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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think Radio 5 host Danny Baker cannot stay at the BBC?

999 replies

KingHenrysCodpiece · 09/05/2019 08:41

Sorry if theres a post on this already.
Link www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7009283/BBC-Radio-5-Live-host-Danny-Baker-tweets-racist-Royal-Baby-monkey-image.html

He ought to go immediately.

OP posts:
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5
RedDogsBeg · 09/05/2019 20:15

HeronLanyon Danny Baker an experienced and some have insisted intelligent and media savvy broadcaster who works for the BBC an organisation with a large news output:

Tweets a comment about potential baby names with a picture of the Royal couple who are having the baby.

Knows full well the racist implications inherent in the use of monkeys in respect of BAME having seen it first hand in football and discussed it.

When looking for an image to ridicule the couple after the baby is born finds and chooses an image with a monkey to represent the child.

When called out for the obvious racist element in said tweet denies even knowing which couple had had a baby, even though he tweeted a picture of the couple the day before.

There is no way Danny Baker is unaware of Meghan's background, nor is he unaware of the racist slings and arrows Meghan has already had thrown at her.

The use of the image was deliberate, he knew what he was doing and that is why he is lying about knowing which Royal couple had the baby.

shushymcshush · 09/05/2019 20:15

TBH being a Millwall supporter is not the sole reason why he would/should know about the racist connotations discussed.

Anyone who was involved in football (player, manager, pundit, reporter, fan etc) in the 80s knows what it was like. Anyone who follows England's national side will have heard the appalling boos, chants, noises towards black England players when they played Montenegro.

He has worked in the "football world" for a long time. He knows the score.

findingmyfeet12 · 09/05/2019 20:16

After learning about his long running joke, I don't think he meant to be racist.

After seeing his apology and the fact that the image was so awful and so offensive, he deserves to go. Regardless of intent.

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 09/05/2019 20:17

It was a stupid thing to do

I don't believe for one second he is a racist.

I will really miss him on a Saturday morning though.

JacquesHammer · 09/05/2019 20:19

Well for your sake I hope you never have an opinion, or make a mistake, that your employer objects to

I get around the likelihood of my “opinions” not affecting my livelihood by not being racist.

It’s a very easy thing to do.

hellenbackagen · 09/05/2019 20:21

I'd quite like to sack the racist bigot that is prince Phillip then please.

What's good for the goose ....

I got rather sick of his brass necked
Racism over the years but it seems it's ok if you are royal ?

I think Danny Baker is not guilty of racism. Stupidity yes. Naivety yes.

Unlike the blatant racism Prince Philip has displayed in the past.

If the family in question are guilty of it why is there a call for the sacking of a broadcaster? Why wasn't the duke of Edinburgh called to account?

I think it's pretty ridiculous as Baker has said he absolutely did not mean it to have racist connotations. Why can't we accept that? Ive read his books - he appears to embrace all walks of life in a rather live and let live way - i don't believe he did mean it to be a racist slur. A pretty clumsy mistake to make but I do believe it was genuinely innocent not thought through faux pas rather than racism. 🤷🏻‍♀️

JacquesHammer · 09/05/2019 20:22

Just to go further though, I work in media/marketing specialising in social media.

I advise my clients on their social media use.

The first rule I tell them is “when you compose a tweet that isn’t directly business related, have a think about whether it could in any way be controversial. If in doubt, don’t tweet”.

Aragog · 09/05/2019 20:23

He works in the media. He posts on Twitter a lot. He is aware of the world around him. Nonsense to suggest otherwise.

He is a big football fan and supports a team who has been linked to such comments previously. Even if not involved in that he will be aware of the connections made to his team's supporters.

He did know who had had the baby. He posted a comment under a tweet (with picture) from a newspaper of the royal couple which has a headline about the baby's possible name. He was making a connection to Wallace Simpson - therefore knowing exactly which couple was involved.

He isn't 'that' old. He is 61 - he is clearly of an age to know the horrible racist connotations.

He claims he was talking about 'royal circus' so why was it not a picture of a circus?

He says he'd use the image for anyone's new baby if they were in a privileged position. Yet he has't has it. He hasn't posted it following anyone else's baby news on his Twitter previously.

He is continuing to tweet about it and how unfair it all is. If he was truly sorry, he'd shut up for now - and then, at the very least, he'd put out a proper apology without excuses, without claiming it was just his turn to come under fire, and without making nonsense comments about not knowing who he was posting about.

He was shown to be a very unpleasant man on IACGMOOF.

He has been sacked twice by the BBC already. One was about allegedly inciting violence against a football referee. He claimed he didn't but did then say he could understand why people might want to attack the referee. Another was for calling his BBC bosses names online. So he has form for not taking responsibility for his own errors.

