The BBC is still hoping it could work with DJ Sideman in the future after his resignation from 1Xtra forced the corporation to U-turn on the decision to broadcast the N-word.
BBC bosses had no warning that David Whitely, aka Sideman, was about to quit the radio station when he published an Instagram video on Saturday saying he no longer felt able to work with the corporation.
Amid fears of further staff resignations and protests, BBC director general Tony Hall stepped in on Sunday and overruled the original decision, saying “every organisation should be able to acknowledge when it has made a mistake”.
Whitely declined to comment on Monday amid speculation inside the BBC that he could soon return to the airwaves.
The original broadcast on the local Points West bulletin featured a reporter repeating racist language, allegedly used in a hit-and-run attack in Bristol. It was rebroadcast on BBC News where it attracted attention on social media and more than 18,000 complaints.
BBC News management strongly defended the decision, internally to diversity groups and externally, insisting the decision to broadcast the language was made following careful consideration and with the approval of the victim.
Instead the incident has again focused attention on the BBC’s editorial policy and the diversity of the corporation’s senior staff. Some staff at the corporation have complained that it took the resignation of a young black employee to force change while those involved in the original broadcast were defended.
Larry Madowo, a US-based correspondent for BBC World, said he had been exasperated by the incident and the inconsistency of the application of the rules: “The BBC didn’t allow me, an actual black man, to use the N-word in an article when quoting an African American who used it. But a white person was allowed to say it ON TV because it was ‘editorially justified’.”
The BBC didn’t allow me, an actual black man, to use the N-word in an article when quoting an African American who used it. But a white person was allowed to say it ON TV because it was ‘editorially justified’ https://t.co/bUAaIxZyeR
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) August 9, 2020
Marcus Ryder, a former BBC News executive, pointed out that only three swear words currently require a mandatory referral to the highest levels of BBC management before use, while racist language remains at the discretion of individual programme editors.
He said the corporation struggles to hold on to black executives at high levels, suggesting the culture of the BBC is to blame: “This N-word thing is a really good illustration of why it’s just too tough. If you’re a black person and you’re working in an organisation and you really need to explain to your bosses why broadcasting the N-word at 10.30 in the morning is a problem, then it’s too tough.”
It is the second time in a year that Hall, who is stepping down imminently, has overturned an editorial decision following complaints from staff and the public. In October he overruled the BBC editorial complaints unit after it ruled against BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty over comments about Donald Trump and racism.
