Upload
others
View
1
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
A4 DWord2 Conference Brochure.indd 1 30/01/2017 11:23
LET’S DIVERSIFY AND IMPROVE THE SPORTS MEDIA...The D Word 2 is the second conference organised by
Black Collective of Media in S)ort (BCOMS), following
the inaugural D Word event in 2014. Two years ago
the mission was to )ut the D Word - diversity - on the
agenda. The challenge this time around? To drive
the issue to the to) of that agenda, across the s)orts
media.
Over 200 delegates attended the conference hosted
by BT S)ort at their studios in the Olym)ic Park,
East London. Funded by FARE, Euro)ean football’s
anti-discrimination and equality network, and Refresh
Films, a diverse )roduction com)any, the wide range
of delegates - from the industry’s most recognisable
journalists and decision makers, to equality ex)erts
and students - reflected the engagement and interest
in this issue.
Sha)ing the discussion was the launch of our own
research into the state of )lay of diversity in the
s)orts media, and so I kicked off the day with some
revealing stats on BAME and female re)resentation
across the four major s)orting events of summer
2016: Rio Olym)ics and Paralym)ics, Euro)ean
Football Cham)ionshi)s and the Wimbledon Tennis
Cham)ionshi)s. The results )ainted a )retty
de)ressing )icture.
Across 456 broadcasting and writing )ositions, just
eight were filled by black )eo)le who had not )layed
s)ort )rofessionally. And although current or former
BAME athletes occu)ied 19 )unditry roles, the im)lied
message to BAME talent was clear: if you want in, you
had better win an Olym)ic Gold medal or )lay 10 years
in the Premier League before the s)orts media will
o)en its doors to you.
Our study also found that women are still grossly
under-re)resented - )articularly for women of colour.
Only six roles went to BAME women across the 456
)ositions.
So how do we im)rove things? What can we do as
individuals? What can decision makers in the industry
do? And how can s)orts rights’ holders, government
and commercial )artners hel) enforce equality across
the sector?
One thing is clear: the lack of diversity in the s)orts
media right now is unacce)table, and we need greater
commitment and conviction from decision makers to
change this.
This guide brings together the ideas discussed and
debated at the conference, and serves as a list of
action )oints for the industry. What we need now is to
turn words into action, and )ositive outcomes.
Be the change, hel) diversify the s)orts media and
let’s im)rove our industry.
Leon Mann, Founder
BCOMS (Black Collective
of Media in Sport)
CONTENTS
Introduction 03
Who are BCOMS? 04
Context: Facts and Figures 05
Debating the Issues 06
What’s Working? 07
The Next Generation 08 It’s All About The Solutions 09 Next Steps… 10
ConFERENCE IMAGES 11
02 03
A4 DWord2 Conference Brochure.indd 2-3 30/01/2017 11:23
CONTEXT: Facts and FiguresMajor new research from BCOMS highlights entrenched )roblems around
a lack of diversity in the industry. A summer of s)ort in 2016 should have
)rovided the )erfect )latform to showcase diverse journalistic talent, instead
BAME s)orts ex)ertise was largely invisible.
Analysing 456 roles across broadcast and written coverage of summer
2016’s four major s)orting events - Olym)ics, Paralym)ics, Euro)ean Football
Cham)ionshi)s and Wimbledon - the results gave BCOMS little cause for
celebration.
BCOMS Founder Leon Mann said: “After the first conference, I felt the
message had hit home - but the real test would be to deliver greater
diversity. The reality was in two years things had only got marginally better -
and certainly nowhere near the ex)ectation.”
Key observations included the following:
Who are BCOMS?The Black Collective of Media in S)ort (BCOMS)
was founded in 2009 by like-minded s)orts media
)rofessionals, concerned by the under-re)resentation
of black )eo)le in their chosen career field.
BCOMS members include award-winning journalists,
)roducers, )resenters, researchers, )roduction
managers and editors from high )rofile media
cor)orations including the BBC, Sky, ITV, Channel 4,
major inde)endents and major titles from the written
)ress.
BCOMS believes that African and Caribbean )eo)le are
significantly under-re)resented in the s)orts media
des)ite dis)ro)ortionate interest in, and achievement
from, the community on the field of )lay.
