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http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> News and Comment >> Presenter wins ageism case http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1294745773 Message started by Administrator on Jan 11^th, 2011, 11:37am

Title: Presenter wins ageism case
Post by Administrator on Jan 11^th, 2011, 11:37am

This is taken from The Guardian:

Countryfile's Miriam O'Reilly wins BBC ageism claim
Former presenter of BBC1 rural affairs show succeeds in ageism and victimisation complaints, but not sexism claim
January 11 2011

Former BBC presenter Miriam O'Reilly has won her case for age discrimination against the corporation after she was dropped from BBC1's rural affairs show, Countryfile.

O'Reilly, 53, took the BBC to an employment tribunal claiming age and sex discrimination after she was one of four female presenters, all in their 40s or 50s, who were dropped from the 23-year-old show.

The tribunal upheld her claim for age discrimination but not sex discrimination. It also upheld O'Reilly's claim for victimisation.

O'Reilly claimed she was hounded out of the corporation after she was unfairly blamed her for newspaper stories criticising the corporation for dropping middle-aged women presenters.

The presenter, who will now receive damages from the corporation as a result of today's verdict, told MediaGuardian.co.uk: "Words cannot describe how happy I feel. It's historic and it's going to have huge implications for all broadcasters."

O'Reilly was dropped from the show, along with Charlotte Smith, Juliet Morris and Michaela Strachan, when it was moved from Sunday mornings to a new peak-time slot in April 2009.

Accusations of ageism have previously been levelled at the BBC over the departure of other high-profile presenters including Arlene Phillips, who was dropped as a judge on BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing but returned as a panellist on a new BBC1 talent show format.

Title: Re: Presenter wins ageism case
Post by Administrator on Jan 11^th, 2011, 4:16pm

The BBC issued this statement after the case:

BBC statement on Miriam O'Reilly employment tribunal
Date: 11.01.2011

We accept the findings of the tribunal and would like to apologise to Miriam. We will be speaking to her.

The BBC is committed to fair selection in every aspect of our work and we clearly did not get it right in this case.

We will:

ensure that senior editorial executives responsible for these kind of decisions in the BBC undergo additional training in the selection and appointment of presenters
produce new guidance on fair selection for presenter appointments
These findings also raise questions that need to be addressed by the whole industry. As Chair of the Cultural Diversity Network, Mark Thompson will raise the topic of fair representation of people of all ages across the broadcasting industry.

We would like to acknowledge the important contribution Miriam has made to the BBC over more than 20 years and we would welcome the opportunity to discuss working with her again in the future.

Title: Re: Presenter wins ageism case
Post by david en france on Jan 12^th, 2011, 11:02am

I would like to congratulate Miriam on behalf of all those healthy, very experienced but slightly greying males who were on my pre retirement course in 1994 and all those others who were being made to take early retirement at that time in the Birtist revolution. It was obvious to my wife, who was allowed to attend the course, that we were all in the same category of gender, age and ethnicity. We were becoming accustomed to adverts for jobs that specified certain groups as "under represented in this area". It was, without question, discrimination and it was widespread and official. It's taken 15 years for someone to do something about it and shame on you, Nick Ross, for the act of betrayal.