Job Introduction
The BBC World Service has been undergoing a transformation to ensure that the best World Service content travels further and makes greater impact. As such we have been refocusing our strategy to make BBC WS digital first, and to build reach and engagement on owned and operated platforms, including TV, and on digital. We have also changed the way that we operate.
World Service Languages Channels is a department that brings together our TV and streaming offers. At the core of this are BBC Arabic and BBC Persian TV, which together have a weekly audience of over 42 million, some of the largest BBC global audiences.
As part of our commitment to help to provide clarity and truth for our audiences and in alignment with the missions of BBC News and BBC World Service, to explain what goes into our story telling more, we aim to make BBC Arabic and BBC Persian world leaders in transparent journalism.
This is a specialist role, focused on responding to moving and breaking stories, but also feeding into more in-depth work when commissioned with other teams. The role will present regularly for live output and require first class Persian and English language skills.
You will help to lead a wider change on our channels, through our cue writing, interviews and programming to become more open in our journalism, explaining what we know, what we don’t know and why we make the editorial decisions that we do.
You will present quick turnaround verification on regional stories using standardised BBC systems and tools, fact-check during breaking news and major events, and become a key part of the daily output.
Though your primary role will be to present on WSL Channels, as a forensic expert you will work closely with colleagues in the new operating model of the world service when there is opportunity to make content for wider output across languages. You will coordinate daily in the new content/output model and will work with and alongside BBC Verify on a story basis to support coverage of the Arab world and Iran.
You will also contribute to planned weekly programming on our channels, lifting the curtain on BBC investigative and forensics work from across BBC World Service and BBC News.
We are looking for an innovative Persian speaking Senior Journalist Reporter to help to deliver this ambition.
If you are successful, you are required to go in front of the camera and work during weekends.
Main responsibilities
• To identify, produce and report stories for investigations in a way which demonstrates strong journalistic skills and editorial judgement
• To present segments in front of the camera
• To work as a presenter friend on stories that require live fact-checking and verification
• To do field reporting and conduct interviews
• To use cutting edge Open Source (OSINT) tools and technologies to verify video, photographs and other social media content, using shared BBC tools and processes and often to tight deadlines
• To use code to scrape and analyse data from social media platforms
• To geo-locate and chrono-locate images and events with accuracy, and to use satellite imagery to aid audience understanding
• To fact-check claims from individuals and governments and to debunk viral misinformation
• To find clear, creative and engaging ways to present content, live and as-live, and to drive transparent forms of story-telling both in forensics sequences, and across all of our output from cues, to interviews to social media posts. To create engaging TV and digital formats that enable audiences to see behind the curtain on our reporting
• To develop contacts and monitor online sources to build ideas for more in-depth investigative story-telling, when commissioned with BBC Verify or BBC WSL Content
• To work on joint projects and reports with BBC Arabic’s Forensics team and BBC Verify
• To reversion forensics content produced by other parts of BBC News including BBC Verify and Arabic’s Forensics for live and as live TV reports on BBC Persian
• To explain complex data stories through graphics, charts and other visual journalism tools
• To plan for coverage of big news events which might require forensics journalism skills
• To work closely with editorial teams to improve collaboration in content production and sharing resources
• To use audience participation tools and collaborate with Marketing and Audiences, Global Digital, Impact teams, etc. to be aware of our audiences’ needs and interests and engage with them
Are you the right candidate?
• Fluency in written and spoken Persian and English and the ability to communicate effectively
• Solid experience of on screen presence, reporting, going on air and contributing to live news coverage
• Strong track record of using and leading the use of OSINT and other forensic tools and techniques and data-driven research to produce news-making content
• Demonstrable evidence of successful experience in producing creative, impactful TV and digital news content from Persian language sources
• Demonstrable involvement in high impact journalism, including thorough understanding of working with Editorial Policy, Legal, High Risk and other relevant BBC departments
• Experience of reaching new audiences on social and knowledge of social media best practice
• Success in translating complex, often data-heavy stories into imaginative and compelling multi-platform content
• Proven ability to successfully work with colleagues remotely on complex editorial projects
• The ability to plan and organise time and resources effectively and to manage projects to conclusion according to deadlines
• The ability to work fast, accurately and under pressure
• A self-starting individual – you will be able to come up with ideas, get them commissioned made and delivered efficiently and picked up by teams and platforms across BBC News
Job package
Job Title: Senior Journalist Reporter, Forensics, Persian Channel
Job Reference: 20068
Band: D
Salary: £42,650 - £52,650 plus London Weighting depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.
Contract type: 2 x Permanent roles
Location: Office Base is London
Final date to apply: Monday 27th January 2025
We’re happy to discuss flexible working. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.
Excellent career progression – the BBC offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation.
Unrivalled training and development opportunities – our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.
Benefits - We offer a negotiable salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care and gym. You can find out more about working at the BBC by selecting this link to our .
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Freelancers are eligible to apply for an internal role if you are on a Worker Contract and have worked continuously for 6 months. If you have worked for less than 6 months continuously or have a break of 3 weeks or more between engagements, you must seek Divisional HR approval to apply for an internal role prior to submitting an application.
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Please note that the application process will require you to upload a CV and complete the online application form with the opportunity to detail your experience, skills and knowledge required for the role.
About the BBC
The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC for different reasons and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.
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Diversity matters at the BBC. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, enabling all of our employees to thrive and achieve their full potential.
We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to be part of the BBC – whether that’s to contribute to our programming or our wide range of non-production roles. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.
We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles, unless operational requirements prevent otherwise.
