Latest news with #CIISA
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gary Lineker Will Depart Sooner Than Planned After Antisemitism Controversy, BBC Confirms
Soccer pundit Gary Lineker will leave the BBC sooner than planned following an antisemitism row, the corporation has confirmed. Last week, Lineker shared a social media post about Zionism containing an illustration of a rat, historically used as an antisemitic insult. The presenter apologized, saying he would never knowingly have shared anything antisemitic. More from Variety BBC Chief Tim Davie Commits to CIISA Standards in Anti-Bullying Push Susan Sarandon, Mike Leigh Among 600+ Signatories of Open Letter Demanding That BBC Air Delayed Gaza Medics Documentary How to Watch the 2025 BAFTA TV Awards Online 'Gary Lineker will leave his presenting role following the conclusion of Match of the Day for the 2024/25 season,' the BBC said in a statement on Monday. 'He will not be part of the BBC's coverage of the 2026 World Cup or next season's FA Cup coverage.' Tim Davie, BBC director-general, said: 'Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made. Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season. Gary has been a defining voice in football coverage for the BBC for over two decades. His passion and knowledge have shaped our sports journalism and earned him the respect of sports fans across the U.K. and beyond. We want to thank him for the contribution he has made.' Lineker added: 'Football [soccer] has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember – both on the pitch and in the studio. I care deeply about the game, and about the work I've done with the BBC over many years. As I've said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic – it goes against everything I stand for. However, I recognize the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.' This isn't Lineker's first controversy. In 2023, the BBC said it had had a 'frank conversation'' with the star after he criticized the government's asylum policy, comparing the language to 'not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.' In response, the BBC determined that he had breached their social media guidelines and Lineker was required to step back from hosting for several days. Earlier this month, Lineker appeared to criticize the new boss of BBC Sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, telling the Telegraph he had 'no television experience,' while urging him not to make changes to 'Match of the Day.' And, in an interview with the BBC's Amol Rajan, Lineker said he sensed the BBC wanted him to leave as he negotiated a new contract last year. Last week, when BBC director-general Tim Davie was asked whether Lineker broke the rules with his post, he replied: 'When it comes to presenters, I just say that the BBC's reputation is held by everyone, and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us. And I think we absolutely need people to be exemplars of the BBC values and follow our social media policy. Simple as that.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC Chief Tim Davie Commits to CIISA Standards in Anti-Bullying Push
BBC director-general Tim Davie has said that the broadcaster will refuse to work with anyone not committed to the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) standards, indicating a zero-tolerance approach to workplace bullying and harassment. Speaking at the Lowry Theatre in Salford on Wednesday, Davie responded to a question from Nazir Afzal, a board member of the creative industries independent safeguarding agency, about trust and workplace standards. More from Variety Susan Sarandon, Mike Leigh Among 600+ Signatories of Open Letter Demanding That BBC Air Delayed Gaza Medics Documentary How to Watch the 2025 BAFTA TV Awards Online Prince Harry Interview Coverage on Radio 4's 'Today' Featured 'Lapse in Usual High Editorial Standards' by Not Challenging 'Establishment Stitch-Up' Claim, BBC Says 'Let me answer just very quickly on the direct point about CIISA,' Davie said. 'Very, very specifically, we will not contract with people unless they're signed up for CIISA standards and protocols. We will not do that anymore, because we cannot be in a position where we're working with people, where those risks are there, end of.' The Q&A was after a speech where Davie said the U.K. must make a series of bold, urgent choices to reverse the erosion of societal trust, and that the BBC stands ready to play a central role in this renewal. Davie elaborated on a deeper cultural issue regarding the abuse of power in the media industry: 'I think there's something more profound isn't there, which I've touched on in my speech, which is trust in those people who have power and how they use it. I mean, one of my old, cliched lines is the acid test of a human being, is, when they get power, how do they deploy it generously and in whose interest?' The BBC chief acknowledged past failures in the industry, noting: 'Frankly, we have had a situation this is, this is long standing and deep which is people don't believe that the people in power are acting in their interests, and the worst case is that means abuse of power in all that means, and I think there are industries, ours has been one where you are also particularly exposed into that dynamic because of that person being creative, or the so called presenter dynamic… and that has led to deep problems, bad people being able to abuse power.' Following the recent publication of an independent workplace culture review, the BBC is implementing immediate reforms. Davie expressed pride in the BBC's progress while acknowledging ongoing challenges: 'We don't think overall, we have a toxic culture. And I think some of those previous problems, you know, I'd be aghast if we were in some of those zones. But we still have the risks and pockets where, if you've got power, you know, are you deploying it flawlessly, and are you bringing out the best of people across the organization?' The CIISA Standards, published in February this year and chaired by Helena Kennedy, establish minimum standards of workplace behavior across the U.K.'s creative industries, focusing on creating safe and inclusive environments free from harassment and bullying. Davie emphasized that organizational culture is an ongoing project: 'Culture doesn't get fixed in a day, and probably it's a lifelong project. But I think we're making a lot of progress, and with CIISA absolutely critical.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC Will Only Work With Talent Who Sign Up To New Anti-Bullying Standards, Director General Reveals
