The BBC has denied that staff who must be politically neutral have been told not to attend LGBT or BLM protests - but said if in doubt they should seek advice before attending events.
The i newspaper reported that senior executives were told in a meeting on Wednesday they should not attend “political protests”.
The report said the guideline was issued under new impartiality rules announced on Thursday.
These apparently included Black Lives Matter and LGBT protests.
Staff were allegedly told attending pride could be acceptable if as a "celebration" but where it is a protest the rules would apply.
A spokesman for the BBC told the Mirror the BBC has no ban on attending events but guidance states that if staff are unsure people should seek advice on attending, depending on the what the nature of the event is.
The guidance is not specifically for LGBT or BLM demonstrations, but umbrella guidance for all events such as protests and marches.
Director-General Tim Davie has since shared a letter sent to senior staff at the BBC this morning, stating there is no ban on attending Pride parades.
"Attending Pride parades is possible within the guidelines, but due care needs to be given to the guidance and staff need to ensure that they are not seen to be taking a stand on politicised or contested issues," he said.
The statement in full can be read below.
The guidelines are said to apply to staff who are required to be politically neutral in their job role.
This includes those who work in news and current affairs.
One employee in news and current affairs told the i they could be issued with a formal warning or suspended from their job if they attend LGBT protests.
The BBC denied this was policy.
According to reports, BBC staff were warned they should not support campaigns “no matter how apparently worthy the cause or how much their message appears to be accepted or uncontroversial”.
A spokesman for the BBC told the Mirror: "As the guidance states, if anyone has any doubts about events they want to attend they should seek advice before attending."
He referred to the BBC Editorial guidelines which state: "People working in news and current affairs and factual journalism (across all Divisions), as set out in the Guidelines, should not participate in public demonstrations or gatherings about controversial issues.
"As with social media activity, judgement is required as to what issues are “controversial” with regard to marches or demonstrations, though it should be assumed that most marches are contentious to some degree or other.
"If in doubt, advice should be sought before attending."
A a note from Director-General Tim Davie sent to senior staff at the BBC this morning, and shared with the Mirror, says: "Thank you for your support in rolling out the editorial guidance on impartiality yesterday. This new guidance, and the rules around social media activity, are significant steps in renewing our commitment to impartiality and securing the trust our audience have in us.
"There is one specific issue where I want to make sure that there is no room for misinterpretation, following inaccurate commentary and some feedback from staff – which is the ability to participate in Pride parades.
"There is no ban on attending Pride parades.
"The guidance that we published yesterday made it very clear that staff outside of news and current affairs and factual journalism may attend marches, demonstrations and protests as private individuals. I have copied below the relevant extract of the guidance for reference.
"There are different considerations for staff who work in news and current affairs and factual journalism (and senior leaders) but I want to be clear that there is no issue for these staff attending community events that are clearly celebratory or commemorative and do not compromise perceptions of their impartiality.
"If news and current affairs staff are participating in such events they must be mindful of ensuring that they do not get involved in matters which could be deemed political or controversial. There is no ban on these staff attending Pride events.
"Attending Pride parades is possible within the guidelines, but due care needs to be given to the guidance and staff need to ensure that they are not seen to be taking a stand on politicised or contested issues.
"Protecting the BBC’s impartiality is core to everything we do. We must ensure that we avoid doing anything that endangers audience perceptions of the BBC’s impartiality and to protect the ability of staff in news and current affairs to report fairly and impartially."
