Having been at work today I appear to have quite a bit of fun over the report from auditors PwC into BBC pay, which found "no evidence of gender bias" and, hilariously, actually found a 23% pay gap in favour of women among senior BBC correspondents - i.e. the Carrie Gracies of this world!
Adding to the entertainment, poor Jane Garvey of Woman's Hour said, "The report would say that, wouldn't it? This is a PwC report commissioned by the BBC and, without being overly cynical, I might venture to suggest that the PwC has delivered the report the BBC has asked for". Many might say the same about the BBC's landmark impartiality reviews over the years!
And Guido Fawkes picked up on an amusing slip this morning, tweeting "On Radio 4 Today discussing pay Mishal Husain asked if as a public service broadcaster the BBC had a duty to protect “the taxpayers”. Officially it is a “licence fee”. In reality...". Quite!
We shall overcome...we shall overemote...we shall overdo it every day-ay-ay-ay-ay... it's not exactly Selma, Alabama 1957 or Soweto 1980 is it?
ReplyDeleteThe object lesson here is that the BBC has managers coming out of its ears: managers for Equality, managers for Women, managers for Remuneration, managers for managers, managers for the regions, managers for news and managers for current affairs...I could go on...
ReplyDeletePoint is, they have all these managers, plus they have a virtual monopoly, certainly a dominant position, within the UK media world...and yet they can't even put in place a rational pay and remuneration system for their staff. It's the sort of thing an intelligent sixth former could work out how to do. But no, they let anarchy reign and end up paying mediocre broadcasters like John Humphries and Stephen Nolan hundreds of thousands of pounds.
It's a scandal. If we had a half decent government they would use this as the excuse to have a review into root and branch reform of the BBC.
Always love the BBC as people referring to each other as people or entities within the BBC who BBC people want nothing to do with at times.
ReplyDeleteMainly it s to build in degrees of separation, deniability and cracks between departments into which accountability can get easily lost.
Like the complaints system, only without the integrity, smooth navigation and cheery demeanour.