The BBC will only work with top talent who sign up to a new set of anti-bullying standards in film and TV, according to the Director General, as he said the public 'no longer believes the people in power are acting in their interests.' Delivering a set-piece speech in Salford this morning, Tim Davie said drastic action is required as the corporation 'can no longer work with people where there are risks' of abuse. More from Deadline 'Celebrity Traitors UK': BBC Finally Unveils Lineup As Stephen Fry, Nick Mohammed, Paloma Faith & 16 Others Enter The Castle Gary Lineker Criticized Once Again After Re-posting Video Featuring Antisemitic Trope 'Such Brave Girls': Exclusive Images From Returning BBC & Hulu Comedy His proclamation came two weeks after the release of a review that found a small number of individuals' behavior was 'disproportionately' affecting the BBC's culture, morale and reputation. This review was sparked by disgraced news anchor Huw Edwards' guilty plea. The BBC will therefore only contract talent who sign up to the new standards from the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), which were unveiled several months back, Davie said. These standards focus on: 'Safe Working Environments', 'Inclusive Working Environments', 'Open and Accountable Reporting Mechanisms' and 'Responsive Learning Cultures'. Bullying and misconduct at the BBC had been under the microscope following a series of allegations made against top talent and senior figures including the likes of Russell Brand, Gregg Wallace and our own investigation into Breakfast boss Richard Frediani. The BBC is already giving funding to CIISA, which is yet to fully get off the ground, and Davie said its work is 'absolutely critical.' 'The acid test of a human being' Davie said the British public 'no longer believes the people in power are acting in their interests and in the worst cases that means an abuse of power.' 'The acid test of a human being is when they get power how they deploy it,' he added. 'In our industries you are particularly exposed to that dynamic in terms of people being seen as 'creative' or the presenter dynamic being a problem that has led to bad people being able to abuse power.' Davie stressed the corporation has 'made progress' and, 'although we are often weaponized,' he urged people to 'come in and see how we work, see the standards.' Those standards were put to the test yesterday when Match of the Day host Gary Lineker once again landed himself in hot water by re-posting an Instagram video featuring an antisemitic trope, which he then deleted. Questioned on Lineker's behavior today, Davie suggested the top-paid BBC presenter may have broken the corporation's social media rules. 'The BBC's reputation is helped by everyone and when someone makes a mistake it costs us,' he added. 'We need people to be exemplars of BBC values and to follow our social media policy. It's as simple as that.' Preserving British IP Meanwhile during the lengthy set-piece, Davie urged 'increased incentives' for UK TV production including tax credits to help resolve the funding crisis and 'preserve' intellectual property. The funding crisis has hit scripted TV especially this year due to the collapse of the American co-pro market but Davie went beyond scripted and said 'at-risk genres' need to be helped via government intervention, 'as well as incentivising public service media objectives like [shows made] out of London, telling local stories and preserving IP in the UK.' An improved high-end TV tax credit was recommended by a recent Culture, Media & Sport Committee report in order to help get more shows off the ground. Elsewhere, the BBC will work more closely with digital and social media creators, Davie said, as he promised to open up commercial arm BBC Studios to up-and-coming stars. 'We plan to open the doors of our studios to social media creators to be able to develop new work and know we have their best interests at heart,' he added. 'We want to champion work from bedroom to [Glastonbury's] Pyramid Stage.' With social in mind, the DG discussed wanting to 'go further against the culture wars' by 'dramatically increasing' BBC News' presence on YouTube and TikTok, 'to ensure we have a stronger position amid the noise.' While noting 'there is an obvious tension' between how much of its news the 100-year-old broadcaster should put on YouTube and TikTok, he said the answer is to 'incentivize people to say, 'There is more [of this] on [BBC] services'.' 'That prize of building BBC accounts and relationships is absolutely the main prize for us,' he added. Davie used his speech to inject plenty blue sky thinking into the future of TV. He called for a national plan for a switchover to internet-only TV in the next decade – an idea that he first floated in a set piece two and a half years back – and proposed a new streaming service with Freely aimed at helping audiences currently underserved by the digital revolution. Plans for the new streaming device are nascent, he told the Q&A session after the speech.'We want to draw on the full creative potential of every corner of the UK', and ensure that 'whoever you are and wherever you live, you have the chance to build your career in the UK with the BBC and others,' he said. Davie reaffirmed a commitment to working with the world's biggest tech companies on AI, as he posited 'the majority of BBC staff are using' the tech and it has become a big part of the process of 'getting content from camera to screen, mic to headphone.' 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Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC Bullying Review Finds 'No Evidence Of Toxic Culture' But Says Behavior Of Small Number Of Individuals 'Disproportionately' Affects Reputation & Morale
