to the answers, that’s the key,” he says.

And what, in Ferrari’s mind, makes for a great journalist?

“You have to be inquisitive. You have to be prepared for that the minute a press spokesman or the police spokesman says everything is under control – you have to know that it’s completely a pile of shit and they are all over the place, like anything.

“You have to have a sense of humour and you also have to keep a touchstone with people so I do think, whether it’s some of the amazing foreign stories we’ve seen, whether it’s stories that have brought down England football managers, whether it’s talking to politicians, keeping a touchstone with reality is key.”

Ferrari says he was “absolutely blown away” to have been named Journalist of the Year at the British Journalism Awards – the first radio broadcaster to claim the accolade.

His work covering the Grenfell Tower fire disaster that claimed 71 lives was also mentioned by judges in awarding him the top prize.

The news industry has been criticised, including by Press Gazette, for its failure to pick up on residents’ concerns over fire safety that had been written about on a local blog before tragedy struck on 14 June.

So does Ferrari think the news industry failed in its coverage?

“We just honoured a team of journalists [at Inside Housing] who covered it. Alright, maybe the mainstream media could have done more, but yet again journalists are doing what journalists have to do, which is to hold truth to power.

“They were trying to expose this story. It’s journalists like the ones we’ve just been celebrating tonight who make so crucial the job they do in this country.”

Ferrari might be the name most associated with LBC, but his colleagues include former UKIP leader Nigel Farage and, until the end of May this year, polemicist Katie Hopkins was also on the station’s roster.

What does Ferrari think of the people he shares the microphone with each day? “Great,” he says. “If I’m running the England rugby team, I need every possible kind of player. I need the whole lot, they all bring something.”

Emma Barnett given Monday to Thursday mid-morning slot on Radio 5 Live

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BBC Radio 5 Live will launch three new podcasts and a new show hosted by journalist Emma Barnett this month. 

Two of the podcasts, At Home with Colin Murray and Arts Club with Will Gompertz, are set for release in late January.

Arts Club with Will Gompertz will see the BBC Arts editor speaking with artists, stand-up comedians and bloggers in front of live audiences.

Sports radio host Colin Murray’s show is set to feature interviews with sports personalities in their own homes. Paula Radcliffe, motorcycle racer Jonathan Rae and “top footballers” are among the confirmed guests.

Fit & Fearless with Tally Rye, Zanna Van Dijk and Victoria Spence, will be released next Wednesday.

The show will involve the three hosts sharing tips on fitness and body confidence with listeners.

5 Live also has plans to launch two new live shows, including a new current affairs programme presented by Emma Barnett.

Barnett rose in the ranks last year following a “car crash” interview with Jeremy Corbyn on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.

The former-Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman said Barnett was his favourite interviewer.

The Emma Barnett Show will start next week, airing between 10am and 1pm from Monday to Thursday. A spokesperson said the programme would “aim to set the agenda while involving listeners in the on-air conversation”.

The One Show presenter Adrian Chiles will be presenting Chiles on Friday from 10am to 1pm on Friday mornings. He will also be in the presenter’s chair for Question Time Extra Time, the 5Live politics show aired after Question Time on BBC One.

BBC Radio 5 Live controller Jonathan Wall said: “It’s great to start World Cup year on 5 live with some brilliant new presenters and shows.

“We never want to stop innovating our on air schedule, whilst at the same time continuing our big podcast success story of 2017.”

BBC defends John Humphrys' Brexit interview with Tony Blair after complaints it was 'aggressive and biased'

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The BBC has responded to significant complaints about an interview with former Prime Minister Tony Blair on the Radio 4 Today programme.

Today presenter John Humphrys interviewed Blair last week about his push for a second referendum on Brexit.

The BBC received complaints from listeners that the interview was “aggressive and biased” against Blair.

Responding to complaints, the corporation said: “Listeners of the Today programme expect robust and challenging questioning, and it was no different in the interview with Mr Blair.

“If a presenter interrupts, the intention is simply to keep the topic on track and ensure that a guest’s views are properly scrutinised.”

“Interviewees and panels often need firm steering, and a balance of politeness and persistence is needed. Today aims to achieve firm and fair probing of important issues.

“We’re satisfied that John’s questioning was appropriate and in keeping with what our listeners expect.”

During the Today interview, Humphrys pushed Blair on his arguments for a second referendum, saying that ignoring the first result would risk “civil disobedience”.

Twitter was awash with complaints following the interview.

The Remainiacs Podcast, which is hosted by politics.co.uk editor Ian Dunt, tweeted: “Tony Blair patiently explains to #r4today the insupportable costs of Brexit. John Humphrys interrupts “but we voted for it!”

“When even BBC interviewers are supporting the infantile “you lost get over it” argument we really are in trouble.”

The BBC publish responses to complaints when audience concern has “either generated significant numbers of complaints or raised significant issues”.

The BBC publishes fortnightly complaint reports on its website detailing the number of complaints received about particular programmes. The figures have yet to be released for the Blair interview.

Picture: BBC


BBC issues gagging order to journalists who have 'stated a position' on pay inequality

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BBC journalists have been told they cannot present items about BBC pay if they have “stated a position” on the issue, effectively gagging reports on the corporation’s own gender pay issues.

The directive is understood to have been issued by incoming news director Fran Unsworth at a meeting this morning and filtered down to staff through senior management.

It comes after BBC China Editor Carrie Gracie announced her resignation yesterday in protest at what she said was the broadcaster’s “secretive and illegal pay culture”.

Gracie hosted the Today programme this morning, as scheduled, but was not interviewed on the topic of her own resignation because of strict BBC guidelines on impartiality, however she did deliver a statement on-air.

The BBC was forced to divulge the salaries of top-earning on-air talent last year, revealing a 9 per cent gender pay gap, although an independent pay audit of rank and file staff at the organisation found no “systemic discrimination against women”.

A BBC presenter told Press Gazette today: “Fran Unsworth has ruled that anyone who has tweeted or indicated a position on BBC pay – not just Carrie Gracie – cannot present an item about BBC pay in future.”

