THE BBC: How the BBC puts its Diversity and Inclusion Commitments into action

The BBC has a wide range of internal and external initiatives, including the Extend in News Programme and the Journalism Trainee Graduate Scheme, to provide training/apprenticeships and development to increase diversity and inclusion within the corporation.

The BBC’s diversity and inclusion strategy centres around its Diversity and Inclusion Commitments, launched in 2020.

Making BBC News more inclusive

In 2020, BBC News launched the Diversity and Inclusion Commitments. The commitments are the next step in creating structural and behavioural change that lasts and has clear accountability. The commitments help to create a culture inclusive of all; increase gender, ethnicity, socio-economic, disability and LGBTQ+ diversity; and help deliver on the BBC’s new 50:20:12 diversity targets.

The BBC News Next Generation Panel breaks down hierarchies, invests in younger talent and bridges the divide between younger colleagues and senior management. The panel is made up of a group of diverse younger voices that reverse mentor the BBC News Board, which has created an open and consistent dialogue between the two generations. BBC News also launched the BBC News Next Generation Editorial Group who input into significant editorial decisions including commissioning.

The BBC News Development Team is a place where colleagues come to have honest conversations, improve the culture and often get support on how to navigate situations or career moments. It has provided opportunities for personal and professional growth for all staff. BBC News launched Career Development Workshops and a Career Development Forum in 2020 to give colleagues resources and advice on how to navigate their careers. BBC News has also created a Development Speaker Series to give colleagues across the BBC the opportunity to hear new and fresh perspectives from a range of high-profile leaders and opinion formers. The aim of these talks has been to encourage colleagues to be aware of what is happening outside of the organisation; encouraging a growth mind-set and sharing the latest thinking on leadership and culture.

‘We need to be relevant and show people that the BBC is for them. Unless you reshape at the heart, you won’t give people what they want. And, simply, it is just the right thing to do.’

Tim Davie, director-general, BBC

BBC Extend in News Programme

The BBC Extend in News Programme improves disability representation and stories across BBC News & Current Affairs teams. To date the programme has recruited and developed 32 talented disabled journalists and production staff across the UK, while separately offering 15 development attachments for existing BBC staff and running leadership coaching. The journalists and production staff are fully integrated into BBC News teams, given full support, reasonable adjustments, mentoring and development training. In 2020, all Extend in News staff were offered BBC continuing permanent contracts, cementing the firm commitment towards disability representation in BBC News.

2020/2021 editorial highlights:

Senior journalist Sean Dilley became the first ever blind Panorama presenter, delivering a hard-hitting report investigating the system for supporting young people with special educational needs: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000mfns.

Journalist Lucy Webster investigated why so many disabled people have died from Covid:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53221435

Investing in younger on-air talent

BBC News plans to further invest in younger talent to diversify the talent pipeline. The organisation has had breakthrough reporting from younger journalists who have joined the BBC via its entry-level programmes, including:

BBC Young Reporter competition 

The BBC Young Reporter Competition allows young people to submit their ideas for original and interesting stories that have not been told before and that they think the BBC should be telling. BBC News is committed to making this a reality for the winning entries, with young people working with journalists and producers to create a report for broadcast. This is a unique opportunity for an underserved and often unheard age group to get their stories commissioned for a BBC programme or platform.

Stories have been commissioned and broadcast across BBC programmes and platforms including: The One Show, BBC Breakfast, Newsround, Newsbeat, 5 Live and BBC Three. There are winners in each of the nations and regions too, and these stories have been broadcast on TV, radio and/or online across the UK. Judges include editors from across the BBC as well as Huw Edwards, Laura Kuenssberg, and Nikki Fox from BBC News, Radio 1’s Greg James and Katie Thistleton, The One Show’s Alex Jones, BBC Newsbeat’s Roisin Hastie and Ben Mundy, Newsround’s Ricky Boleto, BBC Three’s Ellie Flynn and Louis Theroux.

The 2020 winners: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-56349786

Find out more:

For more information go to:
www.bbc.co.uk/diversity/

Or contact katie.lloyd@bbc.co.uk