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The broadcaster confirmed last night it will continue to work with a diversity scheme run by LGBT+ charity Stonewall. This is despite other media organisations such as Ofcom, Channel 4, and even some Government departments cutting ties with the organisation. Stonewall’s Diversity Champions scheme was set up in 2001 and promotes diversity in the workplace, such as the use of personal pronouns at work or whether people who identify as transgender should get to use single-sex lavatories.
But Stonewall has also faced controversy after asking public bodies to ban the word “mother” from their maternity policies, by instead replacing it with “birthing parent” or “pregnant employee” as part of the scheme.
Some senior presenters have now shared their concerns that the BBC could risk becoming impartial by following these rules.
One unnamed presenter told The Times: “Some of us are saying, ‘hang on, if we’re all being lectured about impartiality, and quite rightly so, why are we signed up to a scheme that is obviously partial?’”
Media regulator Ofcom said it would no longer work with the Stonewall scheme on Wednesday due to a “risk of perceived bias” and that “our responsibility is to ensure we remain impartial and independent at all times”.
Channel 4 also backed out in June by saying they wanted to focus on other partnerships.
And the Cabinet Office, Government Equalities Office and Ministry of Justice have also cut ties after the charity faced backlash for reportedly issuing incorrect advice about transgender people.
It comes after the BBC issued new guidelines on bias for staff last year to “ensure the highest possible standards of impartiality across the organisation”.
This included staff working in news and current affairs, including Countryfile, The One Show and Woman’s Hour.
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The BBC’s director-general Tim Davie previously warned staff over their use of social media in a bid to crackdown on bias.
He said those wanting to be an “opinionated columnist or a partisan campaigner on social media” should not be working at the BBC.
The guidelines also tell all employees that they must “always behave professionally, treating others with respect and courtesy at all times: follow the BBC’s Values”.
The BBC’s impartiality guidelines also say staff have also been warned to “be wary of ‘revealed bias'”.
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This could be through the use of likes or re-posting other posts, or “inferred bias” where a post is impartial but loose wording allows readers to infer a bias where there is none.
The other rules said: “Don’t bring the BBC into disrepute. If your work requires you to maintain your impartiality, don’t express a personal opinion on matters of public policy, politics, or ‘controversial subjects’.
Meanwhile, the BBC said that Stonewall was simply one of a number of organisations it works with on inclusion.
It said: “The BBC acts independently in all aspects of our operations, from HR policy to editorial guidelines and content. We aim to be industry-leading on workforce inclusion and take advice from a range of external organisations, however, we make the final decision on policies or practices ourselves.”
A spokesperson from Stonewall added they were “proud” of the work they had done with nearly 1,000 organisations with its diversity scheme.
They said: ‘Our work with organisations to create LGBTQ+ inclusive workplaces in no way affects their impartiality.
“Supporting LGBTQ+ people in the workplace should not be political or controversial.
“It is a simple human right that everyone, including LGBTQ+ staff, is free from discrimination at work and we’re proud of the work we’ve done with more than 900 organisations through our Diversity Champions programme. We respect Ofcom’s decision and will continue to work with them.”
A BBC spokesman told Express.co.uk: “The BBC acts independently in all our aspects of our operations, from HR policy to editorial guidelines and content.
“We aim to be industry-leading on workforce inclusion and take advice from a range of external organisations, however, we make the final decision on any BBC policies or practices ourselves.
“We are not a member of Stonewall, we do not take legal advice from Stonewall and we do not subscribe to Stonewall’s campaigning. The charity simply provides advice that we are able to consider.
“As a broadcaster, we have our own values and editorial standards – these are clearly set out and published in our Editorial Guidelines. We are also governed by the Royal Charter and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.”
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