BBC Radio host DJ Sideman has announced that he will be leaving the team following the use of a n-word reporter in a news segment. The host of BBC Radio 1xtra, whose real name is David Whitely, announced his departure from BBC in an Instagram post.
“I just do not feel comfortable getting in line with the organization,” Whitely, who is Black, said in the social media video posted Saturday. ‘I can not make sense of it, not how much I think about it. That I think it’s time I’m gone. ”
Whitely made his announcement after BBC reporter Fiona Lamdin used the racial slur to report a violent crime. Describing the attack, in which a health care worker was hit by a car, Lamdin said, “Just to warn you, you are about to hear very offensive language, because men are harsh racial abuse, because he the men in a *****. ‘ ”
Similar story
‘A very English scandal’ Author Pens BBC Drama ‘Stonehouse’; Michael Palin to reflect on his travels in BBC series – Global Briefs
Since the television aired in late July, the BBC has received more than 18,600 complaints about the racist slur’s reporter’s use. The network reacted backwards and stated that ‘decision to use the word was not taken lightly and without much thought: we knew it would cause crime.
The BBC added: “In this specific context, we felt the need to not only explain and report the injuries, but, given their proven extreme nature, are the words being used – a position which, as we said was supported by the family and the victim. “
While the BBC said it would not return the airline segment to its current form, Whitely shared his network’s ultimate approval to broadcast the video segment on television.
“The BBC sanctions the n-word that is said on national television by a white person is something I can not rock with,” he said. ‘This feels more than misinterpreted. The action and the defense of the action feels like a slap in the face to our community. ‘
See Whitely’s full statement below.
