London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

BAME acronym: UK broadcasters commit to avoiding catch-all term

BAME acronym: UK broadcasters commit to avoiding catch-all term

UK broadcasters have committed to avoiding the use of the acronym BAME "wherever possible" following the publication of an industry report.

The catch-all description for black, Asian and minority ethnic people will be ditched in favour of the use of more specific terms to describe ethnicity.

The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 welcomed the findings from the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity.

The report concluded there "was a lack of trust" around the term BAME.

The research, which included interviews with journalists, academics and focus groups, found that the collective term had been "used to hide failings in the representation of specific ethnic groups".

It recommended broadcasters drop it, in order to provide better representation and to boost diversity by acknowledging the unique experiences of people from different ethnic backgrounds.

The acronym may still be used in reported speech and official documents but will usually be accompanied by an explanation i.e. specific information on a particular ethnic group not being available.

All broadcasters will move away from using the term in their newsrooms and corporate communications.

Miranda Wayland, BBC head of creative and workforce diversity and inclusion, said that "ensuring that the rich and complex lived experiences of individual ethnic groups are accurately reflected and truthfully portrayed on air and properly recognised in our workplace" was part of the corporation's ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Zaid Al-Qassab, Channel 4's chief marketing officer and executive leader for inclusion and diversity, said: "We welcome the desire within the industry to stop using such vague terminology. In consultation with members of our employee rep group, The Collective, we've followed their recommendation to use the terminology 'ethnically diverse'".

The authors of the report said they were delighted with the decision.

"We are very happy that British broadcasters are taking the issue of racial language seriously and were happy to undertake this piece of work," said Sarita Malik, Marcus Ryder, Stevie Marsden, Robert Lawson and Matt Gee in a joint statement.

'Misleading and careless'


Momentum has been building over the last couple of years for the term BAME to drop out of official usage.

Last year, the British music industry was urged to stop using the "outdated and offensive" term, by the body representing record labels and musicians.

A taskforce set up by UK Music said the term for black, Asian and minority ethnic people was seen by many as "misleading and inappropriate".

Taskforce chairman and record shop owner Ammo Talwar, described it as a "careless catch-all acronym".

In a BBC Newsbeat article published last year, several interviewees said they would rather not be labelled as BAME.

Nicole Miners, 24, said: "Being a British East Asian actor, or just a person, this was something that really aggravated me.

"The 'A' in 'BAME' means Asian, which, in itself, is a very broad term. Does it mean 'South Asian', 'East Asian', 'South East Asian', 'Indian', 'Pakistani', 'Chinese', 'Thai', 'Vietnamese'? The list goes on.

"It misleads people into thinking that everyone who isn't white English should come under the term BAME. And on top of that, I'm mixed, which, for me, is even more confusing."


Four people from different backgrounds discuss the term 'BAME'


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×