They said that Gracie had been reporting from a secretive one-party state in covering China and that now her employer was not allowing her to talk about her own resignation, adding: “It’s like life under Stalin.”

The directive was “now affecting how we tell the story of pay”, according to the source, who said: “My feeling is no situation is so bad that the BBC can’t make it worse. They are past masters at digging a bigger hole for themselves.

“What they should be doing is coming out and explaining how they have got themselves into this mess and accepting that there is a problem and working with staff and the unions to meaningfully fix it.

“We stand ready to discuss how we fix this. We don’t want it to go to court, we don’t want it to cost the BBC more than necessary but there needs to be a rethink on how they are approaching this. It will never go away if they don’t negotiate.”

The presenter said they knew of two BBC journalists, both women, who had been told they could not cover Gracie’s resignation because they had tweeted about the issue.

In one instance a TV presenter had to run a pre-recorded report instead of a live interview, while a radio presenter had a section withdrawn about the facts surrounding equal pay, they said.

Woman’s Hour presenter Jane Garvey opted out of interviewing Gracie on the Radio 4 radio show earlier this afternoon with former Guardian media editor Jane Martinson stepping in.

Garvey told Press Gazette the decision for her not to speak to Gracie was made by her editor but that she thought it was the right move, saying a BBC presenter interviewing another BBC presenter felt “somewhat farcical”.

She said: “I have not been made to feel that I couldn’t speak up. I would not carry on working [at the BBC] if they were putting me under some kind of pressure – and they haven’t.”

But, she added: “The BBC are going to really struggle to find a BBC female journalist who does not believe in equal pay. I mean where is that woman and why is she working for the BBC? This is just ridiculous and they know it is really.”

Top talent including Emily Maitlis, Victoria Derbyshire, Mishal Husain and Sarah Montague would be disqualified from presenting segments on BBC pay under the new directive.

Labour MP Jess Phillips tweeted today that the gagging order was “tantamount to shut up little women” and said she would be writing to director general Tony Hall about it.

The rule has already been broken once: BBC News presenter Simon McCoy conducted an interview on BBC pay equality after tweeting support for Carrie Gracie earlier this morning.

The BBC Women group made up of more than 130 BBC staff released a statement supporting Carrie Gracie’s resignation.

It said: “It is hugely regrettable that an outstanding and award-winning journalist like Carrie Gracie feels like she has no option but to resign from her post as China editor because the BBC has not valued her equally with her male counterparts.

“We wholeheartedly support her and call on the BBC to resolve her case and others without delay, and to urgently address pay inequality across the corporation.

“Up to 200 women that we know of in various grades and roles across the BBC have made pay complaints. The NUJ alone is involved in more than 120 of these cases.”

There are existing rules dictating that BBC staff cannot interview people on a matter which they have expressed an opinion on publicly.

It includes the line: “We need to ensure the BBC’s impartiality is not brought into question and presenters or reporters are not exposed to potential conflicts of interest.”

Press Gazette understands the BBC has reminded staff of that guideline.

Picture: Reuters/Neil Hall

BBC head of news Fran Unsworth says pay equality 'vital' with top talent salaries review due this month

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The BBC’s director of news Fran Unsworth has broken her silence about pay equality after a tumultuous 48 hours for the corporation following the resignation of China editor Carrie Gracie.

In an email to staff late yesterday afternoon, seen by Press Gazette, Unsworth said pay equality at the BBC was “vital” and a “priority”.

She said: “This issue has been the subject of a lot of debate, both on the BBC and elsewhere… I want to thank news staff for covering this topic with such integrity.”

“Pay is an issue that we need to resolve swiftly and get right. This is a priority not just for me, but for the entire BBC.

“The public holds us to higher standards than other organisations. We must hold ourselves to those standards too.

“While a significant number of organisations have now published their gender pay figures showing that we are performing better than many – we need to go further.”

The BBC was forced to reveal the salaries of its top-earning on-air talent last year, exposing a 9 per cent gender pay gap (compared to a national average of 18 per cent).

Female journalists also expressed concern that they are paid less than their male counterparts in similar roles.

Gracie said she was paid less than other international editors at the BBC who were male and accused the corporation of a “secretive and illegal pay culture” in an open letter.

An independent pay audit of rank and file staff at the organisation carried out in the wake of the salary revelations found no “systemic discrimination against women”.

The BBC has yet to complete a similar review of its top-earning talent, with Unsworth saying this is now expected to be published at the end of the month.

The report is being carried out by financial services firm PWC and will also be independently assessed by a QC, she said, adding that it would “help inform a new pay policy at the BBC.”

She told staff: “Thanks very much for the work you do, day in, day out. I am proud of the work BBC News does for its audiences and how we go about delivering for them.”

Unsworth had been behind a ruling reminding staff of their obligations under BBC impartiality guidelines that led to presenters who had “stated a position” on equal pay being silenced, a BBC presenter told Press Gazette this week.

Yesterday, radio presenter Winifred Robinson was replaced on the Radio 4 You and Yours programme on impartiality grounds. Robinson had tweeted support for Gracie and pushed for pay equality at the BBC.

Prior to that Gracie was turned and BBC Woman’s Hour presenter Jane Garvey was replaced by former Guardian media editor Jane Martinson to interview Gracie on the programme.

Addressing the issue of BBC pay equality following an urgent question in the House of Commons yesterday, new Culture Secretary Matt Hancock said “much more action” was needed.

BBC director general Tony Hall has pledged to close the gender pay gap by 2020. He has been invited to appear in front of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee with Gracie also set to appear.

Picture: BBC

BBC's John Humphrys and John Sopel caught exchanging 'silly banter' about gender pay gap while off-air

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BBC Radio 4 Today presenter John Humphrys and North American editor Jon Sopel exchanged “silly banter” about the gender pay gap while off-air.

The two discussed former China editor Carrie Gracie’s resignation and the chances that they would have their pay cut.

