BBC deputy meets Jewish staff after producer alleges antisemitism

Jewish employees at the BBC received a message this week that discrimination will not be tolerated, following a dispute with a former producer. Rhodri Talfan Davies, the corporation’s deputy director general, met with representatives from the broadcaster’s Jewish staff network on Tuesday. The meeting occurred after public coverage of the case involving Lucie Kon, a former commissioning editor for the Storyville documentary series.

Kon left the BBC with a payout of £400,000. She claimed she faced antisemitism after the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The corporation stated that its internal processes did not uphold her specific claims of antisemitism. However, the BBC acknowledged shortcomings in the process and the personal impact on Kon. Kon described the situation in an interview, stating, "The BBC isn’t full of antisemites, but it does have a problem with antisemitism."

The dispute has led some members of Parliament and former BBC figures, including ex-home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw, to call for an independent inquiry. Talfan Davies did not accept that such an inquiry is necessary. He pointed to new staff training on antisemitism and internal efforts to build an inclusive culture. He is also understood to have written to some Jewish staff members after the media coverage began.

This issue serves as an early test for Talfan Davies. He was hired for the deputy role to identify crises that contributed to the resignation of previous director general Tim Davie. Those earlier crises included disputes over Middle East coverage. The BBC apologized last year when a documentary about children in Gaza failed to disclose that its child narrator was the son of a Hamas official. The corporation was also criticized for dropping a documentary about medics in Gaza, later shown by Channel 4, because it risked creating a perception of partiality.

At an event this week, Talfan Davies said the BBC has very robust processes that are reviewed regularly. Speaking to journalists at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch in London, he noted that while large organizations can have instances of discrimination, there is no evidence of a systemic issue within the BBC that would merit an independent inquiry. He added that he does not believe there is institutional discrimination of any sort, but the organization must always look harder and review how it identifies issues.

Talfan Davies said the BBC has taken enormous steps to improve workplace culture. These steps include introducing mandatory training and implementing the results of a recent review focused on calling out bad behavior. He stated that he does not recognize a description of the BBC as institutionally discriminatory. He acknowledged that the coverage of the last two weeks would be difficult for Jewish colleagues and that the company needs to talk to them to provide support.

The BBC has not explained the size of Kon's payout. Talfan Davies said he was unable to comment further for legal reasons. He clarified that the payout did not relate to findings of antisemitism in the investigation.