As a network, we feel the lack of diversity across the
s)orts media – both in front of and behind the camera,
in the written )ress, online and in radio – has reached a
critical )oint. And while diversity is a hot to)ic in most
sectors, astonishingly s)orts media has never been )ut
under the microsco)e.
An inde)endent grou), BCOMS is committed to
changing the status quo through:
• Innovative networking, sharing contacts and
o))ortunities
• Develo)ing relationshi)s with media organisations,
educational establishments, trade union bodies and
key decision-makers
• Promoting the message that a more diverse
workforce is )roven to yield better results
• Creating )athways and mentoring young )eo)le
seeking a career in s)orts media
BCOMS aims to be the first )ort of call both for
black )rofessionals in the s)orts media and talented
newcomers looking to develo) their careers. The grou)
has established great relationshi)s across the s)orts
media and is keen to develo) further )artnershi)s
across the industry.
While BCOMS has a s)ecific remit in re)resenting the
black community, our members feel strongly about all
strands of diversity, including gender, disability, sexual
orientation and religion.
out of 44 bame roles, 19 were filled by former and current athletes (43.1%)
(5.5%) of all 143 newspaper roles were filled by BAME people
out of all 143 newspaper roles, there were no BAME women
ONLYbame women across 456 (1.3%)
roles forsix
(1.75%)
JUST
across
roles
black journalists (non-sports people)8 456
(8.4%)
JUST
12 OUT OF
143 roles given to women across
newspapers
(16.8%)
113tv commentary
roles
nineteenwere filled by
women
(1.2%)
ONLY
WOMAN OUT OF
ONE
51 SENT to EUROS
04 05
A4 DWord2 Conference Brochure.indd 4-5 30/01/2017 11:23
Break the cycle
Alex Kay-Jelski: “When it comes to changing the
)redominantly white male world of senior )ositions
within news)a)ers there is a re)etitive cycle that
revolves around ex)erience. In order to break this
cycle, risks would have to be taken with inex)erienced
candidates.”
Diversity can be your USP
Andy Stevenson: “I definitely had to work harder to
)rove that a disabled )erson was ca)able of doing this
job. However, don’t always see your difference as a
negative. If I do a job well, )eo)le are far more likely
to remember that as I stand out, so what makes you
different can be used to your )rofessional advantage.”
Maggie Al)honsi: You’ve got to be )re)ared coming
into this industry whether you are a former athlete or
not. Be confident in who you are but also remember
that there are )eo)le in the business who can give you
)ositive )ointers about how to build on your existing
skills.
The positives of a more diverse leadership can filter
down throughout the corporation
Shelley Alexander: “If you re)resent one [diversity
strand], you understand a lot about another and I think
that’s really im)ortant in why we should get leaders u)
there. Then you are really sensitive to everyone else
that needs your hel).”
Timeframes need to be realistic
Andy Stevenson:
“It’s more im)ortant to im)rove
figures in five years’ time, than )anicking and getting it
done in five months.”
Mentoring is a powerful way to create impact inside
and outside of an organisation
Shelley Alexander underlined the im)ortance of
having a mentor and encourages senior, ex)erienced
individuals within the industry to take u) these
roles. She ex)lained that it is im)ortant to find the
right mentor and for )otential mentees not to feel
intimidated about a))roaching )eo)le.
Shelley Alexander: “Prejudice can chi) away at your
confidence but it’s about changing those )erce)tions.”
DEBATING THE ISSUESThe Barriers: How We Are Missing
Out On Diverse Talent
Our o)ening )anel, hosted by BBC S)ort Broadcaster
Hugh Woozencroft, brought together well-known
figures from across the s)orts media industry to
reflect on their own ex)eriences, and focus on what
the sector needs to do now to bring about change.
Alex Kay-Jelski – The Times, S)orts Editor
Jonathan Liew – The Telegra)h, S)orts Writer
Maggie Alphonsi MBE – Broadcaster and former
England rugby union )layer
Rodney Hinds – The Voice News)a)er, S)orts Editor
Sonali Shah – BBC, Broadcaster
Andy Stevenson – Channel 4, Commissioning Executive
The stats suggest that the talent isn’t out there…
but we know that it is
Rodney Hinds [reflecting on BCOMS research]: “There
is enormous talent the decision makers sim)ly aren’t
taking the chance on. Those figures are hugely
disa))ointing.”