The conversation was leaked to the press by former Countryfile presenter Miriam O’Reilly, who won an ageism case against the BBC after she was cut from the programme in 2009.  

Humphrys is the BBC’s second-highest paid journalist, earning up to £650,000 a year. North American editor Sopel is paid up to £250,000 a year, higher than Gracie’s annual salary of £135,000.

According to transcripts printed  by The Sun and The Times, who both claimed the story as an exclusive, Humphrys said: “Good, slight change of subject – the first question will be how much of your salary you are prepared to hand over to Carrie Gracie to keep her and then a few comments about your other colleagues, you know, like our Middle East Editor and the other men who are earning too much.”

Sopel replied: “Obviously if we are talking about the scope for the greatest redistribution, I’ll have to come back and say, “Well yes Mr Humphrys, but…”

Humphrys said: “And I could save you the trouble as I could volunteer that I’ve handed over already more than you f***ing earn. But I’m still left with more than anybody else, and that seems to me entirely just. Something like that.”

Humphrys went on to ask Sopel if he knew she was suggesting he should lose money in order to balance pay among foreign editors, to which Sopel replied: “Can we have this conversation somewhere else?”

Responding to the conversation, a BBC spokesperson said: “This was an ill-advised off-air conversation which the presenter regrets. The BBC is committed to getting its pay structures right and we are conducting a comprehensive analysis of presenter pay.”

Speaking to The Sun about the incident, Humphrys said the conversation was “silly banter between old mates”.

But, BBC Woman’s Hour presenter Jane Garvey tweeted: “Sopel exchange reveals, very neatly, what we’re up against. And a useful reminder to be ever careful in a room with microphones.”

Labour MP Jess Phillips said: “Women who speak up are used to being laughed at. Let’s tip the power as well as the money so that it is Humphrys [who] is now the one who is one worried that he spoke up and how it affects his career.”

The BBC told the Daily Telegraph that Humphrys would still be allowed to present pieces on gender pay following the leak.

O’Reilly claims her scheduled appearance on the Today programme this morning was cut because of the leaked John Humphrys’ conversation with Jon Sopel on the gender pay gap.

She said she was due to discuss the issue of pay equality on the programme before she told a producer she had heard the off-air chat.

O’Reilly tweeted: “I believe the person who made the decision to stand me down this morning was concerned I would mention the leaked tape on air.

“If Mr Humphrys was interviewing me I quite possibly would have – but why not – he would have done the same – it’s called freedom of speech.”

Responding to O’Reilly, a BBC spokesperson said: “The Today programme often makes changes to schedules and contributors in the run up to broadcast.

“This item became a much broader discussion about social change and consequently Afua Hirsch was a more suitable guest to talk about the wider issues. It’s wrong to suggest anything else.”

Carrie Gracie resigned as China editor earlier this week, accusing the BBC of having a “secretive and illegal pay culture”. In her resignation letter, Gracie called for the broadcaster to “simply … abide by the law and value men and women equally”.

She has since agreed to give evidence to MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee about the BBC’s gender pay gap, at a hearing on 31 January at 2.30pm.

BBC director-general Tony Hall has also agreed to appear before the committee.  

Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Competition watchdog says Rupert Murdoch's bid to takeover Sky is 'not in public interest'

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The UK competition watchdog has provisionally ruled that the proposed takeover of Sky by 21st Century Fox is not in the public interest.

The deal was referred to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last year by then Culture Secretary Karen Bradley over concerns about media plurality resulting from the merger and Fox’s genuine commitment to broadcasting standards.

In its provisional findings published today, the CMA has found that Rupert Murdoch’s attempt to buy the 61 per cent of Sky he doesn’t already own is not in the public interest on media plurality grounds only.

The CMA said the takeover would lead to the Murdoch Family Trust (MFT), which controls Fox and News Corp (of which News UK is a subsidiary) having  “too much control over news providers in the UK across all media platforms and therefore too much influence over public opinion and the political agenda”.

It said Murdoch-owned news outlets are “watched, read or heard” by nearly a third of the UK’s population and that combined they are behind only the BBC and ITN in their share of the public’s news consumption.

The CMA said: “Due to its control of News Corp, the Murdoch family already has significant influence over public opinion and full ownership of Sky by Fox would strengthen this even further.

“While there are a range of other news outlets serving UK audiences, the CMA has provisionally found that they would not be sufficient to moderate or mitigate the increased influence of the MFT if the deal went ahead.”

The watchdog said it had concluded that, overall, Fox has a genuine commitment to broadcasting standards in the UK, being an established broadcaster that has held licences in the UK for more than 20 years.

It said its investigation took account of “serious shortcomings” at the Murdoch-owned News of the World “which had failed to comply with both press standards and the law” before 2012.

But, it said News Corp had put “processes and procedures” in place to address these and that since then, the group’s record of compliance with press standards “does not raise concerns”.

The CMA said its investigation also considered recent allegations of sexual harassment against Fox News employees in the United States.

It said: “While these are serious, the CMA has provisionally found that these are not directly related to the attainment of broadcasting standards and do not call into question Fox’s or the MFT’s commitment to broadcasting standards in the UK.”

Anne Lambert, chairman of the independent investigation Group at the CMA, said: “Media plurality goes to the heart of our democratic process. It is very important that no group or individual should have too much control of our news media or too much power to affect the political agenda.

“We have provisionally found that if the Fox/Sky merger went ahead as proposed, it would be against the public interest. It would result in the Murdoch family having too much control over news providers in the UK, and too much influence over public opinion and the political agenda.

“Our in-depth investigation also considered whether the deal would be against the public interest regarding broadcasting standards.

“Due to their existing track record in the UK, and the range of policies and procedures the companies involved have in place to ensure broadcasting standards are met, we did not find public interest concerns in this regard.”

The watchdog has until 1 May to provide a final report to the Culture Secretary, who will make the final decision on its findings.

There is now a three-week consultation period on the provisional findings, during which time anyone may make submissions to the CMA.

It was announced in December that Fox had agreed to sell Sky, including Sky News, to Disney on the understanding that if Fox’s bid to takeover Sky were successful, Disney would assume full ownership of the broadcaster.

