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Information Policy & Compliance
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Sean Moran
Via email
: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
7 November 2013
Dear Mr Moran
Freedom of Information Request - RFI20131470 Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) received on 10
October, seeking the following information:
Does the BBC have a policy of promoting multiculturalism?
The BBC does not have a policy on promoting multiculturalism. Impartiality is one of the BBC’s core
editorial values which are set out in the Royal Charter which establishes its constitution and sets out its
main obligations. The BBC’s Editorial Guidelines state that:
“We wil apply due impartiality to all our subject
matter and wil reflect a breadth and diversity of opinion across our output as a whole, over an appropriate period,
so that no significant strand of thought is knowingly unreflected or under-represented” and that
“our output is
forbidden from expressing the opinion of the BBC on current affairs or matters of public policy.” This would apply
to any public discourse on multiculturalism as a public policy debate.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/ However, the Charter does require the BBC to promote six public purposes through its main activities
such as its programming. One of the public purposes is
Representing the Nations, Regions and Communities.
The BBC Trust Purpose Remit document states that this means that “
The BBC should ‘promote awareness of
different cultures and alternative viewpoints, through content that reflects the lives of different people and different
communities within the UK”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/governance/tools_we_use/public_purposes.html To assist the BBC to meet this purpose, the BBC’s Diversity Strategy includes a strategic equality and
diversity objective to
“Deliver high quality programming which reflects modern Britain accurately and
authentically” and this objective would be inclusive of reflecting ethnic and religious diversity on air. The
strategy also details other aspects of the BBC’s approach to diversity across the corporation’s activity to
ensure not just its programming but that its people, its approach to its audience and its strategy for the
future are all consciously addressing further diversity. You can find out more about the BBC and diversity
at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/diversity/strategy/documents.html
I hope this response satisfies your request.
Appeal Rights
If you are not satisfied that we have complied with the Act in responding to your request, you have the
right to an internal review by a BBC senior manager or legal adviser. Please contact us at the address
above, explaining what you would like us to review and including your reference number. If you are not
satisfied with the internal review, you can appeal to the Information Commissioner. The contact details are:
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone
01625 545 700 or se
e http://www.ico.gov.uk/ Yours sincerely
James Hacker
BBC People