Britain's culture minister Lisa Nandy said on Sunday that sexual abuse remains a problem in the media industry and that women who allege abuse are too often not protected . The comments followed the conviction of comedian Russell Brand on Thursday for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others .
Nandy told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that she could not say the abuse was not happening. "Yes, I do, and I think, hand on heart, I can't say to you as the culture secretary that this is not happening today," she said . "In fact, if I had to wager, I would say it is."
She said institutions across public life, including politics, failed to protect women who came forward. "I think that they work in industries like politics and media where the power imbalances are huge," she said . "They're often on short-term flexible contracts, and who you know and reputation is often the key to career advancement. Speaking up has a very heavy cost."
Nandy urged media organizations to join the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), a whistleblowing body. She praised the BBC for signing up to CIISA and taking other steps in recent years, but said other institutions had not done so. "There are other institutions that haven't done that, and time is up," she said . "It really is time for the media industry to take this seriously and to put those practices into action."
She said the government was considering what further steps it could take to mandate such action. Nandy had said earlier on Sky News that the government had a responsibility to make Brand's conviction a "watershed moment" for protecting whistleblowers .
Brand, 51, was convicted of crimes committed between 2004 and 2009. The judge said he faces a "significant" prison term when he is sentenced on Monday . He is also under investigation for two further rape allegations.
A BBC editorial standards report in January 2025 found that staff felt unable to complain about Brand. The culture at Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music, where he presented shows from 2006 to 2008, was cited as the reason . Allegations included claims that he exposed himself in the studio and had sex with a competition winner in a disabled toilet. The BBC formally apologised to those affected.
A BBC spokesman said "there can be no place for abuse of power" and called for collaboration across the industry to ensure victims feel able to report abuse . Channel 4, where Brand also worked, acknowledged the "profound impact of these crimes" and said it had strengthened internal protection and reporting mechanisms .
