BBC News China editor Carrie Gracie quit her job at the Beijing bureau after accusing the BBC of a "secretive and illegal pay culture," BBC News reported Sunday night. In an open letter on her blog, Gracie said that she was offered the new China editor position four years ago, and despite the challenges of living 5,000 miles from her kids "in a heavily censored one-party state" where she "would face surveillance, police harassment, and official intimidation," she accepted the job, on the condition that "I must be paid equally with my male peers."
The BBC was compelled last July to release the salaries of all employees earning more than £150,000 (about $200,300) a year, and the two male international editors, for the U.S. and Middle East, earned "at least 50 percent more" than Gracie — a 30-year BBC veteran who speaks fluent Mandarin — and the other female international editor, Gracie said. "Enough is enough." The Equality Act of 2010 "states that men and women doing equal work must receive equal pay," and "I told my bosses the only acceptable resolution would be for all the international editors to be paid the same amount," she wrote.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Amazon's 'James Bond' deal could mean a new future for 007In the Spotlight The franchise was previously owned by the Broccoli family
-
Why are Republicans suddenly panicking about DOGE?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As Trump and Musk take a chainsaw to the federal government, a growing number of Republicans worry that the massive cuts are hitting a little too close to home
-
What is JD Vance's Net Worth?In Depth The vice president is rich, but not nearly as wealthy as his boss and many of his boss' appointees
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocksSpeed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US SteelSpeed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons mergerSpeed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battleSpeed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rallySpeed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
