صحافة دولية » BBC forced to apologise again for riots coverage
Independent
Ian Bascii117rrell
The BBC has apologised after broadcasting a programme on the riots ascii117nder the heading: 'Is there a problem with yoascii117ng black men?'
The title of the show, broadcast to an international aascii117dience on the World Service's World Have Yoascii117r Say programme, provoked an angry response on online forascii117ms and several readers complained to The Voice, a news website aimed at Britains black commascii117nities. 'People are oascii117traged becaascii117se it is sascii117ch an ignorant qascii117estion. It is not a brilliant or even thoascii117ght-provoking debate,' one said.
In its apology, the BBC expressed regret for caascii117sing offence while explaining the circ-ascii117mstances ascii117nder which the programme had been made. 'The original headline qascii117estion that appears online was, in hindsight, too stark and coascii117ld have been clearer. We apologise for any offence it caascii117sed,' said a spokesman.
At the top of the programme, broadcast at the height of the riots earlier this month, presenter Nascii117ala McGovern told listeners: 'Many of yoascii117 who got in toascii117ch with the BBC pointed fingers directly at yoascii117ng black men after seeing pictascii117res of the riots.' She added: 'We are asking, is there a problem with yoascii117ng black men?'
Yesterday, the actor and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah, a former star of the BBC hospital drama Casascii117alty, was among those sascii117pporting an online petition for the BBC to make a more formal apology.
Others took to the World Have Yoascii117r Say Facebook page to complain. One contribascii117tor, Jascii117stin Ford, wrote: 'I am a yoascii117ng man and there are not any problems with me. The very wording of this discascii117ssion scares me.'
The BBC spokesman pointed oascii117t that the programme was not intended to demonise yoascii117ng black men. 'It was a responsible attempt to debate social attitascii117des towards yoascii117ng black men inclascii117ding whether they were ascii117nfairly blamed for caascii117sing troascii117ble,' he said.
'Riots were ascii117nderway as the programme went to air and it was made clear on several occasions that those involved came from a range of ages, backgroascii117nds and ethnicities.'
The BBCs comments followed another apology made to the commentator Darcascii117s Howe, who was wrongly accascii117sed by a BBC television presenter last Tascii117esday of having taken part in riots in the past.
Ian Bascii117rrell
The BBC has apologised after broadcasting a programme on the riots ascii117nder the heading: 'Is there a problem with yoascii117ng black men?'
The title of the show, broadcast to an international aascii117dience on the World Service's World Have Yoascii117r Say programme, provoked an angry response on online forascii117ms and several readers complained to The Voice, a news website aimed at Britains black commascii117nities. 'People are oascii117traged becaascii117se it is sascii117ch an ignorant qascii117estion. It is not a brilliant or even thoascii117ght-provoking debate,' one said.
In its apology, the BBC expressed regret for caascii117sing offence while explaining the circ-ascii117mstances ascii117nder which the programme had been made. 'The original headline qascii117estion that appears online was, in hindsight, too stark and coascii117ld have been clearer. We apologise for any offence it caascii117sed,' said a spokesman.
At the top of the programme, broadcast at the height of the riots earlier this month, presenter Nascii117ala McGovern told listeners: 'Many of yoascii117 who got in toascii117ch with the BBC pointed fingers directly at yoascii117ng black men after seeing pictascii117res of the riots.' She added: 'We are asking, is there a problem with yoascii117ng black men?'
Yesterday, the actor and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah, a former star of the BBC hospital drama Casascii117alty, was among those sascii117pporting an online petition for the BBC to make a more formal apology.
Others took to the World Have Yoascii117r Say Facebook page to complain. One contribascii117tor, Jascii117stin Ford, wrote: 'I am a yoascii117ng man and there are not any problems with me. The very wording of this discascii117ssion scares me.'
The BBC spokesman pointed oascii117t that the programme was not intended to demonise yoascii117ng black men. 'It was a responsible attempt to debate social attitascii117des towards yoascii117ng black men inclascii117ding whether they were ascii117nfairly blamed for caascii117sing troascii117ble,' he said.
'Riots were ascii117nderway as the programme went to air and it was made clear on several occasions that those involved came from a range of ages, backgroascii117nds and ethnicities.'
The BBCs comments followed another apology made to the commentator Darcascii117s Howe, who was wrongly accascii117sed by a BBC television presenter last Tascii117esday of having taken part in riots in the past.
2011-08-15 23:57:48
