FOUR BBC broadcasters got more than £10,000 on top of their salaries for work outside the corporation between April and June, new data shows.
On-air talent and senior leaders have had to publicly declare their paid outside work, including public speaking engagements, appearances, or writing commitments, since January 2021.
Clive Myrie, Nick Robinson, Huw Edwards, and Katya Adler were paid undisclosed sums of more than £10,000 in the three months, according to the BBC’s external events register.
Mastermind host Myrie was paid to be a moderator at an event by SCC on May 19, while Robinson, a presenter of Radio 4’s Today programme, received his payment for speaking at an event organised by law firm Mishcon de Reya on May 5.
In the BBC’s 2021/2022 annual report, Myrie was listed as having a salary of between £255,000-£259,999, while Robinson was paid between £270,000-£274,999.
Europe editor Adler, meanwhile, was paid for a speech for the Futures Industry Association on June 7.
READ MORE: Lord of the Rings actor refuses to take scripts which mock Scottish accents
And News at Ten presenter Edwards was paid for hosting an event for The British Insurance Brokers’ Association on May 11.
According to the BBC annual report, Adler earned between £215,000-219,999 in 2021/2022, while Edwards earned between £410,000-£414,999.
The register classes payments in four categories – below £1000, £1,000-£5000, £5000-£10,000, and more than £10,000.
Thirteen BBC journalists, including Fiona Bruce and Naga Munchetty, were paid between £5000-10,000 for outside work.
READ MORE: Scottish independence 'not very nice' and means 'perpetual' Tory rule, says Angela Rayner
Kirsty Wark, Newsnight’s longest-serving presenter, undertook two pieces of work that fell into that pay bracket – hosting an event for World Skills UK and for interview work with law firm Akin Gump.
Myrie was paid between £5000-10,000 on two occasions – for serving as a host for PR Week and speaking for the Association of Investment Companies.
Other journalists who featured in the bracket included Faisal Islam, Spencer Kelly and Robinson.
Staff must seek written approval from a divisional head of department before signing up to any external engagements.
Director-general Tim Davie announced the move in October 2020 as part of a series of measures aimed at ensuring the broadcaster’s impartiality.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel