ITN introduces Rooney rule to reduce BAME pay gap

Krishnan Guru-Murthy is a Channel 4 News presenter - which comes under ITN

ITN has announced one BAME candidate will be interviewed for every future role at the news organisation.

The measure is part of an attempt to reduce the pay gap between black, Asian and minority ethnic staff with other staff members.

On Wednesday, ITN, which produces news for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, published its BAME pay gap report for the first time.

It found that BAME staff were paid lower on average by 16.1%.

Along with the 'Rooney rule', ITN launched a number of other targets including a 50% reduction in the BAME pay gap by 2022, with at least two BAME employees making up the top 20 earners of the network.

The Rooney rule is named after the NFL diversity committee chairman Dan Rooney, who spearheaded a policy that clubs in American football should interview at least one BAME candidate for each head coach or senior football operation vacancy.

ITN is among the first big companies to implement this rule. Other organisations to adopt it include the FA, and the BBC - but only at manager level and above.

• BBC announces action to increase diversity

ITN CEO John Hardie said: "As one of the first media organisations to publish its BAME pay gap, ITN is committed to being a diverse and inclusive place to work. We have made positive progress in terms of BAME representation in recent years but we have more to do to get where we want to be.

"I am confident that these initiatives will significantly improve the overall diversity of ITN and the pay gap itself, creating a culture where everyone can flourish."

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