Woe is ITV in many ways just now, but especially in Tyne Tees, where its newsroom is at the centre of a bullying scandal that has cost the company about £1m. ITV would appear to be in urgent need of an experienced PR, not to mention some cast-iron media, legal and professional training.
The Guardian has the story, one of racism, sexism and inappropriate comments about ethnic minorities and disabled people. They were allegedly made by a manager, who claimed he was merely indulging in some “black humour”, but his not-so-merry japes were practised by other staff, too.
Some £400,000 is thought to have been paid in compensation, while an ITV source says that “The total time spent off on sick leave or suspensions amounts to five years – the equivalent of around £250,000 in sick pay just while they were off work. If you add the legal costs, plus all the management consultants, independent investigators brought in and the appeals which went with those investigations the total bill is £1m.”
The result? In the short term, ITV desperately needs an experienced PR to manage this crisis and, if there is any, disseminate some good news. Beyond that, a reappraisal of its working culture might not be a bad idea.
Pictured courtesy of Flickr user chearn73: a bad joke. It is thought, however, that it wasn’t black enough for the Tyne Tees newsroom.
