Popular British radio host David Whitely, known as ‘Sideman’ on BBC Radio 1Xtra, quit his job after the network decided to include racial pollution in a news story about a racist attack.
The radio host took to Instagram on Saturday to express his disappointment on the network, saying they included the word in the report “feels like a slap in the face to our community.” reports the Associated Press.
“With no apology (from the BBC) I just do not feel comfortable being in agreement with the organization,” Whitely wrote.
Last month, a white reporter for the network used the word in describing a verbal attack that took place between a black employee of the National Health Service who was hit by a car.
Fiona Lamdin preceded the report by saying that the viewers ‘heard very offensive language’. The comment was met with rapid backlash from the internet community, with many people criticizing the fact that the reporter had to edit the word out of her report.
‘No matter how you cut it, Fiona Lamdin should not have said the n-word on TV. What did she think? ” tweeted Matthew Teller, a documentary maker who previously worked for the BBC.
The BBC defends its position by saying it wants to convey the racist nature of the story by using the word and the viewers received “adequate warnings that destructive images and language would be used.”
Currently, the BBC has seen more than 18,000 complaints about the story.
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