Channel 4 News told to stop ‘silencing women’

FEMALE TV presenters have attacked Channel 4 News for ‘silencing’ women working on the show with controversial gagging orders. Bosses on the flagship programme have been criticised for asking employees to sign confidentiality agreements in equal pay, discrimination and victimisation cases.

Earlier this month, an online petition called for women bound by the agreements to be ‘released’. Now an open letter signed by 30 campaigners, including the BBC’s Carrie Gracie and Samira Ahmed, is set to increase pressure on programme chiefs. It said: ‘Gagging orders are the opposite of journalism. Journalism uncovers the truth, gagging orders hide it.’

ITN, which produces Channel 4 News, released a statement saying: ‘The settlement agreements used by ITN for employment matters are standard across many industries and include a whistleblowing clause enabling any individual to speak out about wrongdoing.’