The BBC has banned its journalists from wearing Black Lives Matter shirts in its newsrooms.
The public broadcaster’s director general, Tim Davie, said although the BBC stands against racism, it was ‘not appropriate for a journalist who may be covering that issue to be campaigning in that way’.
The 58-year-old was speaking at the Sunday Times Culture Interview Forum at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.
During his talk about diversity and impartiality, Davie said: ‘I feel very, very strongly that if you walk into the BBC newsroom, you cannot be holding a Kamala Harris mug when you come to the election, no way, that’s not even acceptable.
‘You cannot have any assumption about where people are politically, you leave it at the door, and your religion is journalism in the BBC, and I tell you, the problem I’ve got is people react quite chemically to that.
‘So you can’t come into the newsroom with a Black Lives Matter T-shirt on, we stand absolutely firmly against racism in any form.’
He described hatred in society as ‘utterly abhorrent’ and ‘really upsetting’ but said the Black Lives Matter campaign is political, which would be inappropriate for a journalist to support because the BBC must remain neutral.
Davie admitted some of their newer staff struggled with the concept.
‘It has not been an easy thing to get done this, and we wrestle with it every day.’
Davie said his ‘number one priority’ was ‘trying to navigate a course where you are impartial’ and that required ‘elements of diversity’, adding that ‘socioeconomic diversity’ was something that ‘hadn’t (been) talked about enough’.
He said he’s constantly questioned on why the BBC gives a platform to certain things, such as Reform, but highlights the broadcaster is covering the reality of what people feel.
When asked about his safety after previously being ‘shouted at’ and people invading his personal space, he said: ‘It’s not for the faint-hearted, these jobs in public life now.
‘I mean, they are really quite demanding. I’m no great Californian hippie, but you have to look after yourself, you really have to.’
