British radio host Sideman quit the BBC on Saturday over the corporation’s decision to include a racial slur in a news report about a racist attack.
Sideman, who appeared on music station Radio 1Xtra, said in an Instagram post that broadcasting the word “feels like a slap in the face to our community.”
The comedian and broadcaster, whose real name is David Whitely, said that “with no apology (from the BBC) I just don’t feel comfortable being aligned with the organization.”
The BBC included the word when reporting last month on a violent attack on a young Black man in Bristol, a city in southwest England. The attackers are reported to have yelled the offensive term as they ran into the 21-year-old with a car.
The victim needed hospital treatment for a broken leg and other injuries.
The BBC has defended the decision to use the word, saying it wanted to convey the racist nature of the attack and “gave adequate warnings that upsetting images and language would be used.”
On Thursday the BBC said it had received more than 18,000 complaints about the broadcast.
(AP)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
4 Responses
Insane. The news’s JOB is to report what happens. If what they called the victim is relevant to the story then it should be reported.
To Milhose: Should your proposal apply to YWN?
To Milhose: Should your proposal apply to Mary Trump’s allegations about her uncle Donald’s anti-Semitic statements? Yes, she did not quote his exact words, but if she did, should YWN publish them?
There Is no difference between offensive monikers for races and people’s and nivul peh that is constantly broadcasted on these platforms. If they want to censor themselves, they should start by removing all the schmutz, not just the one offensive term for an African, which anyone knows anyway.