[ad_1]
The executive director of the Society of Publishers has resigned after an ongoing series of withdrawals from the National Press Awards over claims that there is no racism in the press made his position untenable.
SoE executive director Ian Murray resigned from his position Wednesday night, he said in a statement. It came amid mounting pressure after host Charlene White’s withdrawal was followed by a string of nominees who said they did not wish to be considered at the ceremony.
“Since the statement was issued, the SoE has been heavily criticized,” Murray said. “While I do not agree that the Society’s statement was intended to defend racism in any way, I do accept that it could have been much clearer in its condemnation of bigotry and has clearly caused upset.
“As CEO, I run the Society and as such I take the blame, so I have decided that it is best for the board and members to step aside so that the organization can begin to rebuild its reputation.” .
Murray said he was stepping aside “with a heavy heart” and added that he is “proud” of the SoE’s work “defending media freedom during the three years I have been in charge, as well as the initiatives we have created. and we continue to create about diversity. ” in the newsroom ”.
Alison Gow, president of SoE, thanked Murray for his work and praised his work as an activist for journalistic rights and freedoms. She added: “Society is committed to representing all journalists and defending Journalism; I am clear about what our mission should be, and we will strive as an organization to listen and listen to everyone’s points of view, and to be strong advocates and allies of all those we represent. “
Earlier Wednesday, the society’s directors had issued a new statement, saying that Murray’s response to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview, titled “The UK media is not intolerant,” “did not reflect what that we all know: that there is a lot of work to be done in the media to improve diversity and inclusion ”.
But even with some board members saying they felt the situation was “ridiculous” and made them “very angry,” that step proved insufficient to draw a line under the story. Many, including some of the 236 journalists of color from the Guardian, Metro, the New York Times, the BBC and others who signed an open letter expressing dismay, said the move was too little, too late.
It is understood that several board members spoke with Murray on Wednesday. One said the decision became inevitable after people began to abandon the awards, a key source of funding for the industry body. Another said the move was necessary because of “anger and dismay at the damage to society and our industry,” but that finances were not a factor.
White, an ITV news anchor, was the first person to walk away from the awards ceremony, saying in a message to Murray: “Maybe you’d better look elsewhere for a host for your awards this year. Maybe someone whose views match yours – that the UK press is the only institution in the whole country that has a perfect race record. “
Rachel Oldroyd, editor of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which was the first outlet to withdraw award nominees because of the controversy, said: “This is not about an individual, but about us all helping our industry achieve the change you clearly need. We cannot begin to make those changes if we do not address the problems that exist. Perhaps we could start by appointing a person of color to head the Publishers Society. ”He said the Bureau of Investigative Journalism had no plans yet to restore its entries.
Later, Aasma Day, a HuffPost correspondent in the north of England, withdrew his entry from the Reporting Diversity category, saying the statement “is a total mockery of this award,” and the Yorkshire Post withdrew his nominations in the general categories.
Others, angered by the statement, suggested that it was not the award nominees who should be required to act. “My view is that Ian Murray is the one who needs to withdraw his ridiculous statement,” said Stephen Bush, political editor of the New Statesman. “It shouldn’t fall to the nominees to have to withdraw.”
The SoE will now hope that Murray’s departure will be seen as an indication of how seriously the issue has been taken, and will encourage those who withdrew to return to the shortlist.
Murray had said Monday that the statements made by Harry and Meghan about the press were “unacceptable” and made without “supporting evidence”, insisting that the UK media “have a proud record of speaking out against racism.” In an article titled “The UK media is not intolerant,” he said the tone of the tabloid coverage was simply based on “focusing on those in positions of power, celebrities or influence.”
In the subsequent statement, the board, not Murray, said the SoE would “reflect on the reaction our statement elicited and work to be part of the solution.”
