The BBC on Sunday apologized to a reporter who used a racist slur in a news release, after the corporation had previously defended the use of the word in the report.
Director-General Tony Hall sent a memo to staff apologizing for the use of the slur, after the BBC received more than 18,600 complaints about the use of the word in a news release last month.
“We are proud of the BBC’s values of inclusion and respect, and have reflected long and hard on what people have to say about the use of the n ‘word and all racist language, both inside and outside the organization,” he said. said Hall in the message, according to a copy of the email shared with The Hill.
Hall said the BBC’s ‘intention was to mark a proven racist attack’ by using the slur in last month’s report on an attack on a young Black man in Bristol, England. But, said Hall, he acknowledges that it “calmed down in distress among many people.”
“The BBC now accepts that we should have taken a different approach at the time of the broadcast and we regret that. We will now strengthen our guidance on offensive language on our output, ”added Hall.
Comedian and broadcaster Sideman stopped at BBC1Xtra music station on Saturday over the use of the word and the corporation’s lack of apologies, The Associated Press reported.
A spokesman for the radio station said they were disappointed with Sideman’s decision but were open to working with him in the future.
“Sideman is an incredibly talented DJ. Of course, we are disappointed that he made this decision. We absolutely wish him a lot for the future, ”said the 1Xtra spokesperson. “The door is always open for future projects.”
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