Name: BBC staff told attending LGBT pride protests in any capacity can breach new impartiality rules
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BBC staff told attending LGBT pride protests in any capacity can breach new impartiality rules

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BBC staff who are required to be politically neutral have been told not to attend LGBT pride protests under new impartiality rules announced on Thursday, has learned.David Jordan, the corporation’s director of editorial policy and standards, told a meeting of senior executives on Wednesday that the new rules include not attending “political protests”, such as Black Lives Matter events and LGBT protests. According to sources, 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.Separately, one employee in news and current affairs was informed they could be issued with a formal warning or suspended from their job if they attend LGBT protests. However the BBC told i this is not policy and staff should seek permission before attending events which could be controversial.The guidelines only apply to staff who are expected to be politically neutral, such as in news and current affairs.The new policy is said to have angered some LGBT staff. One source told the change is “obviously to please the Daily Mail and to make the BBC less of a target by rowing back”. The new rules on partiality, issued by director general Tim Davie, tells staff they must avoid “virtue signalling” and hold back from supporting campaigns “no matter how apparently worthy the cause or how much their message appears to be accepted or uncontroversial”.In an internal call to staff on Thursday, Fran Unsworth, director of BBC News, apparently apologised for the term “virtue signalling” but reiterated the implications of following guidance to not be seen as political.Staff were told that attending pride can be acceptable if it is seen as “a celebration”, but in cases where it is a protest, such as with the “trans issue”, as it was described, the rules on impartiality apply.A non-binary staff member later questioned “what you mean by the trans issue”. Management clarified that they hoped their shorthand choice of words had not caused offence.The decision could cause a fallout with some of its highest paid stars. Evan Davis, host of Radio 4’s PM programme and Dragon’s Den, fronts National Student Pride, while BBC News anchor Jane Hill frequently attends LGBT events, such as the British LGBT Awards.In previous years the BBC has had a presence at some of the UK’s largest pride events, including in London and Manchester. Its internal LGBT staff network, BBC Pride, has not Tweeted since July. It is understood the network was not consulted by management on the new rules.A spokesperson for the BBC declined to comment on specific implications of the new rules, but did not deny the policy. They added that guidance states that staff with any doubts about attending events they should seek advice beforehand.The headline of this article was amended to reflect the BBC’s clarification that staff should not be told they will be suspended for breaching the guidelines.

BBC staff who are required to be politically neutral have been told not to attend LGBT pride protests under new impartiality rules announced on Thursday, has learned.David Jordan, the corporation’s director of editorial policy and standards, told a meeting of senior executives on Wednesday that the new rules include not attending “political protests”, such as Black Lives Matter events and LGBT protests. According to sources, 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.Separately, one employee...

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Benjamin Butterworth

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BBC staff told attending LGBT pride protests in any capacity can breach new impartiality rules

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