A top BBC senior international journalist quit her job as China editor, protesting BBC’s “secretive and illegal pay structure.”
Carrie Gracie wrote an open letter to BBC viewers saying that BBC “is breaking equality law and resisting pressure for a fair and transparent pay structure.” She also stated that she would take her previous job at BBC’s TV newsroom “where I expect to be paid equally.”
Gracie isn’t the only one that is upset over the unequal pay at BBC. Around 200 female journalists agree with her on the issue and are demanding better pay.
The British public broadcaster published a report stating that there is a huge gender pay gap and that just about a third of its higher executives, managers and media stars are women. Although, the BBC countered by saying that it had an “independent judge led audit of pay for rank and file staff which showed ‘no systematic discrimination against women’.”
Regardless of BBC’s statement, multiple male and female journalists of BBC and other news organizations completely supported Gracie in her choice. Their encouragement even extended into Twitter with the hashtag trend #IStandWithCarrie.
Gracie was taken aback by the amount of support and commented that it was “very moving” on BBC Radio. She added that “the support that I’ve had in the last few hours, I think does speak to the depth, to the hunger for an equal and fair and transparent pay system.”
In response to the revealed unfair pay gap in BBC last year, Gracie showed that the four international editors were not paid the same by saying that the male editors “earned at least 50% more” than the female editors.
The organization offered Gracie a pay raise, but she said that it “remained far short of equality.”
BBC continued to comment on the subject by explaining, “Fairness in pay is vital. A significant number of organizations have now published their gender pay figures showing that we are performing considerably better than many.”
Despite its “reassurances,” it hasn’t been enough for many female journalists. To Gracie, she established her ground by quitting and expected equal pay to show BBC that it’s unacceptable and unnecessary.
Statement from #bbcwomen in support of @BBCCarrie #EqualPay #IStandWithCarrie pic.twitter.com/tueh1aCW8W
— Sarah Montague (@Sarah_Montague) January 8, 2018
Photo courtesy of NBC News
