TV news reporter lodges complaint over MacKenzie hijab column
ITN and a Channel 4 News reporter have made complaints to the press regulator over Sun columnist Kelvin MacKenzie’s “religious discrimination”.
In his column on Monday, the former editor of the tabloid newspaper questioned whether it was right for correspondent Fatima Manji to appear on screen wearing a hijab to present a report on the Nice massacre.
He has since defended his “reasonable” criticism of Channel 4 News in the column, arguing that the hijab was a “religious statement” and questioned whether a Christian would be able to wear a cross prominently on television.
In response, Ben de Pear, editor of Channel 4 News, said Ms Manji had been the victim of “religious discrimination” and revealed that complaints have been made to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso).
He said: “Yesterday Channel 4 News correspondent Fatima Manji made an official complaint to Ipso following Kelvin MacKenzie’s column published in The Sun on Monday.
“ITN believes the article wasinbreachofanumberof provisions of the Editors’ Code, in particular discrimiate nation, harassment by intimidation and inaccuracy.
“We are not going to simply stand by when an employee is subject to an act of religious discrimination.”
Monday’s column by Mr Mackenzie sparked more than 1,700 complaints to Ipso and drew scorn from MPs in the House of Commons.
In his column he claimed “I could hardly believe my eyes”, and asked: “Was it appropri- for her to be on camera when there had been yet another shocking slaughter by a Muslim?”
At the time Channel 4 described his comments as “offensive, completely unacceptable, and arguably tantamount to inciting religious and even racial hatred”.
But in his latest column published yesterday, Mr MacKenzie wrote: “A reasonable inquiry, you would have thought, with the sensitivities that currently exist. Then the Twerperati got involved and it became a national debate with a record number of complaints.” Mr MacKenzie goes on to ask Ofcom, the television regulator: “Should presenters be allowed to wear artefacts which advertise their religion?”
He added that wearing a hijab was “a matter of choice” for Western women.