Complaint goes to press regulator over column in The Sun

Media

A Channel 4 newsreader who went to school in Peterborough has lodged a complaint to press regulator IPSO about a column in The Sun written by Kelvin MacKenzie.

The paper’s former editor wrote he could hardly believe his eyes when he saw Fatima Manji, who attended Jack Hunt School, fronting Channel4’scoverageoftheNiceterror attack wearing a hijab.

MsManjihitbackbyaccusing MrMacKenzieoftrying to smearMuslimsandsmearher by suggesting she would sympathise with a terrorist.

Ben de Pear, editor of Channel 4 News, said: “ITN believes the article was in breach of a number of provisions of the Editor’s Code, in particular discrimination, harassment by intimidation and inaccuracy.

“Wearenotgoingtosimply stand by when an employee is subject to an act of religious discrimination.”

Mr MacKenzie has now threatenedtoreportMsManji toOfcomoverimpartiality. He wrote: “For television dealing insuchsensitiveissues, surely it makessensethatreporters, whendealingwithMuslimterrorist outrages, don’t wearthe headscarf.”

In his original column, Mr MacKenzie had written: “Was it appropriate for her to be on camera when there had been yet another shocking slaughter by a Muslim?

“Was it done to stick one in the eye of the ordinary viewer wholooksatthehijabasasign of the slavery of Muslimwomen by a male-dominated and clearly violent religion?

“Would the C4 editor have used a Hindu to report on the carnage at the Golden Temple of Amritsar? Of course not.”

Fatima Manji