BBC’s bias against minorities: Corporation's news boss says there are not enough black or female presenters because managers tend to recruit in their own image

James Harding says he plans to increase ethnic minorities on screen

He will intr od uce stricter diversity targets and a 'sponsorship scheme'

R ecent appointments were 'changing the look and sound of the BBC'

The BBC could have an 'unconscious bias' against ethnic minorities, women and disabled people, its news boss admitted yesterday.

James Harding said there is a lack of diversity among its top news presenters because managers tend to recruit those who look like them.

He said he plans to 'do something determined' to increase the number of ethnic minorities and women on screen, including stricter diversity targets and a 'sponsorship scheme' to help them progress to senior positions.

BBC News boss James Harding says too many top presenters are white men

In a speech to BBC staff at New Broadcasting House, he said: 'On the issues of diversity, equality and disability at the BBC, my view remains that we - by which I mean me and every one of us who has the power to appoint and promote people within News and Current Affairs - have to do something determined about this.

'Across News, we worry that we have a tendency to recruit in our own image, so all members of the News Group Board have taken a course in unconscious bias.' Mr Harding - who was previously editor of The Times newspaper - said he would 'stick to the principle that the best candidate gets the job'.

But he said news managers are now increasing their diversity targets so that bulletins have more black and ethnic minority presenters in future.

He said BBC London had committed to raising the proportion of ethnic minority staff to 28 per cent, up from 21 per cent, in the next two or three years.

Mr Harding said recent appointments - including Mishal Husain to Radio 4's Today programme and Kamal Ahmed to the post of Business Editor - were already 'changing the look and sound of the BBC.'

Mr Harding said he plans to 'do something determined' to increase the number of ethnic minorities and women on screen

But he added: 'To those to say this is not enough, I agree. There is much more to be done on diversity across the BBC, on air and off it.'

He said: 'The BBC should, surely, be the best news organisation in the country to get a job and prosper if you come from an ethnic minority background, if you are a women, if you are disabled.

'Our target should not be to be good enough, but to be to be much, much better than the rest. We have a long way to go.'

Mr Harding also announced BBC would decrease its news budget by £20million in the next two years, adding to the £40million cuts it has made in the past three.

The BBC has faced more than a decade of criticism over its failure to hire more ethnic minority staff.