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BBC boss apologises for racial slur in news report

Photo credit: Peter Summers - Getty Images
Photo credit: Peter Summers - Getty Images

From Digital Spy

BBC boss Tony Hall has apologised for a BBC News report containing a racial slur.

The public service broadcaster was hit with more than 18,600 complaints about the racial slur used during a news report at the end of July, documenting injuries sustained by a Bristolian NHS worker and musician known as K or K-Dogg after he was hit by a car.

The 21-year-old suffered a broken leg, cheekbone and nose after being taunted with racist language by the car's occupants. While reporting the story, the N-word was used by the newsreader on air.

After initially defending the use of the slur in the report, BBC director-general Tony Hall has apologised in an email sent to BBC staff, acknowledging the incident 'created distress amongst many people'.

He also said the BBC will be "strengthening [its] guidance on offensive language".

Photo credit: Guy Levy - BBC
Photo credit: Guy Levy - BBC

Related: BBC receives more than 18,600 complaints over racial slur in news report

"This is important journalism which the BBC should be reporting on and we will continue to do so," he said (via BBC).

"Yet despite these good intentions, I recognise that we have ended up creating distress amongst many people.

"The BBC now accepts that we should have taken a different approach at the time of broadcast and we are very sorry for that. We will now be strengthening our guidance on offensive language across our output.

"Every organisation should be able to acknowledge when it has made a mistake. We made one here."

Photo credit: David M. Benett - Getty Images
Photo credit: David M. Benett - Getty Images

The apology follows BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ Sideman — David Whitely — resigning over the incident, with the BBC's director of creative diversity and Loose Women presenter June Sarpong welcoming the apology.

"I am glad BBC director general Tony Hall has personally intervened to unequivocally apologise over BBC News' use of the N-word," she said in a tweet.

Four men have since been arrested for the attack on K-Dogg.


For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.


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