Real diversity isn’t a tick box exercise
Sonali Shah: “Too many )eo)le have a )re-conceived
idea about what a diverse )erson will be like. Diverse
)eo)le shouldn’t have to fit a mould; let them be
diverse, sound diverse and look diverse. If we look
at the actual athletes re)resenting our country we
will see a diverse re)resentations of backgrounds,
ethnicities, religions, gender and sexualities – the
s)orts media )o)ulation must reflect this.”
Engage the whole audience population, not just a
select few
Jonathan Liew: “There is )otentially a sub-conscious
fear of diversity. S)orts news)a)er writers are nearly
all white men and will naturally lean towards hiring
similar )eo)le to themselves. However, this lack of
diversity is counter-)roductive when it comes to
creating a )roduct that can engage the entire national
audience.”
What’s Working?Olym)ic s)rinter turned broadcaster Jeanette Kwakye
hosted our first worksho) examining the existing
resources and schemes in )lace to im)rove diversity in
the sector.
Lewis Wiltshire – Twitter, Senior Director of Media
Partnershi)s
Shelley Alexander – BBC S)ort, Editorial Lead on
Women’s S)ort
Andy Stevenson – Channel 4, Commissioning
Executive
The landscape for media and diversity
While there are currently no s)orts media s)ecific
schemes or targets, both the BBC and Channel 4 have
set out their stalls as frontrunners when it comes to
overall diversity )olicies. The BBC is im)lementing
diversity quotas across their whole cor)oration - both
on and off air - to better reflect its audiences by 2020.
Meanwhile Channel 4 launched their ‘360° Charter’
in 2015 - a five year )lan for making the organisation
more diverse which, “)uts diversity at the heart
of all decision-making at Channel 4”. The network
underlined their commitment to the issue with a 12
month re)ort, )ublished in 2016, showing )rogress
made.
An internal audit is a great first step to tackling a
lack of diversity
Lewis Wiltshire: “We [Twitter] voluntarily made our
diversity data )ublic in 2014/15 and we made clear
our objectives for 2016. I’m )roud of some of the big
ways that we are thinking about that, like targeting
for recruitment universities in America that are called
‘historically black colleges’.”
It’s not all about grand schemes, there are simple
cost-free solutions to improving diversity
Lewis Wiltshire: “There are small, everyday things that
you can do, for exam)le, we [Twitter] are encouraged
by the most senior leadershi) in the com)any to )ush
back on conference organisers when we are asked to
a))ear on an all-white, male )anel.”
06 07
A4 DWord2 Conference Brochure.indd 6-7 30/01/2017 11:23
A glass ceiling still exists for those trying to move
into senior roles within the ‘old boys’ networks of
the established media organisations
Amar Singh: “The old media, its guardians and old
boys network are fading away. The new age of digital
media ensures that anyone can be involved within the
discussion and this will eventually level the )laying
field.”
those recruiting to ensure that everyone knows the
danger signs and that they know what they are really
looking for – we’ve got to get that right.”
BCOMS’ Leon Mann asked the question of whether
self-regulation when delivering diversity will work.
Broadcasters are fiercely com)eting for the rights of
major s)orting events and leagues, so is it feasible
that contractual encouragement or clauses on greater
diversity across the )resentation can be strived for?
The s)orts industry already holds within it the )ower
and leverage to bring diversity into the media that
covers its )roducts.
Phili) Bernie: “I’m not saying you shouldn’t seek
su))ort from s)orts organisations - but it should be u)
to us to get this right… and we will”
Ste)hen Lyle said a similar move by Channel 4 had
seen )rogress: “It’s an interesting )oint. At Channel 4
we make it clear to )roduction com)anies that they
won’t win contracts from us unless they hit diversity
targets. This has had a )ositive im)act.”
Understand your workplace and audiences.
Simon Green: “BT S)ort are based in one of the most
diverse )arts of the country and we want to engage
audiences of all backgrounds. So diversity is about
good business and doing the right thing.”
The Next GenerationBenny Bonsu, Broadcaster and Producer, BBC World
Service, chaired our second worksho) looking at how
to su))ort and access the next generation of talented
s)orts media )rofessionals.
Jamie Hindhaugh – BT S)ort, COO
Rioch Edwards-Brown – SYWBOTV, Founder
Amar Singh – Squawka, Chief Content Officer
Change is overdue: the industry must act now to
engage the next generation of talent.