Fox said in a statement that it was “disappointed” by the CMA’s provisional findings regarding media plurality, but welcomed its findings on broadcasting standards.

The company said: “We will continue to engage with the CMA ahead of the publication of the final report in May.

“We also note that the CMA has elected to avail itself of the statutory eight-week extension, moving its deadline for a final decision to 1 May, 2018.  We anticipate regulatory approval of the transaction by 30 June, 2018.”

Newly appointed Culture Secretary Matt Hancock said in a statement to Parliament today that the CMA had identified three “remedy approaches” to its provisional findings and sought views on them.

They included prohibiting the deal from going ahead or recommending “structural remedies”, including either the “spin-off of Sky News into a new company” or selling it off.

The third option includes “behavioural remedies” such as “enhanced requirements around the editorial independence of Sky News”, said Hancock.

He said: “The CMA also recognises that the proposed acquisition of Fox by Disney could address concerns set out in the provisional findings.

“However the uncertainty about whether, when, or how, that transaction will complete means the CMA has also set out potential approaches which include introducing remedies which would fall away subject to the Disney / Fox transaction completing.”

Picture: Chris Radburn/PA Wire

Six top-earning BBC journalists agree to salary cuts in move towards equal pay

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Six top-earning BBC journalists have agreed to have their pay cut as the row over equal pay at the organisation continues.

Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine, News at Ten anchor Huw Edwards, Today presenters John Humphrys and Nick Robinson, North America editor Jon Sopel and Radio Five Live presenter Nicky Campbell have all agreed to a salary reduction.

In a statement issued today, the BBC said it was “very grateful” to the group of men, adding: “These are great journalists and presenters, who have a real connection with the audience.

“We are proud to have them working at the BBC. The final details of some of these changes are still being discussed, and there are further conversations that the BBC will have with others in due course.”

The extent of the six presenters’ pay cuts is not yet known.

The move by the journalists follows Carrie Gracie’s resignation as BBC China editor earlier this month after discovering that she was paid less than other international editors who were male.

The BBC was forced to reveal the licence-fee-funded salaries for its on-air talent earning more than £150,000 (equal to the Prime Minister’s salary) in July last year following a government decree.

Vine was revealed to be the highest-paid of the 42 journalists listed, earning up to £749,999 a year. Humprhys earned up to £650,000; Edwards was paid up to £599,999 and Sopel up to £249,999.

Campbell was listed as earning up to £449,999. Gracie, who has been China editor since 2013, did not make the list.

In a open letter announcing her resignation as China editor, she accused the organisation of having a “secretive and illegal pay culture”.

She also revealed that she had been paid £135,000 for her role and had turned down a pay rise of £45,000 because she said she thought it was a “divide-and-rule botch solution”.

What followed was effectively a gag order as BBC presenters who had taken a stance on the issue of equal pay were taken off-air under the corporation’s strict impartiality guidelines.

Earlier this month, controversial off-air comments made by Humphrys about the equal pay row were heard in a leaked recording.

The broadcasting veteran was heard to say he could hand over more than the entire salary of his colleague Sopel and still be “left with more than anybody else”.

Humphrys told ITV News he backed equal pay, stating: “We are in habit, Jon and I, of winding each other up and the purpose of this jokey – I emphasise jokey – exchange was a bit of mutual mickey-taking, and that is all it was.”

In October last year, an independent report into gender pay imbalance at the BBC concluded there was “no systemic discrimination against women” in its pay arrangements.

However, a review of rank and file staff salaries revealed a 9 per cent gender pay gap. BBC director general Tony Hall has pledged to close the gap by 2020.

The BBC News website made several amendments to its story reporting the salary reductions today, at one point removing all names except Campbell’s before later adding them back in.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Like with any story, the BBC news website is updated as the story moves on such as individuals making public statements about their pay.”

The Guardian reported yesterday that culture minister Tracey Crouch refused to be interviewed on BBC radio 4’s today programme after Humphrys made light of a female colleagues fight for equal pay.

Picture: BBC/PA/PA Wire

BBC Women call on managers to 'correct all unequal pay decisions' made over decades

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BBC Women have called on management at the corporation to focus on a strategy to “correct all unequal pay decisions it has made”.

The group, representing more than 170 broadcasters and producers, made the comment in a statement released after a group of six high-paid male journalists agreed to salary cuts.

Jeremy Vine, Huw Edwards, John Humprhys, Nick Robinson, Jon Sopel and Nicky Campbell have all agreed to reduce their salaries in a move towards equal pay at the BBC.

Vine is the highest-paid BBC journalist, earning up to £749,999 a year.

BBC China editor Carrie Gracie resigned from her post earlier this month after finding out that she was paid less than other international editors who were male, putting a spotlight back on the issue of BBC pay equality.

BBC Women said in a statement: “BBC management should now focus on a comprehensive strategy to correct all unequal pay decisions it has made for decades, rather than on a few high-profile individuals.

“For the last six months we have been calling for a transparent and systematic mechanism to address pay inequality for women at all levels, especially those working in less well paid off-air roles.

“We hope that BBC management seizes the opportunity to change the culture for future generations of hard working women and men.”

An audit on talent pay is expected to be published on Tuesday, the Guardian has reported.

A BBC source told the paper: “We recognise we have got some things wrong – in particular, the pay of some very senior presenters in news. The wide-ranging plan we will publish on Tuesday addresses these issues and is the next stage in the modernisation programme at the BBC.”

In October last year, an independent report into gender pay imbalance at the BBC concluded there was “no systemic discrimination against women” in its pay arrangements.

However, a review of rank and file staff salaries revealed a 9 per cent gender pay gap. BBC director general Tony Hall has pledged to close the gap by 2020.

Picture: Reuters/Neil Hall

MPs hear of 'veiled threats' to BBC women over equal pay and a 'bunker mentality' in evidence submissions

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The BBC Women group has told MPs it believes the corporation has, over many years, “failed to pay men and women equally for equal work” in breach of equality legislation.

