BBC radio host quits over its use of racist term in news report

British radio host Sideman said he got no apology from the BBC. Photo / Instagram

British radio host Sideman quit the BBC on Saturday over the corporation's decision to include a racial slur in a news report about a racist attack.

Sideman, who appeared on music station Radio 1Xtra, said in an Instagram post that broadcasting the word "feels like a slap in the face to our community."

The comedian and broadcaster, whose real name is David Whitely, said that "with no apology [from the BBC] I just don't feel comfortable being aligned with the organisation."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by David “Sideman” Whitely (@sidemanallday) on Aug 8, 2020 at 7:09am PDT

The BBC included the word when reporting last month on a violent attack on a young Black man in Bristol, a city in southwest England. The attackers are reported to have yelled the offensive term as they ran into the 21-year-old with a car.

The victim needed hospital treatment for a broken leg and other injuries.

The BBC has defended the decision to use the word, saying it wanted to convey the racist nature of the attack and "gave adequate warnings that upsetting images and language would be used."

On Thursday, the BBC said it had received more than 18,000 complaints about the broadcast.

- AP