Sacked BBC Radio Cornwall presenter ‘thought he was in the fitting’

“If managers spoke to me, I would have taken that on board” a former BBC radio presenter has informed an employment tribunal.

Jack Murley, from Bodmin, labored with BBC Radio Cornwall from 2019 till 2024, when he was sacked by the company.

A listening to in Exeter has heard how Mr Murley was dismissed for breaching the BBC’s editorial and social media pointers. He is looking for greater than £48,000 in compensation.

The former presenter defined on the listening to: “I thought I was in the right”.

Mr Murley stated he “believed he was acting within the guidelines” and would have been prepared to make adjustments or “undertake training” if issues had been raised.

From 2022 Mr Murley overtly provided his views on social media concerning the BBC’s Local Value For All undertaking, which concerned adjustments to native radio stations and newsrooms, throughout England.

He was taken off air on 30 June 2023 following a heated conversation with his manager, after they mentioned his use of social media.

Questions have been additionally raised about content material in Mr Murley’s Loosest Goose radio function, a satirical phase that included innuendo and was stated to breech BBC pointers.

Tomos Livingstone, a Senior News Editor at BBC Wales, was the listening to supervisor for the disciplinary proceedings introduced towards Mr Murley.

He described the Loosest Goose as “awful” and informed the listening to it was one thing that “shouldn’t be broadcast on radio Cornwall at midday on a Sunday”.

He stated it was “deeply inappropriate” and “well beyond innuendo”.

On the social media use, Mr Livingstone stated the posts have been thought of in the identical method as a broadcast and Mr Murley “should have had the knowledge and experience to be compliant with the guidelines”.

He informed the tribunal it had been a “clear and straightforward decision” to think about the case as “gross misconduct” and it was felt that Mr Murley had been too nice a “risk” to the company.

His disciplinary case was despatched to attraction and Adam Smyth, Director of BBC Northern Ireland, was the listening to supervisor.

He informed the tribunal Mr Murley was “effectively working off grid” and had not accepted that he had breached the rules.

He upheld the disciplinary resolution saying, “we have to be sure that our presenters are trustworthy”.

Mr Murley claimed he had offered “multiple examples” of managers endorsing the innuendo in Loosest Goose.

Based on this he questioned how he was presupposed to know that it breached the rules.

He stated after 13 years with the company it was not “reasonable” to go instantly from no earlier causes for concern to “summary dismissal”.

He informed the listening to: “I think there was a way back, I wanted to stay at the BBC, I loved the BBC.”

The tribunal continues.