The BBC have decided to overturn a ruling against presenter Naga Munchetty, who was reprimanded over comments she made about President Donald Trump.
The 44-year-old BBC Breakfast presenter was caught up in a scandal after she weighed in on Trump’s tweet that female minority Democratic rivals should ‘go back to where they came from’.
During an on-air debate with co-presenter Dan Walker, Naga drew on her own experiences and said Trump’s comment was ’embedded in racism’.
Following an investigation, Naga was found to be in breach of BBC guidelines.
However, after outcry from the public, BBC director-general Tony Hall wrote to all members of staff on Monday to state that there was no finding against Naga and that the ruling had been overturned.
According to Sky News, Hall’s message said: ‘Racism is racism and the BBC is not impartial on the topic. There was never a finding against Naga for what she said about the President’s tweet.
‘Many of you asked that I personally review the decision of the ECU. I have done so. I have looked carefully at all the arguments that have been made and assessed all of the materials. I have also examined the complaint itself.’
Hall continued: ‘It was only ever in a limited way that there was found to be a breach of our guidelines. These are often finely balanced and difficult judgements.
‘But, in this instance, I don’t think Naga’s words were sufficient to merit a partial uphold of the complaint around the comments she made.
‘There was never any sanction against Naga and I hope this step makes that absolutely clear. She is an exceptional journalist and presenter and I am proud that she works for the BBC.’
The BBC previously stated that they did support Naga’s personal reaction to Trump’s use of the phrase ‘go back to your own country’, but said her overall comments ‘went beyond what the guidelines allow for’.
It was earlier reported that BBC had crunched down on their staff members protesting in support of Naga.
Got a showbiz story?
If you’ve got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
Source: Read Full Article