ITN pays men 20% more than women, new figures reveal

Company that makes news programmes for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 said 17 of its 20 top earners are men

Channel 4 news presenter Cathy Newman labelled a 77% bonus gap 'staggering' (Getty)

ITN pays men 19.6 per cent more than women, on average, the media company has revealed.

ITN, which makes news programmes for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 said 17 of its 20 top earners are men. The median pay gap at ITN is 18.2 per cent and men are also paid 77 per cent more in bonuses than their female colleagues.

The company’s chief executive John Hardie said the gap was “mainly caused by having fewer women than men in senior leadership roles and we know that we have to work even harder to address this”.

Channel 4 news co-host Cathy Newman labelled the gap “staggering”.

She tweeted: “Shows just how pervasive inequality is. I'm very fortunate to be fairly paid but I will continue speaking out for the many colleagues who aren't.”

A report into pay at the BBC revealed men were paid 10.7 per cent more than women.

It came after the corporation published figures last July showing large differences between the amounts paid to top-earning male and female stars.

Top earner Chris Evans was paid £2m last year, while the highest paid woman - Claudia Winkleman - earned between £450,000 and £499,999.

The BBC's former China editor Carrie Gracie resigned in January from her role in protest over unequal pay.

ITN’s Mr Hardie said: “We are putting in place tough targets, including halving our pay gap within five years, alongside initiatives that will empower and support women in order to progress their careers.

“Solving these long-term issues will not happen overnight but ITN is committed to tackling the root causes in order to provide a culture in which everyone's voice is heard and the path to the top is open to all.”