BBC bosses in PC row over newsreader's cross

Millions of women across Britain wear this small and insignificant piece of jewellery. But yesterday, in yet another example of PC gone mad, a necklace worn by TV newsreader Fiona Bruce sparked a row among BBC bosses.
The piece of jewellery in question was a small cross on a necklace, which the presenter recently wore while presenting the Ten O'Clock News.
She has worn it for some years, in fact, but now some at the BBC want to ban her from wearing the accessory, with a former policy-maker at the organisation describing it as "a potential mistake" that might suggest some kind of religious affiliation.
The BBC was debating whether a female Muslim newsreader should be allowed to wear a headscarf while reading the news when the issue over Ms Bruce's cross was brought up.
The matter was then brought to the attention to the director of BBC News, Helen Boaden who raised the matter in a meeting.
A source who attended the meeting said: "It was argued that BBC staff on screen should not wear anything which hints or directly points to a political or religious leaning and that the cross contravened this and should not be allowed."
Stephen Whittle, a former controller of editorial policy at the BBC said that the fact that Fiona Bruce had worn a cross while reading the news was a mistake.
"A newsreader should not let themselves get in the way of a story by wearing things that make the audience wonder about the newsreader's own position on a story," said Whittle.
It is understood, however, that Ms Bruce has not been asked to remove the necklace, and that the BBC does not have any official guidelines on the wearing of religious symbols.