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Radio 1Xtra Presenter Sideman Quits Over BBC's Use Of N-Word

BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter Sideman has quit his show over the use of a racial slur in a news report.
BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter Sideman has quit his show over the use of a racial slur in a news report.

Radio 1Xtra presenter Sideman has quit the BBC “effective immediately” over the use of the N-word in a news report.

The DJ, whose real name is David Whitely, said the “action and the defence of the action feels like a slap in the face of our community”.

In a video posted on his Instagram account, he said: “This is an error in judgment where I can’t just smile with you through the process and act like everything is OK.

“I’m happy working with organisations until we all get it right, but this feels like more than getting it wrong.

“The action and the defence of the action feels like a slap in the face to our community.”

He added he is quitting the BBC “effective immediately”.

“With no apology I just don’t feel comfortable being aligned with the organisation,” he said.

“Money and opportunity doesn’t outweigh the dissatisfaction I feel in this situation. This is wild to me, especially in the current social climate and I can’t make any sense of it, no matter how much I think about it, so I think it’s time that I left.”

A spokesperson for Radio 1xrta said: “Sideman is an incredibly talented DJ. Obviously we are disappointed that he has taken this decision.

“We absolutely wish him well for the future. The door is always open for future projects.”

On Thursday the BBC said it had received almost 19,000 complaints in the days after a reporter used the racial slur while covering a racist attack in Bristol.

The segment saw Fiona Lamdin reporting on two men who had driven a car into another man before running off and shouting racist abuse at him.

In the segment, Fiona Lamdin said: “Just to warn you, you are about to hear highly offensive language. Because as the man ran away they hurled racial abuse, calling him a n*****.”

Earlier this week, the BBC responded to the controversy, but notably did not apologise for...

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