BBC ignores black issues, says former DJ

THE BBC is “institutionally racist ” and pushes black issues “under the rug,” a former radio DJ has said.

Sideman, who resigned from BBC Radio 1xtra after a journalist repeated the racist N-word in a news report, said the corporation needs to show “understanding of the times that we are in”.

The former BBC DJ, whose real name is David Whitely, quit t he broadcaster in August after more t han 18,000 people complained about a report i n which social affairs correspondent Fiona Lamdin repeated a racial slur allegedly used during an attack in Bristol.

The BBC’S then directorgeneral Tony Hall was forced to apologise over the scandal.

When asked what BBC bosses should do to stop controversies about race from occurring in the future, Sideman said: “Things are changing and black people’s issues are not an issue you can push under the rug any more.

“It is something that you have to address, it’s something that you have to have an action plan for or these things will happen again and it will be embarrassing for you.”

Sideman said that, while there is institutional racism in the BBC, there also is in “almost every organisation in this country” and he is not out to “slander or malign” the broadcaster.

“I think almost every organisation in this country is institutionally racist. That is just the nature of the country until we tear those building blocks down,” he said.

“Of course it is not as bad as it was. It is not as institu

‘I think almost every organisation in this country is institutionally racist’

tionally racist as it once was. But yes, systematic oppression, I believe, is a real thing. White supremacy is a real thing and it will take time to scour it out of everything.”

A BBC spokesman said: “We are committed to building an inclusive, welcoming, modern and diverse organisation, which is why we have taken steps to change the editorial policy on offensive language, increased training for all staff, and introduced policies to improve representation on and off air.

“We have made progress in recent years, but we recognise there is more to do.”