Election dispute over student crews

BECTU has issued instructions to BBC members on how to deal with election footage captured by students on £50 a day.

BBC South plans to post students with lightweight cameras at counts in the General Election, instead of using staff or professional crews.

Members have been instructed that they do not have to deal with any material acquired, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

BBC management, when challenged by the union, said that student footage would be used only if there was a "really significant event" at one of the counts being covered in this way.

BECTU does not believe that this criterion would include violence or disagreements between candidates.

The issue has been formally placed into dispute by BECTU, and members who decline to edit or handle student-originated footage will have full union support.

It is not believed that any other BBC regions intend to cover the election in this way, but the instruction is nevertheless UK-wide.