All Sections

View and post jobs in journalism
  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Comment/Analysis
  • Editor's Pick
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Broadcast Journalism
    • Digital Journalism
    • Magazines
    • Media Law
    • National Newspapers
    • People
      • Appointments
      • Obituaries
    • Regional Newspapers
  • Press Gazette Podcast
  • British Journalism Awards
  • Press Gazette Email Newsletter

In the news

  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • RSS
Close
[mashshare]
Skip to content
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • RSS
All sections

Search

Search pressgazette.co.uk

Close

Press Gazette

Subscribe to our email newsletter Journalism email newsletter
  • News
  • Comment
  • Data
  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Marketing
  • Awards
  • Jobs

Menu

  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Interviews
  • National Newspapers
  • Regional Newspapers
  • Digital Journalism
  • Broadcast Journalism
  • Media Law
  • Magazines
  • Wires and Agencies
  • Obituaries
  • News
  • Comment/Analysis
  • Jobs
  • British Journalism Awards

In the news

  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
Close
The 42 BBC journalists paid more than £150,000 a year
Former Time Inc editor-in-chief Mark Frith named as the new editor of Radio Times
July 19, 2017
  • Broadcast Journalism
  •    
  • Digital Journalism
  •    
  • News
  •    
  • Radio Journalism
  •    
  • Social media
  •    
  • Television Journalism
  •    

Piers Morgan urges rivals to 'settle down' after outrage over tweeting BBC salary details ahead of 11am embargo

By Freddy Mayhew Twitter

Share this

  • Tweet
  • Share 0
  • Reddit
Comments
3

Piers Morgan has been called “unprofessional” and “disgraceful” by fellow journalists who accused him of breaking an embargo on BBC stars’ salaries by tweeting figures ahead of their official release this morning.

Morgan released details of the corporation’s top earners at 10.08am on Twitter ahead of the 11am release of the addition to the BBC Annual Report, which contained new figures for all BBC staff earning more than £150,000 a year.

Timeline

  • January 22, 2021

    BBC tops £1m on legal fees fighting equal pay and race discrimination cases

  • January 21, 2021

    BBC's Sophia Smith Galer on TikTok fame and why she's 'flummoxed' more publishers don't copy Washington Post's 'Dave'

  • January 14, 2021

    New BBC chairman says Brexit coverage was 'incredibly balanced' and calls licence fee 'least worst' option

The figures revealed Jeremy Vine, John Humphrys and Huw Edwards as the BBC’s three top earning journalists, with Fiona Bruce the highest paid woman journalist at the corporation.

The BBC organised a press conference this morning and made the report available to journalists selected to attend in the hours beforehand.

Morgan claimed a “scoop” online, but his actions enraged a number of journalists who said he had broken an agreement not to report the figures before a designated time.

The Good Morning Britain presenter was chastised by fellow ITV colleague and news anchor Alastair Stewart, who tweeted: “Breaking an embargo, with stuff we’ve all been sitting on for hours, is not a ‘scoop’, it is naff, delusional and unprofessional.”

Morgan, who has nearly 6m followers on Twitter, replied: “You snooze, you lose mate.”

Buzzfeed UK editor-in-chief Janine Gibson also tweeted at Morgan, saying: “Well I suppose you may or may not think the BBC News staff are overpaid but at least they understand the word ‘embargo’.”

Morgan, former editor of the Daily Mirror, replied: “I understand the word ‘scoop’ better.”

Guardian digital editor Ian Prior said: “Breaking embargoes is being that repulsive brat who sneakily unwraps his presents on December 23. Scoop my arse.”

Sky News senior political correspondent Beth Rigby said: “Piers Morgan is utterly disgraceful to break embargo when hacks gathered at BBC for press conference and respected lock-in. Shame on him.”

She added: “Morgan breaks an embargo that dozens of journos honour and calls it a scoop. Funny guy. And a bit of a joke.”

Morgan tweeted to Rigby: “Oh settle down, petal. I just scooped you. Be better next time.”

He later added: “I’d like to apologise to all fellow journalists I scooped on BBC salary story. I can’t help being this good at my job, unfortunately.”

SIGN UP HERE FOR

MEDIA MONITOR

Press Gazette's weekly email providing strategic insight into the future of the media

Subscribe

Related Stories

  • 'Could that intro get any worse?': Journalists weigh in on first episode of BBC One drama Press
  • Science journalist Steve Connor takes aim at 'corrosive effect' of embargoes in British Journalism Awards acceptance speech penned prior to his death
  • 'Taxpayer-funded propagandists' or 'vital frontline staff'? Press Gazette council PR investigation stirs debate
  • There's nothing to see here: Met Police chief ignores nearly 50 questions about use of RIPA to spy on journalists

Explore these topics

  • BBC
  • Piers Morgan
Browse, search and add journalism jobs
Comments

3 thoughts on “Piers Morgan urges rivals to 'settle down' after outrage over tweeting BBC salary details ahead of 11am embargo”

  1. Peter says:
    July 21, 2017 at 1:30 pm

    Surely a scoop is a story a journalist has got by digging around and speaking to contacts, not just by being given a press release.

    Reply
  2. Ian Hunter says:
    July 20, 2017 at 10:12 am

    Like many people, F.Harvey is confusing Piers Morgan with someone that gives a monkeys.

    However, best quote here was Guardian digital editor Ian Prior commenting “Scoop my arse.”

    Made me laugh anyway.

    Reply
1 2

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More content

Post a job on Press Gazette

Most Popular

  1. GB News launches recruitment drive for 140 jobs and declares commitment to 'impartial journalism'
  2. GDPR Adtech GDPR: Watchdog warns all UK companies involved in adtech to 'urgently assess how they use personal data'
  3. most popular newspapers UK UK national newspaper ABCs: Mail on Sunday reports smallest circulation decline in December 2020
  4. Are images for social media copyrighted Taking photos from social media: What news publishers need to know
  5. Barbara Blake-Hannah Fremantle Barbara Blake-Hannah urges media giant Fremantle to 'repair the racist wrong' done by Thames in 1968

Latest Jobs

  • Journalist-at-large, Local Trust
  • Global Witness logo investigative journalist job Investigation Officer (Forests), Global Witness
  • Editor in Chief, Scottish Sun
Former Time Inc editor-in-chief Mark Frith named as the new editor of Radio Times

© copyright 2021 Press Gazette Ltd. Made in Taiwan.