“BBC Racism - Why external investigation is needed” by Simon Albury

Two years ago, the BBC discovered that BAME employees thought they weren’t being treated fairly and that their ethnicity might be a real barrier to their progression. The BBC announced a twelve month action plan. Now BAME staff are accusing the BBC of racism. 

The BBC has not been able to put its house in order. The problems identified have got worse. The time has come for an external investigation into BBC Racism. The Equality and Human Right Commission is the body to do it.

On Monday 11 June 2018, Tim Davie, now BBC Director General designate, hosted a White City House breakfast meeting with me and the leading diversity campaigner Marcus Ryder, now Chair of the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity. With Davie, came Tom Ilube, the BBC non-executive director with a special interest in diversity. Ilube, an international philanthropist who topped Powerlist 2017, the annual list of the 100 most powerful people of African and African Caribbean heritage in Britain, has written frankly about his own experience of racism. 

I left the breakfast convinced of their commitment to improve the culture, enhance trust and make the BBC a better place for BAME people.

Nine days later Davie published a ground-breaking report. For the first time the BBC recognised the problems it faced on BAME employment. Although the word “racism” was not used, the report admitted: 

·      Some BAME staff have a sense of exclusion and isolation leading to high attrition rates in parts of the organisation.

·      Editors use of “creative freedom” can stifle BAME staff so that their ideas do not flourish. More needs to be done to tackle this to ensure the BBC reflects the public it serves.

·      There is a sense that opportunities are lacking for BAME staff development and progression. Some believe this is the result of favouritism conscious bias, and a lack of understanding of other cultures.

·      An inconsistent approach across the BBC’s policy and procedures, which permits noncompliance – without compliance, action cannot be taken. Action needs to be taken to ensure greater accountability and to tackle perceptions of favouritism.

·      Inconsistent approach to recruitment protocols which result in restricted pockets of excellence.

Davie’s report came with a set of recommendations and he said his aim was to create:

 “a world class organisation with a truly diverse and inclusive culture that allows people to do their best work and thrive.”

Davie failed. Last year I was approached by a group BBC staff who told me of their experiences of racism. Our meeting led me to write a blog “Racial Discrimination – BBC Public Purposes didn’t stop “witless” ethnic cleansing”. 

The blog made me a lightning conductor for some people who experience racism in the BBC. Over the past year and a half, I have heard shocking things that I can’t report because it would put the victims at risk. It became clear that the processes for addressing discrimination, racism, grievances and complaints involve such a differential in power and resource that most complainants can never win - and that even if they win it is often at great mental cost. When the BBC settles a case, the victims remain unsettled.

Last year, on 11 June 2019, I gave oral evidence to the Lords Communications Committee with Sir Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder.[i] In that evidence I explained how the BBC’s mechanisms for addressing racism and discrimination were inadequate. In Supplementary Written evidence,[ii] the BBC responded with a range of measures it had put in place and concluded:

“We recognise we have further to go, and we believe our ambitious range of plans will continue to make a real difference.”

It is clear that, over the past year, the BBC has failed to make a real difference on changing the prevalence of racism and sexism in its culture.

The murder of George Floyd and the rise of Black Lives Matter has meant many BAME people are no longer prepared to remain silent about their experiences of racism. More people are have approached me with their stories.

On 6 June 2020, one woman had decided she could no longer tolerate the working environment in which she found herself and quit the BBC. Her valedictory message to all BBC World News Staff started:

“As a woman of colour I already know what it’s like to live in a world of systemic sexism and racism. Being a freelancer at the BBC brought another layer of discrimination, culminating in the current neglect of freelancers during a global pandemic. I don’t want to continue at the BBC in this undignified capacity; undignified because management has undermined mine and PAYE freelancer's dignity. We feel our concerns over furlough, our livelihoods, our health and financial security, have not mattered”.[iii]

To its credit, the BBC sponsors “BBC Embrace”, a forum for BAME staff, which provided a safe space for employees to discuss their concerns, thoughts and feelings following the killing of George Floyd. Through discussions in that forum BBC executives know that the sentiments in that valedictory message are widely shared among its staff. 

On 12 June 2020, The Guardian reported “BBC women's group calls for action to tackle racism and sexism”.[iv] The issues persist.

Now a samidzat video of a private meeting is being circulated by BBC staff who say: 

"this video should not be necessary but how else will the public learn the truth about racism at this world renowned national treasure." 

As participants may not have given consent what was said cannot be published. Via captions, the video’s producers claim:

·      Almost all Black & Asian staff say they have experienced racism at the BBC

·      Staff say racism at the BBC will not be rooted out until they publicly acknowledge it

·      100s of staff signed a letter listing stories of race discrimination at the BBC

·      BAME staff say the BBC’s flawed recruitment processes make race discrimination easy to practice

Despite the commitment of Tim Davie and Tom Ilube, over the past two years, to making the BBC a better place for BAME people, it appears to have got worse. The BBC has not been able to put its house in order. It now needs an outside agency that BAME staff can trust, to hear their concerns, evaluate them and determine what needs to be done.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission has launched an investigation into suspected past pay discrimination against women at the British Broadcasting Corporation. In July the Campaign for Broadcasting Equality wrote to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission to ask that it now investigates BBC racism as well. 

Simon Albury is Chair of the Campaign for Broadcasting Equality and a former CEO of the Royal Television Society.

End Notes

[i] Lords Communications Committee, Evidence Session No. 14, Tuesday 11 June 2019: https://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/communications-and-digital-committee/public-service-broadcasting-in-the-age-of-video-on-demand/oral/103093.html

[ii] Lord Hall of Birkenhead, Director-General, BBC – further supplementary written evidence (PSB0066), 25 July 2019. Lords Communications Committee: https://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/communications-and-digital-committee/public-service-broadcasting-in-the-age-of-video-on-demand/written/103976.html

[iii] The writer has said "I prefer anonymity in this matter; I want to move on from my toxic BBC experiences, and while I consider the points I made meaningful and worthy of further attention I want to also protect my mental health by staying away from any publicity." The full text of the message is in the Appendix 1.

[iv] “BBC women's group calls for action to tackle racism and sexism”, PA Media, Guardian, 12 June 2020: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jun/12/bbc-womens-group-calls-for-action-to-tackle-racism-and-sexism