Jamie Hindhaugh: “This, quite frankly, should no
longer be a discussion anymore. Peo)le should be
able to come into this industry on their merit of talent.
It must be ensured that these communities, which
undoubtedly )ossess the talent, feel confident enough
to a))ly this, and not quotas, is what will ensure those
figures change.”
What can the sports media industry do to access
and engage future talent?
Traditional methods of advertising vacancies,
internshi) and work ex)erience o))ortunities may
not reach a diverse audience. The So You Wanna Be
In TV Founder, Rioch Edwards-Brown, s)oke of just
how crucial it is that organisations are truly willing to
commit to change in order for )rogress to be made.
Rioch Edwards-Brown: “Honesty s)eaks volumes.”
Quotas continue to divide opinion - one alternative
suggestion focused on the creation and cultivation
of a diverse talent pool
Jamie Hindhaugh: “This discussion is all about the
right )eo)le a))lying for the right o))ortunity and
achieving the right role, quotas can undermine that.”
Discrimination is still an issue
Benny Bonsu: “I was told I was ‘too black for TV’ only
four years ago.”
It’s All About The
Solutions
Jessica Creighton, BBC S)ort Broadcaster, chaired
our closing )anel, and after hearing the o)inions
and concerns of a vast array of figures throughout
the conference, it was time to see what some of the
biggest bosses of the industry had to say.
Simon Green – BT S)ort CEO
Philip Bernie – BBC Head of TV S)ort
Andy Cairns – Executive Editor, Sky S)orts News
Stephen Lyle – Channel 4 Commissioning Editor
for S)ort
There is not a lack of talent, instead the industry
needs to be made more accessible.
BBC Head of TV S)ort, Phili) Bernie, told the delegates
that the broadcasting )owerhouse is using social
media )latforms to reach out to a))licants from a
greater range of backgrounds, by ta))ing into the
networks that they are already a )art of.
Phili) Bernie: “The recruitment )i)eline is still way too
small and thin, and we need to stretch out.”
“Junior )eo)le or students don’t necessarily gravitate
towards what 50 year-old media executives do, so
we’ve got to look at ways to recruit )eo)le through
new media, and it’s something we’re working on.”
Andy Cairns, Executive Editor of Sky S)orts News,
s)oke of the a))renticeshi) schemes within his
newsroom but also that similar efforts need to be
im)lemented and maintained by the entire breadth of
the industry:
Andy Cairns: “While there is an intention from the to),
we have to make sure that the )eo)le doing the hiring
at every level understand our business )riorities and
why this is such a )riority for us.”
In order to achieve diversity, there must be a lack of
bias within recruitment.
Andy Cairns: “We hold unconscious bias training for
08 09
A4 DWord2 Conference Brochure.indd 8-9 30/01/2017 11:23
Next Steps…BCOMS is an unfunded network. Volunteers deliver
everything we do. But we are committed and will do all
we can to )ush things forward in this area.
The D Word 2 conference was a great success. It
galvanised a range of forward thinking )eo)le in the
industry to want to work towards a more diverse
s)orts media.
But we have been here before. Two years ago we were
energised, and ultimately the )rogress made hasn’t
reflected the ambition.
So BCOMS wants to place on record what we will
do…
1/ Bring diverse as)iring journalists together with
suitable mentors from the s)orts media
2/ Arrange networking events for those wishing to
break into the s)orts media to meet and get advice
from those with ex)erience of the industry
3/ Advertise jobs and events on BCOMS website and
across its social media outlets
4/ Continue to lobby senior decision makers and work
with them to tackle under re)resentation in the s)orts
media
5/ Seek the su))ort of s)orts rights holders to
understand the value greater diversity in those
covering their events and leagues brings to their
)roducts
BCOMS will deliver all of the above as part of our
contribution to addressing the lack of diversity in
the sports media. This guide offers a number of
ideas and challenges to senior decision makers in
the industry - we look forward to reviewing what
they have implemented at The D Word 3.
conference IMAGES…
10 11
A4 DWord2 Conference Brochure.indd 10-11 30/01/2017 11:23
CONTACT
www.bcoms.co
@BCOMSTWEET
@OfficialBCOMS
A4 DWord2 Conference Brochure.indd 12 30/01/2017 11:23