A small number of individuals' behavior 'disproportionately' affects the BBC's culture, morale and reputation, a long-awaited BBC review has found, but it denied the corporation has a culture of toxicity. The Workplace Culture Review said there are a few employees who 'behave unacceptably and their behaviour has not always been addressed' while creating 'large ripples.' 'Many presenters we spoke to are embarrassed and ashamed to be associated with people who feature in the press for their behavioural misdemeanours,' it said. 'Several said they'd welcome the BBC being clear about behavioural expectations.' More from Deadline UK Presenter Gregg Wallace "Considered Suicide, Following Tidal Wave Of Abuse" After Behavior Complaints BBC Employees Keep Jobs After Sexually Harassing Colleagues Leaked Emails Show BBC Chiefs' Concern Over Confidence In Bullying, Harassment & Whistleblowing Procedures From today, the BBC said it will launch a new code of conduct with specific guidance for on-air presenters, implement a more robust Disciplinary Policy with updated examples of misconduct and clear consequences and require all TV producers to meet industry standards set out by new, independent anti-bullying body CIISA. It outlined a number of other recommendations including a reset of behavioural expectations, a 'call it out' culture to be promoted and the use of 'real-time culture data' including, intriguingly, the development of a 'dashboard to monitor cultural indicators.' The review from Change Associates examined toxicity more broadly following a string of scandals but concluded there was 'no evidence of a toxic culture,' which will be of relief to BBC top brass. 'The BBC does not have a toxic culture' was highlighted in bold on the first page of the report. Director General Tim Davie, who has previously called for a 'zero tolerance' approach to wrongdoing, said the review's publication 'represents an important moment for the BBC and the wider industry.' He added: 'The action we are taking today is designed to change the experience of what it is to be at the BBC for everyone and to ensure the values we all sign up to when we arrive here – the values that, for most of us, are what made us want to come to the BBC in the first place – are lived and championed by the whole organisation each and every day.' The 62-page review has been in the works for months and engaged with a colossal 2,500 BBC employees and freelancers across the UK including 20 production companies that make shows for the BBC. 'We heard about a minority of people who behave unacceptably and whose behaviour is not addressed and impacts employees and freelancers,' said the findings. 'These people work in both on and off-air roles, dotted across the organisation in different functions and departments. They are often in positions where power could be abused. Even though they are small in number, their behaviour creates large ripples which negatively impact the BBC's culture and external reputation.' The review also said the BBC has 'demonstrated it can act more decisively than in the past' in cases 'where there is abuse of power with clear evidence.' But it added that staff need to know today's review will lead to practical actions and therefore set out its six recommendations, one of which includes better succession planning for on-air roles and the creation of more transparent opportunities for people to be given screen time. Sparked by Huw Edwards The review was sparked by disgraced ex-news anchor Huw Edwards' guilty plea. Bullying and misconduct at the BBC had been under the microscope following a series of allegations made against top talent and senior figures including the likes of Russell Brand, Gregg Wallace and our own investigation into Breakfast boss Richard Frediani. While Davie has urged 'zero tolerance,' leaked emails from the BBC's news and content bosses last week exposed a 'really concerning' level of confidence over how the corporation handles bullying and harassment complaints, and in its whistleblowing procedures. We then revealed that BBC employees are keeping their jobs even when they have been the subject of an upheld sexual harassment complaint. Today's review also said the corporation has a problem with 'vexatious claims and cases that often conclude with a finding of 'no case to answer' for managers or senior managers who have been subjected to investigations lasting several months.' 'These prolonged investigations are not only highly stressful but also counterproductive,' it said. Today's review comes more than a decade after the BBC's 2013 Respect at Work Review led by barrister Dinah Rose in the wake of the Jimmy Savile allegations. This review resulted in a deluge of complaints about BBC power players from nearly 1,000 staff including allegations of a manager sexting graduates and a female journalist being offered a promotion on the condition of a sexual liaison at her boss's country cottage. 