A BBC presenter has repeated the N-word in a report on what police believe to have been a racially-motivated hit-and-run attack on a young NHS worker in Bristol.
A Honda Accord was deliberately driven into the unnamed 21-year-old near Southmead Hospital as he was leaving work last Wednesday afternoon, hurling him from the pavement into a nearby garden, according to witnesses.
Two men reportedly shouted racist abuse at him before fleeing the scene of the attack, in which police say the young man could have been killed. He suffered a broken leg, nose and cheekbone, and will require plastic surgery to his face and leg.
While relaying what frightened witnesses allegedly heard the perpetrators shout as they fled, BBC social affairs correspondent Fiona Lamdin, who is white, narrated in a pre-recorded segment: “Just to warn you, you’re about to hear highly offensive language.
“Because as the men ran away, they hurled racial abuse, calling him a n*****.”
The decision to include the uncensored slur drew condemnation from viewers on social media.
“BBC News have just used N***** without bleeping, non-censored on daytime television. Read by a journalist. Terrible editorial decision,” tweeted Ava Santina, a producer at LBC.
Freelance multimedia journalist Zab Mustefa wrote: “I’m just wondering why you thought it’s acceptable to drop the n-word in your report on BBC News? Didn’t you get the memo? Non-Black people can never say that word, even when describing a racist incident.”
Another Twitter user wrote: “Actually can’t believe they just repeated the n-word on my local BBC news during a report about a racist attack. Even with a warning, is there any need to say it? It’s pretty easy to hint at what was said without using the word,” following its airing on local BBC news on Tuesday.
The BBC said in a statement: “This was a story about a shocking unprovoked attack on a young black man. His family told the BBC about the racist language used by the attackers and wanted to see the full facts made public.
“A warning was given before this was reported. We are no longer running this version of the report but are continuing to pursue the story.”
Following the attack, Avon and Somerset Police said there is no evidence to suggest a wider risk to the public. The force has recovered the car used in the attack and is reviewing CCTV footage.
In a statement following the attack, the young man said: “I don’t feel safe to walk outside and I can’t play football, record my music, go to the gym or even sleep – I have to try to sleep sitting up.
“I am lucky to be alive. I want to make sure it doesn’t happen to any other person. I want to raise awareness about racism and I want people to stop this hatred. These men and this attack do not represent Bristol. Bristol is made up of so many different communities and I know so many great people.”
He added: “We will bounce back as a family, this will make us stronger. We won’t let the haters win.”
