British television journalists of color say diversity drives launched after the 2020 racial justice protests have triggered resentment from some white colleagues, underscoring strains inside some of the country’s largest broadcasters.
A study by the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity found that newsroom staff from racially minoritised backgrounds reported both workplace racism and a backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs introduced in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. The research covered journalists working across major television news organizations including the BBC, ITV and Sky.
The 63-page report, led by Rohit Kachroo and Ellie Tomsett, surveyed 80 journalists. Sixty-three percent said they had experienced racism at work, while 60% disagreed or strongly disagreed that diversity schemes introduced over the past five years were working well.
Respondents described what the authors characterized as “parallel dynamics”: frustration among some white colleagues who viewed diversity efforts as conferring unfair advantage, and fatigue among journalists of color who said they continued to face discrimination despite the initiatives. The report said poorly communicated strategies had fueled misunderstandings, allowing narratives to take hold that standards had been lowered or that promotions were driven by race.
“Surface-level interventions were felt to have produced parallel dynamics: resentment from some white colleagues — who perceived diversity as conferring unearned racial advantage or lowering standards — and exhaustion among racially minoritised staff,” the study said.
Participants cited what they described as a backlash to reforms introduced in 2020, with some colleagues aligning diversity programs with “woke culture” rhetoric and questioning their legitimacy. According to the findings, 65% of those surveyed said they did not believe their organizations were as committed to diversity as they had been five years ago, amid a broader cultural pushback against DEI initiatives in countries including the US.
One respondent said white male colleagues “publicly mock diversity initiatives” in their newsroom, adding that perceptions that white staff were being held back had been shaped by poor management of the schemes.
Concerns over career progression also featured prominently. Of the 80 respondents, 56 said there was insufficient advancement for journalists from diverse backgrounds. Many felt that diversity efforts focused on recruitment rather than retention and promotion, creating what the report described as a “crunch point” at mid-career level.
One interviewee likened the structure of their newsroom to “an apartheid newsroom,” saying racially minoritised staff were concentrated in junior roles while senior positions remained overwhelmingly white.
The centre issued seven recommendations, including involving journalists of color more directly in evaluating diversity policies and ensuring senior leaders actively champion such initiatives. It also called for explicit policies to challenge mockery of diversity objectives, regardless of whether comments are framed as humor or made by senior staff.
The findings add to mounting scrutiny of how UK media organizations translate diversity pledges into structural change, as companies across sectors reassess DEI commitments in a shifting political climate.
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