BBC News Presenters Claim They Were Forced Off Air & Harassed After “Sham” Hiring Process
01.05.2024 - 12:05
/ deadline.com
Four female BBC News presenters have commenced legal action against the UK broadcaster, arguing they were forced off air for a year and harassed as a result of a “rigged” recruitment process.
Martine Croxall, Karin Giannone, Kasia Madera, and Annita McVeigh were present at the London Central Employment Tribunal on Wednesday for a two-day preliminary hearing.
The seasoned BBC News anchors submitted near-identical witness statements to the tribunal, claiming that they were victims of a “sham” hiring process in January 2023.
The women, aged 48 to 54, said the process had caused them to suffer age and sex discrimination, equal pay concerns, and harassment, including facing a “hostile, degrading, intimidating environment in the workplace.”
The women applied to become a chief presenter on the rebooted BBC News channel, but allege that management had predetermined their preferred candidates before the hiring process began.
After challenging the BBC hiring process, Croxall, Giannone, Madera, and McVeigh said they lost their jobs, were kept off air for a year, while some were demoted and others faced a pay cut.
The women said they had reports from clinical psychologists showing they had suffered “negative physical and mental health impacts” following their treatment by the BBC.
The BBC has stood by the recruitment process and an internal HR investigation concluded last year that successful chief presenters were not promised their jobs before an open hiring procedure.
The presenters said in their witness accounts that they had a whistleblower statement supporting their allegations. Deadline has previously reported that a successful candidate had admitted to having a “tap on the shoulder” from managers after they secured a