Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow has taken a voluntary pay cut of 25 per cent in a gesture aimed at bridging the gender pay gap at the news service.
While Snow is paid by Channel 4, ITN produces its news programme.
When pay gaps were reported under Government edict earlier this year, Channel 4 revealed a mean gap of 28.6 per cent earlier this year and a mean bonus gap of 47.6 per cent, both favouring men.
ITN recorded a mean gender pay gap of 19.6 per cent and a mean gender bonus gap of 77.2 per cent, the highest of any UK news media organisation. Again, both favouring men.
“ITN’s not so good when it comes to equal pay, but I’ve taken a gender pay cut,” Snow told the Mail.
He said the pay cut was a “co-operative gesture”, adding: “I took the cut over two months ago, 25 per cent. Alas, contractually, I am not able to disclose my salary then or now.”
The Mail claimed Snow had a reported salary of £1m, however a senior source from Channel 4 confirmed to Press Gazette that it was “substantially less than that” and that Snow was “not even the top paid presenter at ITN”.
Snow told the Mail: “It’s a bit tricky because I’m employed by Channel 4, and they’re employed by ITN, so it was difficult to make the comparison [in gender pay gaps].
“But anyway, the good thing is that money is now being spent on women. Mostly on women.”
An ITN spokesperson said: “ITN is committed to providing an equal and diverse workplace for all its employees and we are confident in our equal pay policy.
“Since announcing our gender pay gap, we have put in place tough targets to halve the gap within five years, alongside initiatives that will empower and support women in order to progress their careers.
“In addition, all senior management bonuses, including the chief executive, are now subject to exacting gender and diversity targets to help get us to where we need to be.”
Channel 4 published a Gender Pay Report in March. Its chief executive, Alex Mahon, previously stated that the gap at Channel 4 was “unacceptable”.
A spokesperson for Channel 4 said the company has a “clear set of actions to address it [gender pay gap], including setting a target of achieving a 50:50 gender balance in the top 100 earners at Channel 4”.
Six top-earning BBC journalists agreed to have their pay cut in January amid the row over equal pay. Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine, News at Ten anchor Huw Edwards, Today presenters John Humphrys and Nick Robinson, North America editor Jon Sopel and Radio Five Live presenter Nicky Campbell all agreed to a salary reduction.
Picture: Channel 4 News/Screenshot
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
