Entertainmentupdated 27m ago3 min read
Archive photo · 5 July 2024Lisa Nandy Tells BBC Media Must Take Sexual Abuse Seriously After Russell Brand Case
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Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says abuse persists in media and protections for women are inadequate. Brand's conviction renews scrutiny of industry accountability for abuse and inadequate responses.
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Nandy: abuse may persist
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the BBC that sexual abuse in the media industry is probably still happening and that organisations are not doing enough to protect women. Nandy said, "Time is up, it really is time for the media industry to take this seriously," and she added that she could not assure the public that abuse was not happening "today". Nandy said she had been contacted by "many people" from within the industry to allege that things had happened to them, and she argued that institutions in media and public life have not changed enough to deal with women who come forward.
“Time is up, it really is time for the media industry to take this seriously.”
Nandy warned that women often face a "very heavy cost" for speaking up, pointing to power imbalances and short-term contracts some staff members are given. The BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster has made a significant commitment to improve its culture, processes and standards, and the corporation restated its apology to staff who felt unable to raise concerns about Brand’s behaviour when he worked at the BBC between 2006 and 2008.
Brand conviction reshapes scrutiny
Russell Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault after a four-week trial, and the case involved allegations from six women spanning the decade between 1999 and 2009. The BBC said there could be "no place for the abuse of power" and urged the industry to work together so that anyone who suffers at someone else's hand feels able to report it. Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of London’s Metropolitan Police called the conviction "a testament to the extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them."
Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women, and Brand was acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The judge presiding over Brand’s criminal case told the court that Brand would be handed down a lengthy prison sentence Monday after he was found guilty in a London court of raping a young fan and sexually assaulting three women.
Whistleblowers, protections, next steps
Nandy urged media and entertainment companies to strengthen protections for women against abuses and warned that sexual exploitation in these sectors "probably still happens today." Nandy urged organisations to join the Independent Authority for Standards of the Creative Industries, and she highlighted that public broadcasting has already joined the initiative. The BBC said it had signed up to the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority and that it set out behavioural expectations after an independent culture review, with action taken if those expectations were not met.
Nandy told the media industry that "time is up" to bring in systems to protect vulnerable whistleblowers, and she quoted her saying, "It really is time for the media industry to take this seriously and to put those practices into action." The Independent said Nandy told Sky News that if organisations did not sign up to protection for whistleblowers, the government would take action to make them do so, and it reported that Andy Burnham would look at how rape cases are conducted in court after Brand’s conviction.
