BBC hits back at 'snoozing night-shifters' Sun story that claimed workers sleep on the job

The BBC has hit back at yesterday’s Sun front page , which accused the corporation’s newsroom staff of sleeping on the job.

The tabloid’s cover bore the headline ‘Here is the Snooze’, and accused BBC journalists of regularly nodding off during their 12-hour shifts, with some staff only doing “around an hour” of work.

The BBC Press Office responded promptly, sharing a tweet of an Ipos MORI poll that asked: “Of all the news sources, which one source are you most likely to turn to for news you trust the most?” 57 per cent said the BBC, compared to the 0.3 per cent that chose The Sun.

Captioned “Even with our eyes closed, it’s good to know the public trusts BBC News more than the Sun”, it has received more than 12,000 likes.

BBC World News anchor Babita Sharma also hit back at the story on Twitter, saying BBC journalists were working “round the clock” and the “only scandal here is [The Sun’s] headline”.

The photos were taken between 2013 and April this year and are said to feature members of news gathering staff at London’s Broadcasting House, who work behind the glass wall of the studio used for the evening news.

Photos show staff slumped over their desks and lying back in chairs with their eyes closed in the open plan office.

A whistle-blower said the photos, which were taken during night shifts, reveal a “total waste of taxpayers’ money”, adding “in a 12 hour shift there I would estimate that some staff are doing around one hour of work”.

The whistle-blower said staff earned between £40,000 and £75,000 a year, adding that “freelancers are being paid more than an entire licence fee for a single shift.

“There are far too many managers so once they have delegated there isn’t anything for them to do – so they go to sleep or watch Netflix.

“How do they get away with it? The management doesn’t get in until 8am. There is so much dead time.

“They even say to staff ‘watch what you want, as long as it’s not full screen so the viewers will see’.”

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The insider added: “Don’t get me wrong, some people work hard. The security do, the cleaners do, but there is way too much management.

“These pictures are just a snapshot. There is someone asleep at their desk every night. You’ll see people walk off with a pillow and return four hours later.

“Some of those in the photographs are very qualified and have been there for 20 years. It’s so lazy.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “This is a misleading story about people working a long night shift.

“When they take a break, whether they walk around the block, go for a cup of tea or just simply rest, that’s surely up to them.

“The BBC is hugely grateful to its journalists who work through the night to make sure the country has the best possible news service when it wakes up in the morning.”