Monday, January 18, 2010



Wrong to say a black man is "not ethnically British"?

Sounds like the whole concept of ethnicity is becoming politically incorrect:
"The BBC has admitted breaching its editorial guidelines after The Mail on Sunday revealed how two leading BNP activists were allowed to make unchallenged ‘racist’ statements on a flagship news broadcast.

A special edition of Radio 1’s Newsbeat programme introduced the two interviewees as ‘young guys who are members of the BNP’ but failed to say the pair were, in fact, key members of the far-Right party’s leadership.

BNP members said east London-born Ashley, pictured here with wife Cheryl Cole, was 'not ethnically British' They also spoke of him ‘coming to this country’, even though Cole was born in East London.

Now the BBC’s Editorial Complaints Unit has ruled that BBC Newsbeat was wrong not to reveal the two men’s standing in the BNP, and that their views should have faced ‘rigorous challenge’.

Source

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Far worse is the conclusion that they should have been grilled more than usual BECAUSE they are members of the BNP.
The "investigation" was not about the statement, but about the lack of negative commentary and ridicule poured over the BNP for making it.

Anonymous said...

Excellent point!

Anonymous said...

Yep - this was my first thought too Anon 2:37.
Apparently interviewers from the Beeb must be far more vigorous if you belong to the BNP than any other political persuasion.

Anonymous said...

There is an important legal difference between being "British" and a "UK citizen".