How A Diversity Scheme Almost Made Me Leave TV

When I was 23 I applied for a trainee Assistant Producer job. I had to go through a rigorous application process followed by probably the  toughest interview I’ve ever had. I still have stress related dreams in which this interview features, in the same way people have dreams about being back at school or taking final university exams. Nevertheless, with hard work, resilience and a bit of luck I got the trainee AP job, and I actually think it was a turning point in my career.

Years later I sat down with one of the people who was on the that fateful interview panel, and as we talked it slowly dawned on me that I nearly didn’t get the job because of my colour.

I know what you’re thinking but it’s not that simple. None of the people who interviewed were racist. The surprising and confusing fact is they didn’t want to give a black man the job because they were trying to increase diversity! Let me explain:

The trainee AP job I applied for had two positions and was free for anyone to apply to. Unbeknownst to me the BBC department running the trainee scheme was – at the same time – applying for funding from a central BBC fund to run a trainee AP post specifically targeted at BME staff. They actively wanted to increase diversity in the team.

But this is where what I would call the unintended consequences of the department’s actions came in.

When they interviewed me, my panellists were worried  that if they gave one of the two  shall we call them “mainstream” jobs to a person of colour, then the justification for having a separate AP trainee post specifically targeted at BME staff would be diminished. So, the argument went, if they give the job to me, they would only have two AP posts funded. But, if they gave both the “mainstream” trainee jobs to two white applicants then they could re-interview me again under the targeted BME scheme. I would still be a trainee AP and they would get three posts funded instead of two. Everyone would be  a winner!

I was obviously not in the room when this discussion took place and I have no idea how serious it was, or whether it lasted 2 minutes or an hour. All I know is that in the end common sense prevailed, the interviewees stuck to the BBC guidelines on fair interview procedures and I was duly appointed. In any case, it just so happens that soon after my appointment the BBC stopped targeted trainee posts for BME staff and so if they had waited to put me on the BME trainee scheme I’d still be waiting. In all honesty if I hadn’t got my break at that point I may well have left TV.

I still work with the people who interviewed me and I think you would be hard pressed to find a nicer, more liberal bunch of colleagues working in TV. But for me this story is an extreme example of a broader phenomenon I sometimes see today working in television. I often attend meetings with senior people working in TV where we discuss how we can increase diversity in television, from more older women in front of the camera to increasing the number of BME staff at higher grades. What can happen is we get so caught in the different schemes and initiatives to increase diversity (in my case almost twenty years ago the BME targetted trainee AP scheme) that we lose sight of what we are trying to achieve - actually employing more people from diverse backgrounds.

My career, the career of a black person working in TV, was almost derailed by people actively wanting to increase diversity in television. So we have to be clever when designing any schemes and make sure our good intentions create the best results.  

I think my story is fairly unique but unintended consequences do happen all the time.  If we’re really going to safeguard diversity, we need to watch out for them and keep an eye on the big picture.

Why It's Good To Think Like A Black Man

I was recently on a panel discussion looking at the issue of black men working in TV news. We all know the kind of thing; group of young black men in the audience listening to a panel of black professionals imparting “pearls of wisdom” and being suitably “inspiring”.

One of the questions that came up is whether black people brought a unique perspective to a newsroom and if so if that is an advantage. My fellow panellists all had stories of interviews that they were able to get because of their colour that they don’t think their fellow white journalists could have got. They also had examples of communities they could access that might be shut off to their colleagues. I think I said something similar or I might have mouthed some platitudes about diversity and story ideas… I don’t actually recall. The truth is I was troubled by the very question of what a black perspective can bring to a TV production. At worst I think it might well pigeonhole our careers, and at best I think it underplays our true strengths and how valuable we really are.

Let me take the worst case scenario first.

If you accept that people from diverse backgrounds have better access to stories from their respective communities than our non-diverse colleagues it is hard to argue against the idea that middle-class white people have better access to middle-class stories.

The thing is, however, that most people working in TV, regardless of background, try and make their contacts into different groups and communities as broad as possible. It pays to do so. To try and sell yourself on the fact that you can access one group in particular is about as appealing as a journalist trying to market themselves on the fact they only have unique access into the medical profession. Great to start off with but eventually that journalist will get frustrated and want to do something other than medical stories.

That’s why this line of reasoning can limit our careers as black journalists. So often we are brought in to cover a “black story” on rioting for example, but then dropped in favour of white colleagues as the news agenda moves on.  We want to be able to work on all stories, and not be pigeon holed.

So what is the best case scenario?

The reality is I think people from diverse backgrounds do have unique perspectives that make us incredibly valuable to any broadcaster or news organisations.  But let’s be clear. My black perspective is not about whether I know how to cook rice and peas or whether there are people in Brixton or Harlesden that will chat to me (although I have worked on black specific programmes). As a series producer I have overseen films about traveller communities in which very white and very middleclass producers negotiated access and as a black producer I negotiated access into some of the country’s “whitest” most exclusive institutions.

My black perspective is not about these visible means of demonstrating my heritage. My black perspective enriches my work by giving me a different insight into the programmes I make and oversee, in a much less obvious way.

Take my move to Scotland as Head of Current Affairs. I had only been to Scotland a few times previously, but when I started the job I immediately understood the dynamics of being a minority culture in a wider British setting.  I completely understood the idea of people wanting their lives and views represented on a national stage while maintaining their minority culture and importance. And due to my knowledge of issues such as self-determination and independence in Africa and elsewhere, , I had been raised on seeing nationalism as being both a positive and negative force, which meant that I was able to see nationalism in a broader context than the BNP or far-right organisations, (often the far right is the first experience many English people have with nationalism).

I am not saying that all these issues could not have been overcome by someone from a more traditional non-diverse background, but I have no doubt that my black perspective gave me a quicker understanding of them, and ultimately made me a better Scottish news and current affairs exec.

Similarly, I have recently overseen several high profile programmes on disability issues. I am not disabled but I am sure their success is due, in part, to the fact my black perspective has given me an interest in diversity issues. A diversity of life experiences is enriching to any production team or news room.

So next time I am on a panel discussion and someone asks what a black perspective brings to a broadcaster I’m not going to talk about black stories or scoops, because every journalist worth his salt should be doing that regardless of background. Instead I will just say “It simply brings higher-quality programmes, in ways I am still discovering”.