Blacklisted: Prominent broadcaster feels sidelined for raising diversity issues

April 14 2014

* Journalist says when she raises concerns about possible sexism or racism, she is seen as a ‘troublemaker’ and ‘blacklisted’
* ‘Intensely bothered’ by lack of senior staff who come from diverse backgrounds or appreciate issues
* Feels senior broadcasters with diverse backgrounds like herself hit ‘some kind of shelf, or wall or glass ceiling’
* Concludes many instituitions suffer from a ‘severe lack of diversity’
* Says publishing industry not alive to ethnic talent
* Comments come as new report author says publishing industry overlooking ethnic talent and only paying lip service to fundamental issues around diversity

By Sailesh Ram and Tasha Mathur

WELL-KNOWN broadcaster and journalist Bidisha (pictured above) has told www.asianculturevulture.com that too many times when she tries to challenge sexism and racism she faces being ‘blacklisted’ by the organisations for which she works.

Her comments come as a new report released today (April 14) shows that the UK publishing industry could be more doing much more to be culturally diverse and that one of the pressing issues is the lack of ethnic talent in the industry as a whole.

In an interview with us about her latest book, “Asylum and Exile” released last month, Bidisha, as she is widely known, said she wouldn’t be surprised if more writers, producers, broadcasters and journalists upped sticks and headed for a place where their talent was more easily encouraged and supported.

She told us that part of the problem was a lack of diversity in the media industry as a whole and it was compounded by those in authority being not much exercised by issues of cultural diversity.

“It bothers me intensely that women and people of colour of both sexes are so heavily under-represented at all levels of the worlds I work in,” she told www.asianculturevulture.com

“We know that black and Asian actors are leaving the UK because roles are not written for them; I wouldn’t be surprised to see the same thing happening with writers, producers, broadcasters, journalists and other talent, especially those working in the freelance, unstable, creative or media world.”

Perhaps yet more shockingly, she said challenging perceptions and assumptions led to her being excluded or dropped from being considered for future jobs.

“The examples of sexism and racism I’ve seen are mainly to do with subtle denigration and exclusion: mentioning a woman artist/writer/director/playwright, or one who is non-white, or one who deals with global issues, for inclusion in a feature or a show or some major platform often just results in the suggestion being ignored, sidelined or subtly put down.

“I’ve witnessed entire programmes and spreads being put together, while there are no women and no women or men or colour, and when I’ve brought it up my comment is greeted with a sneer or defensiveness.

“I also witness casual sexism on a daily basis. In my experience, when I have tried to speak or write about this, I have simply been blacklisted from the organisations I was alluding to. It bothers me intensely that women and people of colour of both sexes are so heavily under-represented at all levels of the worlds I work in,” she said in her first emailed response to a question about the difficulty of establishing a career as a writer and journalist.

She later added: “When you put your head above the parapet like that the only thing that happens is that you’re seen as a troublemaker and you are blacklisted (that is, never commissioned or called again) rather than the system or the network changing. And I have seen and heard, from women and men, women’s work being talked down routinely and subtly, and women being judged on their appearance or mannerism. It’s endemic and ubiquitous.”

She said that she and many others like her – women and of colour – felt like they had “hit some kind of shelf, or wall or glass ceiling”.

Talking about her early success – publishing her first novel, “Seahorses” at 16, she commented: “I see young men promoted over women with far more expertise, drive and experience and I see that the women and people of colour, including me, have hit some kind of shelf, or wall or glass ceiling.”

She said that many professional institutions suffered from a “severe lack of any racial diversity” and that the gender pay gap, casual sexism and so few women of colour in positions of power and authority, all contributed to a calcifying inertia.

“This is down to sexism and racism. Not the overt kind but a much more deadly, subtle and usually subconscious kind which prefers a white male club to anything else,” she explained.

She also said that few women of colour are ever presented as experts outside the clichéd areas of “sexual exploitation, forced genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage and terrorism”.

Answering a question about the diversity of the literary industry, she ended: “Books reviews pages of newspapers are more than 90 per cent white both in terms of critics and the authors they cover. Meanwhile, we know just how many truly diverse books and authors there are out there. The same goes for the programming at book festivals.”

Danuta Kean, Mslexia books editor and the author of “Writing the Future: Black and Asian Writers and Publishers in the UK Market Place” about the state of the UK publishing industry with regards to cultural diversity, told us: “Everyone talks about wanting more diversity, but when you dig a little deeper you find that there remains considerable obstacles to creating a more diverse literary landscape and publishing workforce.

“There also remains pressure on novelists to deliver a ‘certain kind’ of book, so if you are a Black And Minority Ethnic (BAME) writer, there is a feeling – not always voiced – that it should reflect certain tropes of that culture. A more diverse workforce, which had more diverse editors, would see through this.”

The report was commissioned by Spread the Word, a London-based writer development agency.

Joy Francis, executive director of Words of Colour Productions, which supports writers of colour, said: “We already know there is a disturbing trend of writers being compelled to go overseas to get their work published.

“It’s inexcusable that this is happening in the 21st century, but many talented creatives of colour are no longer waiting for the mainstream players to wake up to the obvious. They are creating their own books, films and TV pilots, and finding their own funders and sponsors and partners, thanks to the accessibility of digital platforms. These platforms are allowing them to reach a discerning and diverse global audience.

“This is why we established Words of Colour Productions nearly eight years ago and is why we launched Digital Women UK 18 months ago. We work with the people who really want things to change and have no time for the tired and unimaginative game of paying lip service.”

• ‘Writing the Future: Black and Asian Authors and Publishers in the UK Marketplace’ – http://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/resources/view/writing-the-future
• Full interview with Bidisha Mamta – http://asianculturevulture.com/portfolios/bidisha-asylum-and-exile-fear-loathing-newcomers/

‘Asylum and Exile: The Hidden Voices of London’ – http://www.hive.co.uk/book/asylum-and-exile-the-hidden-voices-of-london/19032660/