Carrie Gracie, a senior journalist at the BBC, has been praised after criticising the broadcaster for its "secretive and illegal pay culture" of unequal salaries.
Gracie resigned as BBC China editor to protest the gender pay gap at the corporation, claiming it is "breaking inequality law" in an open letter.
In a bizarre twist, Carrie Gracie co-hosted this morning's Today programme on BBC Radio 4 with John Humphrys - just hours after she revealed her resignation.
Just about to present #bbcr4today. Wish me luck.— Carrie Gracie (@Carrie Gracie) 1515390704
People noted on social media that the BBC's highest paid news presenter, male, shared airtime with the woman who just resigned over the gender pay gap at the BBC.
Humphrys earns between £600,000 and £649,000, as revealed by the BBC on government request, a salary he admits he would struggle to explain to a member of the public.
Meanwhile, Gracie famously revealed she earns £92,000-a-year on air during the MPs' expenses scandal.
Whether coincidental or not, people believe the timings of her resignation and appearance have shone a harsh light on some uncomfortable truths.
@MattChorley A farce. The BBC could pay its female Today presenters equally if it retired John Humphrys. (Not before time).— Ben Bradshaw (@Ben Bradshaw) 1515397008
Carrie Gracie led the news agenda - but the news presenter couldn't talk about the news that led the agenda because she was the news that led the agenda.
So, she had to sit in silence next to Humphrys while he interviewed journalist Mariella Frostup on equal pay.
It's completely absurd that John Humphrys gets to conduct an interview about equal pay, when his salary is at the h… https://t.co/yqmOAqgeWi— Matt Wells (@Matt Wells) 1515397684
BBC rules mean that Carrie Gracie can't discuss Carrie Grace if Carrie Gracie is presenting the programme discussin… https://t.co/fIg8RvOEw8— Matt Chorley (@Matt Chorley) 1515396795
Radio 4 Today, hosted by Carrie Gracie, handling her public resignation as China editor very delicately. Segment by… https://t.co/LkbB7r4e7H— Matthew Moore (@Matthew Moore) 1515395704
However, Gracie did speak earlier this morning about the reaction to her resignation, saying it revealed the "depth of hunger" for "equal, fair and transparent pay".
Thankfully it seems Gracie will be also able to talk about Carrie Gracie on other BBC shows, and appears today on BBC Woman's Hour.
FYI @BBCCarrie who can't talk about @BBCCarrie on #r4today can talk about @BBCCarrie on @BBCWomansHour at 10am. Hope that's clear— Jane Garvey (@Jane Garvey) 1515397706
A whole host of BBC broadcasters have shared their support for Gracie.
These include Luse Doucet, Clare Balding, Emily Maitlis and Sarah Montague, according to the BBC.
Meanwhile, a statement from #BBCWomen, a group of 130 broadcasters and producers at the corporation, was circulating.
#bbcwomen on @BBCCarrie https://t.co/JdKo1wzWV2— charlotte smith (@charlotte smith) 1515394807
In resigning as BBC’s China Editor in a stand against unequal pay, @BBCCarrie tells viewers & listeners, “I believe… https://t.co/3xXDGrrvrR— Victoria Derbyshire (@Victoria Derbyshire) 1515384988
In a statement, a spokesperson for the BBC said:
A significant number of organisations have now published their gender pay figures showing that we are performing considerably better than many and are well below the national average.
Alongside that, we have already conducted a independent judge led audit of pay for rank and file staff which showed 'no systemic discrimination against women'.
A separate report for on air staff will be published in the not too distant future.
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