BBC staff are said to be angered at the revelation that two top executives spent more than £10k of public money on a jolly to Asia.
The Director General, Tony Hall, and Director of News and Current Affairs, James Harding, made the visit back in April. Flying business class, at a cost of more than £5k each, the pair explored several countries in the region, including Burma, South Korea and China. As well as hobnobbing with local dignatories, the pair visited a newly opened BBC bureau.
The trip coincides with BBC plans to axe 415 newsgathering jobs, which has naturally attracted some criticism from workers on the newsroom floor.
A BBC insider told the Telegraph: "It's typical for the top dogs to go on a lavish business trip at the same
time many of us are having to worry about our mortgages with the planned
cuts".
Justifying the expense, a BBC spokesman replied: "The BBC is
a global media organisation and the Director General and the Director of News and Current Affairs travel abroad to represent the organisation.
"On this particular trip, they visited the BBC bureau,
meeting other broadcasters, government ministers and politicians."
Return economy flights from London to Beijing are available for as little as £700 per person.
3 comments:
"Return economy flights from London to Beijing are available for as little as £700 per person."
You can't expect such fat cats to travel in economy seats!
For two such important people to tour the far east in five star comfort ten grand sounds cheap.
Be thankful they didn't travel in first class!
"...at the same time many of us are having to worry about our mortgages with the planned cuts".
My heart bleeds, as you report bias lies, and welcome the vicious rape of children.
Enjoy the dole queue.
£5000 pounds is slightly over 34 licence fees. Between the two of them, they blew 70 licence fees just on the plane tickets. I hate to think what was the the cost of the hotels and fine dining on top of that. It probably won't be mentioned in the letters sent out from 'TV Licensing'.
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