In written evidence submitted to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, the group of more than 170 broadcasters and producers said it had “no confidence” in the pay audit of on-air talent which is set to be published by the BBC today.

The audit follows that of rank and file staff at the corporation last year which revealed a 9 per cent gender pay gap favouring men.

It followed the publication of a list of BBC on-air talent earning more than £150,000 last summer which put the spotlight on equal pay concerns. Of those listed, one third were women and of the 96 named, ten were from black or minority backgrounds.

BBC Women said the pay reviews do not address the issue of equal pay.

“The illegality does not arise from men earning more because they do more of the jobs which pay more – which is the gender pay gap – it arises because some men are earning more in the same jobs or jobs of equal value,” the group said.

Evidence was submitted tot the DCMS Committee ahead of members questioning director general Tony Hall and China editor Carrie Gracie on Wednesday.

Gracie resigned from her role after finding out she was paid less than other international editors who were male and described pay culture at the BBC as “secretive and illegal”.

Among submissions from individual BBC women was one from an experienced national radio broadcaster who said that when being offered a contract to present a “flagship arts programme” she found out that she would be paid half the salary of the existing male presenter.

She said: “When I asked for pay gap to be corrected the line manager told me ‘the BBC doesn’t do equal pay’, and that in raising the issue I was being ‘aggressive’. I refused to back down and eventually was given the same rate as my male colleague and it was backdated.”

The group also said that while individual BBC managers have been “supportive” there remained a “bunker mentality in some quarters” and that women have experienced “veiled threats made against them when they raised the subject of equal pay”.

The National Union of Journalists has also accused the BBC of a “lack of transparency” over pay and claims its members have been “deliberately misled” by management over their salary levels.

It in written evidence to MPs: “Worse than the routine secrecy over pay, is the fact that many NUJ members were deliberately misled by BBC management over their salary levels, in some cases despite explicitly querying whether they were being paid equally to male comparators.

“In numerous cases, women were given assurances that their earnings were on a level pegging with men doing work of equal value, colleagues carrying out a commensurate role or even presenters they were sharing the same sofa with.”

Damian Collins MP, chair of the DCMS Committee, said: “It is clear that the BBC still has a big problem in terms of gender pay.

“Whilst a few big names on high salaries have been the focus of media attention in recent weeks, we are concerned to see evidence suggesting a much deeper cultural problem that exists.”

Six top-earning male BBC journalists last week agreed to have their pay cut as part of a move towards equal pay.

Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine, News at Ten anchor Huw Edwards, Today presenters John Humphrys and Nick Robinson, North America editor Jon Sopel and Radio Five Live presenter Nicky Campbell have all agreed to a salary reduction.

Vine is the highest-paid BBC journalist, earning up to £749,999 a year.

A BBC spokesperson said the corporation was looking forward to an “informed debate” at the select committee hearing that is “based on all the facts”.

“The BBC is committed to equal pay, and we don’t accept the assertion we have not been complying with the Equality Act, nor do we offer inferior contracts based on someone’s gender or race,” they said.

“We employ people in a wide variety of different ways, from fully employed to freelancer, often to suit the individual, and different types of contracts come with different benefits.

“We want to help women progress in their career and have set out ambitious targets to close the gender pay gap, as well as for half of roles on air and in senior management to be filled by women. We’ve also set out action to achieve them.

“We have already set out how we plan to deliver real pay transparency for our staff, and today we’ll publish proposals to significantly change how we manage on-air pay so we have a clear, transparent and fair system for the future.”

Picture: Reuters/Neil Hall


BBC proposes capping news presenter salaries at £320,000, report claims

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The BBC is understood to be proposing a pay cap of £320,000 for its news presenters in response to the outcry gender pay equality.

BBC News reports that the proposed upper limit on pay has not been “fully signed off” yet but is likely to only apply to full-time, on-air staff, including correspondents, presenters and editors.

The move comes ahead of a pay review of on-air talent at the BBC, expected to be published today.

A group of more than 170 female producers and presenters at the corporation have submitted written evidence to the department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee telling MPs they had faced “veiled threats” while trying to raise the subject of equal pay.

The National Union of Journalists has also accused the BBC of a “lack of transparency” over pay and claims its members have been “deliberately misled” by management over their salary levels.

The BBC Women group said it believes the corporation has, over many years, “failed to pay men and women equally for equal work” in breach of equality legislation.

The issue of equal pay first arose after the BBC was forced to publish a list of its highest earning on-air talent. An independent pay audit later revealed a 9 per cent gender pay gap among rank and file staff.

BBC China editor Carrie Gracie resigned from her role earlier this month after finding out she was paid less than other international editors who were male and described pay culture at the BBC as “secretive and illegal”.

Gracie and BBC Director General Lord Hall will face questions from the DCMS Committee, chaired by Damian Collins MP, on Wednesday.

A BBC spokesperson said it corporation was “not getting into debates at the moment on pay band levels”.

They added: “The BBC is committed to equal pay, and we don’t accept the assertion we have not been complying with the Equality Act, nor do we offer inferior contracts based on someone’s gender or race.”

Picture: Shutterstock

BBC pay review for on-air talent finds 'no evidence of gender bias' in salary decisions

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A review of pay for on-air talent at the BBC has found “no evidence of gender bias in pay decision-making” as the corporation has set out “big, bold commitments” towards equal pay.

The independent audit of 800 BBC presenters, on-air editors and correspondents working across TV and radio has identified a “number of issues” in relation to pay in its findings.

The report, carried out by financial services giant PWC and published today, found an overall median gender pay gap of 6.8 per cent (4.3 per cent mean pay gap).

It noted issues around pay including a “lack of clarity and openness about the basis for pay decisions” owing to the lack of pay ranges for on-air roles, with pay decisions often made locally.

The report said that the BBC has a “set of pay arrangements” for its on-air talent which “lack a consistent evaluation and governance framework”.

“This is not uncommon for a highly skilled and diverse group of this type,” it said, “but it falls below the high standards that the BBC sets for itself and which the licence fee paying public expect.