'A significant proportion of those we spoke with who had worked with the BBC for a while, said that overall, the culture is better than it was in our 2013 review,' said Change Associates today. Broadcasting union Bectu, which represents the interests of thousands of freelancers, said the review should act as a watershed moment for change. 'Repeated and historical scandals involving senior talent at the BBC exposed an organisation in need of a full rethink of its culture, and Bectu has been clear that a watershed moment was necessary for the BBC to drive meaningful change on this issue,' added head Philippa Childs. A Change Associates survey found a 'significant' 30% of freelancers who had worked for the BBC recently had encountered inappropriate behaviour. 'The survey finds that while a majority of freelancers feel trusted, respected and feel engaged to do their best work, there is significant scope to improve the BBC freelancer experience,' it added in today's report. 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The Guardian
22-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
UK creative industries set behaviour standards after Strictly and MasterChef rows
New guidelines will be issued this week for the UK's creative industries after a series of scandals including reports of inappropriate behaviour by Gregg Wallace and Gino d'Acampo, and bullying allegations on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) will set new standards with the aim of stamping out bullying, harassment and discrimination, and address 'power imbalances'. The guidelines call on organisations to create reporting mechanisms and ways to learn from previous scandals, as well as safe and inclusive working environments. Jen Smith, chief executive of the new body, said the standards could be adopted widely in commissioning agreements, contracts and awards criteria. 'Then no one can say, 'I didn't know' or 'It wasn't clear',' she said. The CIISA was created by Dame Heather Rabbatts, who saw the need for an independent body to hold all creative industries to account. Rabbatts had founded Time's Up UK in 2018 in the wake of the #Me Too movement. Smith was previously director of culture and inclusion at the British Film Institute and in the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein scandal helped draw up a set of standards to combat harassment in the screen industries. 'People don't currently feel as safe as they should in the creative industries,' Smith said. 'We needed clarity around what it meant to be in a safe working environment.' She added: 'What came to light is that part of the infrastructure of the creative industries was missing. You've got a workforce that don't have HR departments. What people really needed was a safe, confidential place to raise concerns, seek advice, get help. For creative sectors, there was this gap. Where do you go? Who has … independent oversight and who can provide impartial advice?' In research carried out in May 2024 by Bectu, the union for workers in the creative industries, 84% of respondents said the sector needed an independent body to investigate, report and prevent harassment. The fact that the creative industries, especially film and television, mostly comprised freelancers and small companies had exacerbated issues of poor behaviour, Smith said. People feared that speaking out would cost them work, while freelancers who did want to speak up were often unclear about who to report concerns to. In the Film and TV Charity's Looking Glass report 2024, 41% of respondents to a survey said they'd experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination in the previous 12 months. More than half said they didn't report this to anyone – of those who did report, 21% said the situation got worse. CIISA will not have enforcement powers, so it will rely on the creative industries to commit to the standards. However, breaches can be reported to the organisation and it will offer legal advice, arbitration and mediation, as well as support for individuals to access criminal justice or employment tribunals where appropriate. Smith said the CIISA had support from the government and that she had met Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary. Last week, Nandy warned the TV industry that it must address standards of behaviour, following recent allegations against d'Acampo, the celebrity chef. Nandy told ITV News: 'If the industry can't get its own house in order, we are prepared to step in … The time for action is long overdue.' Sign up to Observed Analysis and opinion on the week's news and culture brought to you by the best Observer writers after newsletter promotion D'Acampo 'categorically denies' allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour. A statement from his legal team says: 'This is the first time, six years later, he has been informed of these alleged incidents, and he does not accept them.' Wallace's lawyers have said the suggestion that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature was entirely false. The CIISA will initially focus on the screen, stage and music sectors, but aims to cover others such as gaming, publishing and fashion in the future. A cross-sector approach is vital in spotting patterns of behaviour, Smith said. Allegations made about Wallace, the BBC MasterChef presenter, suggested that even where allegations were reported to one individual or company, it was unclear if information was shared, or who had responsibility to act. There needs to be 'one entity, where people can report confidentially and safely, and we can build up [a] picture of concerning behaviour and deal with it appropriately,' Smith said. 'You shouldn't be having historical issues that have gone on for so long.' The CIISA hopes the creative industries can learn from past failures. 'We're seeing repeated stories in the press,' Smith said. 'When things go wrong, how do we prevent that from happening again?'
