Corbyn says BBC should reveal staff social class
THE BBC should declare the social class of all its presenters and journalists in an effort to improve its diversity, Jeremy Corbyn is to say today.
The Labour leader believes presenters should have to supply details about their background, including whether they went to private school – and their parents’ occupations and education.
He will say the information should be published to ensure “complete transparency” for “all creators of BBC content”. Speaking at the Alternative Mactaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival, he will say: “The BBC could lead the way by setting best practice with complete transparency on the make-up of its workforce by publishing equality data, including for social class, for all creators of BBC content, whether in-house or external.”
The Government already requires large companies to report their gender pay gap to ensure women are not underrepresented at senior levels. Some firms also ask staff if they went to a fee-paying school. Last month a report from the Institute of Student Employers revealed that companies had begun asking internship applicants if their parents went to university, in an attempt to ensure diversity among recruits.
The BBC already publishes the salary bands of its highest-paid staff. But Conservative MPS think Mr Corbyn’s approach could be used to attack journalists and undermine their credibility.
Tory MP Simon Hart said: “I think there’s a real risk that this ends up fuelling the culture of hatred and envy. I think there can only be one reason why he is doing this, which is to create an atmosphere of resentment and prejudice, presumably to suit his political purposes.”
Mr Corbyn’s supporters are known to have subjected some of the BBC’S main presenters to abuse and threats over perceived bias. Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC’S political editor, had to be accompanied by security guards at Labour’s conference last year.
Damian Collins, chairman of the culture, media and sport select committee, said: “My concern is that this is another step down the road of questioning a journalist’s credibility. Saying ‘you’re only writing that because of your background’… you cast doubt on the quality of their reporting.
“We are seeing politics becoming increasingly divisive. People are being attacked, politicians and journalists, personally in a way they weren’t before. It’s a very strong cultural current in our politics at the moment which is incredibly unhealthy. I’m not sure public disclosure, where they went to school or what their parents did for a living is information people should be compelled to give.”
It comes as ministers published a series of socio-economic questions for staff about their backgrounds intended for use by major companies and the Civil Service. They include an “optional” question which asks whether applicants consider themselves working class. The data will be used in an anonymised form with the aim of improving diversity in the workforce.
Mr Corbyn will also call for a digital licence fee paid for by tech giants to reduce the cost for poorer households and will suggest that Google and other digital news companies should help fund public interest journalism.
The Labour leader also proposes an independent body to set licence fees and “to end government control through charter renewal”.
Facebook has removed fake procorbyn and anti-brexit accounts linked to Iran in a purge of 652 pages falsely posing as news organisations or grassroots activists in Britain. It came after a global cybersecurity firm flagged suspect accounts dating back as far as 2011.