Lisa Nandy urges media firms to protect abuse reporters

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on 8 November that women who report abuse are too often not protected by institutions across media and public life, and called for stronger safeguards. The Guardian reported her remarks after Russell Brand was convicted in London on 5 November of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.

• Nandy said power imbalances, short-term or flexible contracts, and career reliance on relationships and reputation can make speaking up costly.
• She urged media organisations to join the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), which the Guardian describes as a whistleblowing body.
• She praised the BBC’s steps and CIISA membership, while saying it could do more; she said the government was considering further action to mandate this kind of protection.

Nandy said women who came forward were too often left unprotected by institutions, including in politics. In media and political workplaces, she said, large power imbalances combine with short-term or flexible contracts and career advancement shaped by who people know and their reputations. “Speaking up has a very heavy cost,” she said. The Guardian reported that some women involved in the renewed scrutiny around Brand feared speaking out could harm their careers.

What it means

The Brand conviction has renewed questions about how entertainment organisations handled allegations involving prominent performers. A BBC editorial standards report published in January 2025 found that staff felt unable to complain about Brand because of the culture at Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music, where he presented programmes. The BBC formally apologised to people affected by workplace allegations. Those allegations included claims that Brand exposed himself in a studio, urinated into bottles and threw objects in anger, as well as an account in his memoir of sex with a competition winner in a disabled toilet.

Reuters reported other recent scrutiny of production workplaces. Channel 4 cancelled Married at First Sight UK earlier in November after a review prompted by serious misconduct allegations during production. Reuters said the broadcaster had removed earlier seasons in May, after a BBC report detailed rape allegations by two women during filming. The cases concern different programmes, while Nandy’s call was directed at protections across media and public life.

Reuters also reported Nandy’s assessment in a BBC interview that she could not say abuse was not happening and believed it was. She said people had brought allegations to her and that women were often fearful of challenging employers. Britain’s top police officer said on 6 November that further allegations against Brand were likely as more victims came forward. Brand was due to be sentenced on 9 November; the Guardian reported that the judge had said he faced a significant prison term.