THE BBC’s new director-general has written to his staff to deny and clarify regulations which reportedly ban those working at the corporation from attending LGBT marches.
It was widely reported yesterday evening that the corporation’s rules on “impartiality” meant that staff working in their news and journalism sectors would have to stay away from “controversial” marches and campaigns.
This ban apparently extended to cover things such as Black Lives Matter events and LGBT pride marches.
The i newspaper, which broke the story, reported that there was pressure to extend the ban to pride events over concerns the BBC could be seen to take a side in the debate around transgender rights.
It also reported that a BBC employee in current affairs was told they may face suspension or a formal warning if they attended LGBT protests.
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Today, Tim Davie, the corporation’s director-general, has denied there is a ban on attending “Pride parades”, but noticeably avoided the term LGBT.
Davie wrote that there would be no issue with staff attending “community events that are clearly celebratory or commemorative and do not compromise perceptions of their impartiality”.
However, it goes on to say that staff who do attend such community events “must be mindful of ensuring that they do not get involved in matters which could be deemed political or controversial”.
The letter does not address the point reported yesterday, that LGBT events may be deemed controversial due to the inclusion of the T and the debate around trans rights.
You can read the full letter from Davie to all BBC staff below:
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Dear all,
Thank you for your support in rolling out the editorial guidance on impartiality yesterday. This new guidance, and the rules around social media activity, are significant steps in renewing our commitment to impartiality and securing the trust our audience have in us.
There is one specific issue where I want to make sure that there is no room for misinterpretation, following inaccurate commentary and some feedback from staff – which is the ability to participate in Pride parades. There is no ban on attending Pride parades.
The guidance that we published yesterday made it very clear that staff outside of news and current affairs and factual journalism may attend marches, demonstrations and protests as private individuals. I have copied below the relevant extract of the guidance for reference.
There are different considerations for staff who work in news and current affairs and factual journalism (and senior leaders) but I want to be clear that there is no issue for these staff attending community events that are clearly celebratory or commemorative and do not compromise perceptions of their impartiality.
If news and current affairs staff are participating in such events they must be mindful of ensuring that they do not get involved in matters which could be deemed political or controversial. There is no ban on these staff attending Pride events. Attending Pride parades is possible within the guidelines, but due care needs to be given to the guidance and staff need to ensure that they are not seen to be taking a stand on politicised or contested issues.
Protecting the BBC’s impartiality is core to everything we do. We must ensure that we avoid doing anything that endangers audience perceptions of the BBC’s impartiality and to protect the ability of staff in news and current affairs to report fairly and impartially.
Do drop me a line if you have any questions about this, or speak to your manager.
Best wishes, Tim
Tim Davie
Director-General
Guidance: Impartiality
Participating in marches or protests The Editorial Guidelines sections on Impartiality and Conflicts of Interest make it clear that different considerations apply depending on what you do for the BBC, your visibility and your seniority.
Members of staff outside news and current affairs and factual journalism may attend marches, demonstrations and protests as private individuals.
These BBC staff are also able to participate in some parades, marches or gatherings, including events such as trade union rallies, under the banner of the BBC group to which they belong, but not representing the organisation as a whole.
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