BBC rules against Indian-origin presenter's anti-Trump comment

BBC has upheld a complaint against its flagship news show presenter, Naga Munchetty, for an apparent breach of brocaster's strict impartiality guidelines after she criticised comments me by US President Donald Trump on air. Munchetty, born Subha Nagalakshmi Munchetty-Chendriah to an Indian mor and Mauritian far, hosts regular ‘BBC Breakfast’ show and back in July, she reacted to Trump's "go back" comments in reference to four female American politicians.

Donald Trump's racist comments

In July, Trump me racist comments apparently against Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley. In a tweet, he said y should "go back and help fix totally broken and crime-infested places from which y came."

"Every time I have been told, as a woman of colour, to go back to where I came from, that was embedded in racism," journalist said in a discussion with her co-host while reporting on story. “w, I'm t accusing anyone of anything here, but you kw what certain phrases mean,” she said, ding that even though it me her furious she was t re to give her opinion on matter.

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corporation said its editorial guidelines "do t allow for journalists to... give ir opinions about individual making remarks or ir motives for doing so – in this case President Trump". Its statement issued in response to a complaint dressed by corporation's Editorial Complaints Unit (ECU) tes: "It was for this reason that complaint was partially upheld. Those judgments are for audience to make."

An open letter to BBC to reconsider its ruling

On Friday, over 40 of UK's popular brocast personalities issued an open letter calling for BBC to reconsider its ruling. “We, undersigned group of black people who work in media and brocasting in UK, strongly condemn this finding and assert that it amounts to both a misunderstanding of BBC's editorial guidelines, and a form of racially discriminatory treatment towards BAME [black and mirity ethnic] people who work on programming,” tes open letter.

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Amid criticism, BBC furr explained its stance: "Ms Munchetty h been pressed to comment by her co-presenter and h a legitimate, personal reason for feeling strongly on this issue. She was refore in our view entitled to give a personal response to phrase "go to back to your own country", as it was rooted in her own experience of racism and in a generally accepted interpretation of that phrase.

“But it is also evident that Ms Munchetty, despite at end of exchange ackwledging ''I am t here to give my opinion'', did comment directly and critically on possible motive for, and potential consequences of, president's conduct, which by ir nature were a matter for legitimate discussion and debate.”

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BBC under severe criticism

However, brocaster has come under severe criticism from a wide range of media professionals as well as Opposition Labour Leer Jeremy Corbyn for upholding complaint. “Telling people to ‘go back’ to ‘places from which y came’ is racist. Naga Munchetty stated a fact,” said Corbyn in a Twitter statement on Thursday. “She shared experiences of racism she's suffered. That can't be at odds with any editorial guidelines. BBC must explain this astonishing decision,” he said.

Fellow Indian-origin news anchor, Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy, said in a tweet, “when you think about what those (mostly) older white men have got away with saying on BBC and Twitter day after day this is a quite perplexing finding.” Munchetty is t believed to be facing any formal action or reprimand from BBC as a result of episode.

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