Bectu has penned an open letter to Ofcom, seeking support in securing a commitment from UK broadcasters to create an independent racism reporting body. Image credit: Shutterstock.
The campaign by BECTU has had a lot of support and interest from people in the creative industries but no change has been made. There is still no external racism reporting body and racism and underreporting in the industry has continued.
‘Race to be heard’ findings
Bectu has released the findings of its recent ‘Race to be heard’ survey.
The survey, which asked a series of questions about whether respondents had experienced or witnessed racism, experiences reporting racism to either a broadcaster or a trade union, and whether complaints were dealt with effectively, garnered hundreds of responses from UK film and TV workers.
Here are some of the key findings:
- 61% of global majority respondents reported experiencing racism at work.
- 59% of global majority respondents reported witnessing racism at work.
- Just 12% of those who reported racism to a trade union felt their complaint had been dealt with effectively.
- Just 4% of those who reported racism to a broadcaster felt their complaint had been dealt with effectively.
The survey responses indicate that current racism reporting mechanisms are, for the people surveyed, largely ineffective, and revealed an overwhelming lack of confidence with the way in which broadcasters and trade unions handle reports of racism. Many respondents expressed that their complaints were either not taken seriously or completely ignored.
The survey follows publication of Bectu’s ‘Race to be heard’ report in late 2020 and you can download the second edition of the report here.
Take action
Bectu has penned an open letter to Ofcom, seeking support in securing a commitment from UK broadcasters to create an independent racism reporting body, the MU of which is one of many signatories.
Bectu invites creatives, those working in film and TV and industry leaders to show their support and sign the open letter to help put pressure on industry bodies to properly monitor and act on racism in the broadcasting industry.
Fill in the form to sign the Race to be Heard open letter.