“As a result of this lack of consistent framework, the BBC’s approach to pay for this group has historically lacked rigour and this has resulted in anomalies for both men and women.

“We believe the BBC should act quickly to correct these. This is likely to involve reducing the pay of some and increasing the pay of others. In terms of gender equality, we have performed detailed analysis and a thorough equal pay sampling exercise.

“Our analysis has shown that, where pay differences have been identified amongst employees in similar roles, these are typically driven by material and justifiable factors unrelated to gender.

“Examples that we have seen include level of experience, skills and market influences.

“Not everyone is paid the same, and in some cases men and women in comparable roles are paid differently. While there are some differences to address, we have not seen anything in our work which leads us to believe this is as a result of gender bias in the setting of pay.”

As part of reforms to pay structure, the BBC has said it plans to tackle five key areas.

It will make “substantial pay cuts” to salaries for some men as well as increases for some male and female presenters.

A group of six prominent male journalists in the BBC have already agreed to salary reductions including the highest-paid presenter Jeremy Vine, who earns up to £749,999 a year.

The BBC has also proposed a new on-air framework to determine pay for on-air talent, which it says will provide an “equal, fair and transparent structure for the future”.

Said a spokesperson: “We will have narrower pay bands because they have become too wide, cut the number of contracts and allowances to be simpler and fairer and have clear criteria for how pay reflects skills, experience and audience impact.”

The corporation has also pledged “greater pay transparency” – with the aim of being “the most transparent organisation when it comes to pay” – and a review of career progression and working practices for women.

It has also said it will pick up the pace on achieving 50/50 representation of men and women across the BBC by 2020 (when director general Tony Hall has pledged to close the gender pay gap) with changes to on-air line-ups being made at a “faster rate” throughout the year.

In a statement, Lord Hall has said that the BBC “believes in equality”, adding: “No-one should be paid differently because of their gender.”

He said: “The BBC has a special role representing Britain. That is why we need to be and want to be an exemplar on gender pay, and equal pay.

“Today’s report does not find evidence of gender bias in decision-making, but it shows that we have real and important issues to tackle, particularly in some areas of news and current affairs, and I’m determined to get it right.

“The plans we’re setting out today go further and are more important steps in modernising the BBC and making it fairer.

“We’ve already made an important start. We’re addressing unfairness in individuals’ pay and want to close the gender pay gap and have women in half of our on-air roles by 2020. Those are big, bold commitments I’m really serious about.”

“We are clear we’re going to tackle this and change for the better, and I hope other organisations take the same approach. The BBC can and must lead the way. I am determined that we will.”

Today’s on-air pay review follows a review of equal pay for rank and file staff at the corporation, which revealed a 9.3 per cent median gender pay gap.

Concerns over equal pay were brought under the spotlight after the BBC was forced to publish the salaries of its top-earning on-air talent last summer.

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said: “This report acknowledges that there has been a serious lack of oversight when it comes to pay of on-air talent at the BBC, with unchecked managerial discretion that the NUJ believes has been a significant factor in allowing a discriminatory pay culture to flourish.

“The PWC report does not reflect the reality of the many NUJ members who are currently taking equal pay complaints at the BBC, and who the union will be supporting through legal action if sensible and fair resolutions are not reached.

“Its claim that there is no evidence of gender bias in pay decision making flies in the face of reality our members say they are experiencing. Unless the BBC stops denying there is a problem, our members will not be convinced it intends to fix it.

“Having a transparent structure with clear job rates is vital to ensure that unequal pay is eradicated at our public service broadcaster.

“Right now, however, rebuilding trust amongst women who feel rightly angered and betrayed at their treatment is the BBC’s key challenge – that means taking responsibility and committing to righting past wrongs, and having pragmatic discussions about how to remedy the historic losses women have accrued.”

Picture: Reuters/Neil Hall

BBC Women say on-air pay review lacked 'transparency' and only mentions 'equal pay' once

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A group of more than 100 BBC women has accused the corporation of a lack of transparency over an audit of on-air talent published today.

The pay review, carried out by PWC, found a 6.9 per cent gender pay gap among on-air staff, but said there was “no evidence of gender bias in pay decision-making”.

The list of staff only includes salaries which are funded by the licence fee and does not include staff contracts with outsourced production companies.

BBC Women, which is made up of 170 broadcasters and presenters, said in a statement: “[The review] has been focused on news and news-related areas, therefore excluding some high earners. There has been no transparency on which individuals were included, or why.

“The BBC has chosen who to compare with whom and what factors justify any gaps in pay. The only mention of equal pay in the letter of engagement with PWC refers to an ‘assessment of equal pay risks’.”

The BBC has said in response to the report that it will be implementing a five-point plan “to help create a fairer and more equal BBC”.

Measures include making “substantial pay cuts” to salaries for some men and creating a new on-air pay framework.

BBC Women said it hoped the commitment from BBC director general Tony Hall (pictured) “to put equality at the heart of what the BBC stands for”  would bring about “swift and meaningful change for women in all roles”.

Carrie Gracie, who resigned from her post as China editor earlier this month over equal pay, and Lord Hall will face questions from the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on Wednesday.

In evidence submitted to the committee ahead of the hearing, BBC Women  said there was a“bunker mentality” when it came to equal pay and that women had received “veiled threats” when raising the subject.

The group said: “We believe the BBC can put these matters right by admitting the problem, apologising and setting in place an equal, fair and transparent pay structure.

“The BBC should avoid wasting licence fee money on an unwinnable court fight against their female workers over equal pay and immediately agree to independent arbitration to settle individual cases, including back pay and pension adjustments.

“Above all the pay structure at the BBC – for all women and men – should in future be set at a realistic level for a public service broadcaster and made transparent for all staff and freelancers as well as management.”

The BBC is als ounderstood to be proposing a pay cap of £320,000 for its news presenters in response to the outcry over gender pay equality.

