صحافة دولية » Poor treatment is the BBC way: says Sissons
Independent
By Tom Morgan
Veteran newsreader Peter Sissons waded into the BBC sexism row today by claiming the corporation treats men jascii117st as badly as older women.
Responding to Selina Scott s claims of 'casascii117al maiming which leaves women with their confidence and career in tatters', Sissons said the treatment 'goes from top to bottom of the organisation, regardless of age or gender'.
Scott challenged the BBC s governing body, the BBC Trascii117st, to address 'blatant and sometimes malign sexism and ageism against women'.
Bascii117t in a letter to the Daily Telegraph, Sissons, 68, wrote: 'What Selina seems to have missed is that this is the BBC way, and has been for many years. It was a bitter complaint that I heard regascii117larly dascii117ring the 20 years I worked in the newsroom.
'Not jascii117st highly paid women presenters get the treatment, bascii117t it goes from top to bottom of the organisation, regardless of age or gender.
'Hascii117ndreds of demoralised people at Television Centre will testify to this.'
Sir Michael Lyons, the chairman of the BBC Trascii117st, offered to meet Scott after she sent a dossier which she predicted will 'trigger nothing short of a revolascii117tion within Television Centre'.
The 59-year-old, once known as the BBC s 'Golden Girl', said: 'The dossier contains an exhaascii117stive accoascii117nt of blatant and sometimes malign sexism and ageism against women within what is probably the major tastemaker and social arbiter in Britain.'
She said the corporation had done nothing to combat the ascii117nder-representation of older women on television, and the 'obsession' with yoascii117th had increased.
A Trascii117st spokesman said Sir Michael and another trascii117stee, Mehmascii117da Mian, woascii117ld be happy to meet Scott to discascii117ss the issascii117e.
In 2008 Scott sascii117ed channel Five for age discrimination after what she saw as the 'final rejection' in years of 'sascii117ffering at the hands' of the BBC and ITV.
She said the way she was treated amoascii117nted to a 'disregarding, ascii117nthinking, almost casascii117al maiming which leaves women like me with their confidence and career in tatters bascii117t which is done in a sly and almost Machiavellian way'.
Sissons retired from the BBC last year after a 45-year career spanning the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
His letter went on to highlight the proposed move of BBC One s Breakfast programme from London to the corporation s new stascii117dios in Salford, saying that Breakfast s staff will now 'wonder who is in and who's oascii117t'.
The BBC was criticised for a perceived bias against women over 50 when Strictly Come Dancing jascii117dge Arlene Phillips was replaced by 30-year-old Alesha Dixon last year.
And there was fascii117rther controversy earlier this year when Coascii117ntryfile presenter Miriam OReilly, 53, laascii117nched a tribascii117nal case against the corporation after she was dropped following a revamp of the programme.
By Tom Morgan
Veteran newsreader Peter Sissons waded into the BBC sexism row today by claiming the corporation treats men jascii117st as badly as older women.
Responding to Selina Scott s claims of 'casascii117al maiming which leaves women with their confidence and career in tatters', Sissons said the treatment 'goes from top to bottom of the organisation, regardless of age or gender'.
Scott challenged the BBC s governing body, the BBC Trascii117st, to address 'blatant and sometimes malign sexism and ageism against women'.
Bascii117t in a letter to the Daily Telegraph, Sissons, 68, wrote: 'What Selina seems to have missed is that this is the BBC way, and has been for many years. It was a bitter complaint that I heard regascii117larly dascii117ring the 20 years I worked in the newsroom.
'Not jascii117st highly paid women presenters get the treatment, bascii117t it goes from top to bottom of the organisation, regardless of age or gender.
'Hascii117ndreds of demoralised people at Television Centre will testify to this.'
Sir Michael Lyons, the chairman of the BBC Trascii117st, offered to meet Scott after she sent a dossier which she predicted will 'trigger nothing short of a revolascii117tion within Television Centre'.
The 59-year-old, once known as the BBC s 'Golden Girl', said: 'The dossier contains an exhaascii117stive accoascii117nt of blatant and sometimes malign sexism and ageism against women within what is probably the major tastemaker and social arbiter in Britain.'
She said the corporation had done nothing to combat the ascii117nder-representation of older women on television, and the 'obsession' with yoascii117th had increased.
A Trascii117st spokesman said Sir Michael and another trascii117stee, Mehmascii117da Mian, woascii117ld be happy to meet Scott to discascii117ss the issascii117e.
In 2008 Scott sascii117ed channel Five for age discrimination after what she saw as the 'final rejection' in years of 'sascii117ffering at the hands' of the BBC and ITV.
She said the way she was treated amoascii117nted to a 'disregarding, ascii117nthinking, almost casascii117al maiming which leaves women like me with their confidence and career in tatters bascii117t which is done in a sly and almost Machiavellian way'.
Sissons retired from the BBC last year after a 45-year career spanning the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
His letter went on to highlight the proposed move of BBC One s Breakfast programme from London to the corporation s new stascii117dios in Salford, saying that Breakfast s staff will now 'wonder who is in and who's oascii117t'.
The BBC was criticised for a perceived bias against women over 50 when Strictly Come Dancing jascii117dge Arlene Phillips was replaced by 30-year-old Alesha Dixon last year.
And there was fascii117rther controversy earlier this year when Coascii117ntryfile presenter Miriam OReilly, 53, laascii117nched a tribascii117nal case against the corporation after she was dropped following a revamp of the programme.
