Jon Snow has quietly taken a 25% salary cut in an attempt to tackle the gender pay gap.
The 70-year-old newsreader has worked at Channel 4 for more than 30 years, and he was troubled to find out that women working for the broadcaster were paid nearly 30% less than their male counterparts.
Speaking to the Daily Mail newspaper, he revealed: "ITN’s not so good when it comes to equal pay, but I’ve taken a gender pay cut.
"I did it as a co-operative gesture.
"I took the cut over two months ago — 25 per cent. Alas, contractually, I am not able to disclose my salary then or now."
The wage gap for ITN – which produces news programmes for Channel 4 and ITV, amongst others – was at 19.6%, and Jon admitted the situation can make it difficult to establish the gap.
He explained: "It’s a bit tricky because I’m employed by Channel 4, and they’re employed by ITN, so it was difficult to make the comparison [in gender pay gaps].
"But anyway, the good thing is that money is now being spent on women. Mostly on women."
The salaries were revealed in March this year, and Channel 4’s new chief executive said at the time that it made for "uncomfortable reading" while announcing plans to "address" the problem.
Alex Mahon said: "This number obviously makes for uncomfortable reading and I am determined to take action to address it.
"There is no quick fix, but identifying the complex and multiple reasons behind our gap is the first step towards tackling the fundamental issues at play."
Jon Snow takes salary cut to reduce gender pay gap