Picture: BBC

Tony Hall confirms consultation on news presenter salary cap but says BBC has not acted illegally on pay

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BBC director general Tony Hall has said he does not believe the BBC has acted illegally around pay and has urged staff to bring forward issues of pay inequality.

The corporation boss told Channel 4 News: “I don’t believe there has been illegality in the BBC to the point where someone said: ‘You’re a woman therefore you’re going to be paid less’.”

Lord Hall’s comments yesterday came on the day the BBC published an audit of on-air talent, revealing a 6.3 per cent gender pay gap but finding “no evidence of gender bias” in decisions around pay.

Lord Hall said: “What is absolutely unacceptable in any workplace, is for someone to say ‘the BBC doesn’t do equality or go away you’re a woman’ that is just not right and that is not the workplace that I want and that is not a workplace that I think woman should want either.

“That’s what I want to change and this is a cultural change in all sorts of ways.

“I have said very clearly that where people think there are issues of inequality or pay unfairness, it could be one or the other, they must bring them to us now.”

Hall also confirmed the BBC would be putting out a consultation on a proposed upper salary limit for news presenters’ of £320,000.

The issue of presenter pay has been under scrutiny since the salaries of the BBC’s top-earning on-air talent were published last summer following a government edict.

Only 12 of the 42 journalists listed were women. Radio Two’s Jeremy Vine was the highest-paid presenter on up to £749,999 a year, with the Today programme’s John Humphrys behind him on up to £649,999 a year. Fiona Bruce, the highest-paid woman journalist, earned up to £399,999 a year.

Both Vine and Humphrys, along with four other high-profile names in the BBC, have since agreed to a salary reduction.

Said Lord Hall: “Presenters are the link between our audiences and ourselves, and a lot of presenters and a lot of editors I know too, work their socks off, they work very, very hard indeed and we need to reflect that in pay.

“What we’re saying today is, in some cases in news, we’ve been paying people too much, because actually the market in news is not the same market that there is in entertainment or drama.

“So for a few people they are going to be more highly paid, we’re conscious of the fact, I’m always conscious of the fact we’re spending licence fee payers money, but I think that connection we have with our audience is worth every penny.”

While not stopping short of issuing an overall apology to BBC staff over the issue of pay equality, Lord Hall told Channel 4 News: “If there are women, and we’ve had over 90 cases already where people have said we’ve had to have pay adjustments, I’m sorry they’ve had to go through all that process to do that. Some of them as it happens are men and I’m sorry to them too.

“I’m responsible for this organisation and, as one human being to another, that should not happen.”

Lord Hall is set to appear before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee this afternoon on the issue of pay at the BBC.

BBC journalist Carrie Gracie, who resigned as China editor earlier this month after finding out that she was paid less than other international editors who were male, will also provide evidence.

Picture: Channel 4 News

Carrie Gracie: BBC has 'belittled' women for decades because it won't admit to 'equal pay problem'

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An emotional but defiant Carrie Gracie told MPs today that the BBC’s unwillingness to acknowledge its “equal pay problem” has forced it to “belittle” contributions by women for decades.

Giving evidence to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, the BBC’s former China editor – who resigned this month over equal pay – took aim at BBC management.

She said she had settled her pay grievance with the BBC last week and had been told that its failure to pay her in line with other male international editors since April 2017 had been “inadvertent”.

She said she was offered back pay of close to £100,000 covering her four years as China editor since 2013, but was also told she had been considered “in development” for her first three years as explanation for her low pay.

“It is an insult to add to the original injury,” Gracie told MPs.

“It is unacceptable to talk to your senior women like that. I would never [have gone] to China on those terms. I asked for equal terms from the very beginning.”

Gracie, who was paid £135,000 a year as China editor, added: “There are significant risks in our China coverage and I dealt with them, I did a good job.”

She said management notes from her grievance hearing with the BBC were an “absolutely disgraceful nine pages of error and spin” that made for her “worst day at the BBC” in her 30-year career.

At several moments during her evidence Gracie appeared visibly emotional and at times struggled to hold back tears.

Noting at one point that she was “getting emotional” she paused before adding: “The thing is, what I really want to say about this equal pay problem at the BBC is what it forces the BBC to do is to retro-fit defences – justifications of the indefensible.”

She said the BBC could not accept that it had an equal pay problem and would not admit it because it did not want to “confront fiscal liabilities” – namely back pay for those found to have been discriminated against – although Gracie said she did not herself want more money.

She said: “They are trying to throw money at me to resolve the problem, this will not resolve my problem. My problem will be resolved by an acknowledgement that my work was of equal value to the men that I have served alongside as an international editor.”

She added: “An apology would be nice.”

At one point, Gracie held up a stack of paper which she said contained 500 emails from members of the public in support of her work as China editor and her stance on equal pay as well as 300 emails from members of staff also supporting her.

She said: “Someday, it would be nice if the BBC could bring itself to say that women too are good broadcasters and journalists, but because it’s in this terrible position of not being willing to acknowledge an equal pay problem with women it’s effectively forced to belittle our contributions, not just this year, not just last year, but for decades.”

Gracie revealed that she had spent more than 200 days in China last year and refuted claims that she was “part-time” and had done only 100 days in the country.

Gracie, who is in her mid 50s, said she believed she had been underpaid at the BBC since 2000, when she started on the News Channel. Explaining why she never challenged the corporation on equal pay, she said: “We actually trusted the BBC, that’s the problem. And we had no information.”

She added: “Over several years on the News Channel I began to realise there was an issue with equal pay. I didn’t do anything about it – I was a single parent, my daughter had had leukaemia and I had had breast cancer twice.

“Frankly I had enough just getting on with life. I just never argued about money with them but I knew when I want to China I was not prepared for an unequal pay situation to go on.”

The BBC’s on-air talent pay report, which yesterday revealed a 6.3 per cent gender pay gap but found “no evidence of gender bias”, was rubbished by Gracie, who said: “None of this would stand as a piece of BBC journalism.”

