BBC to align editorial strategy and pay following World Service pay review

BBC network news and the BBC World Service are already beginning to work in an integrated way on investigations, original reporting and breaking news as well as developing new approaches to story-telling on mobile and online. Director of News James Harding said he wanted the integration to go still further, to reach more stories and bring a wider range of voices to audiences, as the BBC World Service expands to bring a deeper understanding of the world to the UK.

This decision follows today’s publication of the findings of the World Service pay review, which looked at pay for off-air journalism roles in the World Service and BBC Monitoring in the UK relative to network news.

The review, conducted by PwC, found there were some differences in pay for some groups of people in the World Service and BBC Monitoring compared to network news.

The review concludes this has happened for both historic and economic reasons. For decades, the BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring operated largely separately from BBC News, and were separately funded by the UK Government rather than from the licence fee. Added to this, staff in BBC network news operate in a different market environment from the World Service and BBC Monitoring, with a wider range of career opportunities available to them, both inside and outside the BBC giving rise to different labour markets.

James Harding, Director of BBC News and Current Affairs, says: “We believe in a vision for both the World Service’s and BBC Monitoring’s future, which serves both global audiences and drives cultural change and creative innovation across the BBC.

“We are all keenly aware of our responsibility to the licence fee payer, seeking to provide the highest quality services at the best possible value for money. So, we have considered carefully the argument that internal and external market forces should continue to be factors setting World Service and BBC Monitoring pay.

“We want a BBC where people move around and between our newsrooms. We believe a wider range of voices at work across BBC News will ensure we reach more stories and keep connected to everyone. To help make this happen, we have decided to align median pay.”

The BBC World Service has just begun its biggest expansion since the 1940s. In addition to its 12 new language services, there will be major benefits to UK audiences, with many more journalists on the ground in some of the world’s most under-reported places.

The changes announced today are separate from the ongoing equal pay audit and gender pay report happening across the BBC.

The review applies to off-air journalist roles for grades 2 to 11 in the BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring in the UK.

Pay increase awards will be backdated to 1 August 2017, in line with the BBC’s annual pay settlements and the pay proposals under the terms and conditions review currently going through consultation.

Pay for presenters and on-air staff will be addressed as part of a BBC wide on-air review.

The BBC World Service currently has a weekly worldwide audience of 269m and operates in more than 30 languages. BBC Monitoring examines openly available media sources from around the world to provide news, information and insight to BBC journalists, UK government customers and commercial subscribers.

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