I don't even think it is that out of character really - unpleasant man make unpleasant tweet, and the makes half hearted 'apology' for it.

Re Alan Sugar - don't think they can sack him. I don't think they employ him.

CheeseToastieAndABrew · 09/05/2019 20:23

He works in the media, if he did not know who the parents of this new royal baby were then he still deserved to be sacked for not knowing his industry. Does the public really buy this excuse?

There is no defense, he thought he was being funny and edgy and it backfired. He now realises it is not 1972. He is not sorry and is in full on defense mode which makes him look even more arrogant. Horrid man.

TopBitchoftheWitches · 09/05/2019 20:23

It was a clearly racist tweet. Why else would he have posted the photo after Meghan had given birth. He didn't post it after Kate did, 3 times.
I am pleased he lost his job, his behaviour has been despicable.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 09/05/2019 20:30

Yesterday he wrote on his Twatter account "Ha! I see my silly unthinking gag pic earlier has me trending" ... so at least then, the aspect of this which mattered most to him was his own popularity

How nice Hmm

ThatCurlyGirl · 09/05/2019 20:30

The fact is he did comment previously this week directly about harry and Meghan - he absolutely did know they are the parents of a brand new baby. He did. Before today's tweet. And he did so on a public platform. Surely people therefore cannot accept his claim he didn't?!

Aragog · 09/05/2019 20:30

Unlike the blatant racism Prince Philip has displayed in the past.

Completely irrelevant to the matter of Danny Baker. As far as I am aware Prince Phillip is not employed by the BBC so, of course, they cannot fire him.

If the family in question are guilty of it why is there a call for the sacking of a broadcaster? Why wasn't the duke of Edinburgh called to account?

Who by? Many people have commented on why those comments are wrong and inappropriate. However, no one actually employs him so can't sack him.
When you say family - you mean that person. I am sure the other family will have tackled it with him in some ways. But even if they haven't - why should the royal couple and new baby have to put up with Danny Baker making such a comment, just because their grandfather/great-grandfather might have said similar? That doesn't make sense!

Well for your sake I hope you never have an opinion, or make a mistake, that your employer objects to

I would be sacked, or at the very least serenely reprimanded and put on formal disciplinary, if I posted similar. As I should be.

Allhailthesun · 09/05/2019 20:32

hellenbackagen That is an exceptionally good point.

LizzieSiddal · 09/05/2019 20:34

I’d only believe he didn’t know it was Meghan who’d had a baby, if he hasn’t listened to a single news broadcast, seen any live TV, read any SM or newspaper during the last 2 weeks.
Otherwise he’s a liar.

Erythronium · 09/05/2019 20:38

He knows it was racist which is why he's lying that he didn't know which royals were the parents.

It's creepy that he's pretending he was fighting the class war when he was using that as a cover for racism. Horrible man.

IceRebel · 09/05/2019 20:42

Surely people therefore cannot accept his claim he didn't?!

Considering how many people have tied themselves in knots to defend his initial tweet. I'm sure there are people out there who will try to bend the truth, and claim his comment actually meant something entirely different.

hellenbackagen · 09/05/2019 20:44

arogog

You have made it appear that all those quotes to which you reply are
My comment.

The first two are.

The last is not. I would like this pointed out as your post appears to be answering mine.

Not all the emboldened quotes are
From my post.

caughtinanet · 09/05/2019 20:48

He might be a horrible man but is he really so stupid as to post a deliberately racist tweet? He's been in the media for decades, why would be throw away a whole career for the sake of a photograph?

His excuses are making him look guilty of racism and maybe I'm naive but I'm finding it hard to believe he could in anyway think he'd get away with being so publicly racist, is he ill?

TopBitchoftheWitches · 09/05/2019 20:50

No idea but he is racist, towards a newborn baby.

Aragog · 09/05/2019 20:52

hellenbackagen

Apologies, that wasn't my intention. It's why I didn't put names on them. Just chose the quotes I wanted to respond to from a couple of previous posts - yours and BlackForestCake.

DuckWillow · 09/05/2019 21:03

Whatever my thoughts about Danny I am slightly perplexed that the Been sack him while welcoming back that disgusting racist cockwomble Farage to yet another Question Time Hmm

RoyalCorgi · 09/05/2019 21:11

He might be a horrible man but is he really so stupid as to post a deliberately racist tweet?

That's what I thought. Anyone in his position would know that if you post something racist on social media - something so blatantly racist that you can't even argue you were being ironic - you will get sacked. So it would be an insane thing to do deliberately.

Erythronium · 09/05/2019 21:11

He's horrible because he's racist and he's lying about it. I don't know why people are trying to make excuses for him. He's doing a terrible job of that himself, he doesn't need any support.

Whisky2014 · 09/05/2019 21:47

What could he have possibly meant by it?!

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