National Union of Journalists general secretary Michelle Stanistreet, also giving evidence to MPs, added: “The use of language is making the problem worse. Referring to ‘inadvertent’ errors of underpaying people or talking about there’s no evidence that decisions were taken to discriminate.

“They are weasel words… And actually instead of trying to somehow come up with excuses and make the situation look better, they should just hold their hands up and say yes there’s been a problem…”

Gracie, who is now working in the UK newsroom and has done stints on the Today programme, said that equal pay was set to be a big story this year as firms are forced to reveal their gender pay under new legislation.

But she raised concerns over the BBC’s ability to fairly report on this issue given its current stance in relation to its own staff.

She said: “We aren’t in the business of producing toothpaste or tyres at the BBC. Our business is truth. We can’t operate without the truth. If we aren’t prepares to look at ourselves honestly, how can we be trusted to look at anything else in our reporting honestly?

“It just won’t do. It can’t be a starting place to not deal with the facts. The facts are the facts.”

She added: “The profoundest sense I have of who I am as a BBC journalist is to report the truth as I find it. If they don’t report the truth, how can we?”

Following Gracie’s open resignation letter at the start of the year, some BBC journalists, mostly women, were taken off the air and stopped from presenting the issue if they had taken a public stance on equal pay.

The order was understood to have been made by director of news Fran Unsworth under the BBC’s strict impartiality guidelines and effectively resulted in gagging BBC women from talking about it.

John Humphrys was also caught joking about equal pay with North American editor Jon Sopel while the pair were mic’d up but off-air, which Humprhys dismissed as “banter”.

Gracie said: “It isn’t worthy, any of this, of the BBC. To me what it says is we aren’t secure in the foundations of what we are saying and therefore because our foundations are not securely in truth, accountability and transparency we aren’t living our real values.”

She added: “It makes me angry, it makes me disappointed, it makes me desperately anxious about the future of the BBC. If we aren’t truth-tellers who are we? We are no better than the next news source.

“The BBC lives or dies by its reputation for telling for telling the truth without fear or favour. That is what we do every day and that is what our bosses should do.”

Stanistreet said the BBC’s report on on-air talent salaries published yesterday “did not reflect reality”.

She added: “The reality is that many layers of management did know there was a problem. Many women have said there’s a problem and it hasn’t been sorted out, so this doesn’ t back up an assertion that there’s ‘no evidence of gender bias’.”

Gracie said the current BBC position on equal pay was “unsustainable”, adding: “It isn’t who we are. That can’t stand. That will go down to all kinds of defeats. The first defeat is that many women will leave. Many women have already left. Many women are leaving now.”

She warned that the BBC was “stumbling towards a Greek tragedy” in its handling of the growing crisis over equal pay. “They need to stop now, pull up and trust the staff to handle this responsibly,” she added.

Asked what should be done to rebuild the BBC while preserving its reputation, Gracie answered: “If we can just realign ourselves around the truth, I think – I’m guessing – the reason the BBC is finding it so hard to acknowledge the equality problem they have is because of the fiscal risk.

“But I think they will find that the more they commit to building a better future, the more people will be able to forgive some aspects of the past and the fiscal risk will diminish if they build that better future.

“What I would like to see is – I think it’s very important to acknowledge that trust is broken between a lot of the women involved and management. It’s just broken and I don’t think it’s very easy to repair that without outside help and we don’t want that outside help to be an employment tribunal…

“The damage to the BBC would be so intense if this ends up at tribunal. I would hope that they will work with us, work with women, work with Michelle [Stanistreet] through the NUJ to appoint an independent arbitration of some form that everyone can trust to deal with individual cases as swiftly as possible.”

She added: “Management can’t sort this out. I honestly think trust the staff, we are responsible people. We are incredibly loyal to the organisation. Some people will insist on enforcing their rights to back pay, but some like me won’t. People are in a different place on it.

“I think it’s important to trust staff to move to a better place as fast as possible so that the risk to the BBC is diminished. I think they are walking towards their worst outcome now by everything they do and they need to stop and they need to let us help them out.”

Taking aim at BBC director general Tony Hall, Gracie said she had spoken to him before to ask for “transparency and a proper response to equal pay” and said she had thought it “unacceptable” that he had complained about making the on-air talent salary disclosures last summer.

“Without them I and many women up and down the BBC would have gone to our graves ignorant of our personal pay gap,” she said.

“Many women still are ignorant of their personal pay gap unless he provides them with transparency. I want full transparency. I told him you have to show courage, you have to show leadership on this issue, you have to be brave.

“We are still waiting for courage and we must have it.”

Lord Hall, who followed Gracie in today’s hearing, praised her as an “absolutely first rate editor” who has “done first rate work for the BBC” while she sat with the public behind him.

He added: “I admire the stand she has taken on this. It takes courage to speak out against the corporation that she says she loves a great deal.”

Lord Hall said he felt “very strongly” about wanting to “fix” equality at the BBC, “particularly  with women” and repeated the corporation’s aim to have 50/50 men and women on-air by 2020 “or earlier” across the board.

He said: “I profoundly believe the BBC needs to demonstrate – under the law – that we are paying equally.

“Where I think Carrie and I would disagree is that I think there is a hierarchy within a [pay] band which has been far too big… there needs to be a range in there.

“We will not discriminate on gender between anybody to do with whatever they are going to do, but there are differences in the work, the amount of work, the nature of the work between, say, North America and China.

“The range between those two has been too big, I agree completely and I’m sorry about that, but actually there is a difference in the scope and the scale of those two jobs.”

He said the BBC had been failed to be clear in the past about what on-air talent are paid and why, adding this “has to be absolutely transparent”.

“The bands are too big and we need to be upfront with people about why they sit where they do,” he said.

Along with the on-air pay review, published yesterday, the BBC announced a five-point plan “to help create a fairer and more equal BBC” which included salary cuts for some men and a new framework for on-air salaries.

He told MPs today: “The reforms we are bringing about… are about saying actually we have devolved too much to programme editors or other bosses around the BBC and we need to have an overall view of pay and equality of pay and fairness of pay right across the piece.”

Picture: Parliament TV

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