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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Naga Munchetty

119 replies

theendoftheendoftheend · 27/09/2019 12:23

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-49850738

Having read this I am struggling to understand why Naga is in trouble for answering the questions Dan asked her and why he hasn't been equally addressed for this comment;

Walker: Do you feel his use of that then legitimises other people to use this…

Munchetty: Yes. Yes.

Walker: It feels like a thought-out strategy to strengthen his position.

How have they come to the decision her comments were wrong but this one by Dan was fine? Have I missed something? Hmm

OP posts:
SaveKevin · 27/09/2019 16:00

I too was another one who saw it and would agree with bruceandnosh she was very restrained.
I don’t think she or dan did or said anything wrong and am really disappointed the complaint was upheld. She was asked how she felt and replied.
I do wonder why dan is not in the shit as well.

MerryBerryCheesecake · 27/09/2019 16:00

Good old Auntie BEEB bends over backwards shouting, "look how diverse I am. Look, how many different shades of human I employ on screen. Look, look, go on, just look".

Auntie is still a racist old fart.

Employ "ethnic" people but make sure you keep them in their place. As Naga has found out.

White man asks her opinion, she gives it (very mildly), she is reprimanded, he is sat there and accused of nothing with his usual shit eating grin.

theendoftheendoftheend · 27/09/2019 17:38

The idea of an impartial channel is such a good one, but the BBC is an absolute disgrace nowadays.

I miss Terry Wogan Sad

OP posts:
Tonnerre · 27/09/2019 17:44

I would rather complain about this finding than report Dan Walker.

ChicCroissant · 27/09/2019 17:54

I also saw it when it happened and did wonder why Dan kept asking questions - what was she supposed to do, ignore him?

I thought her answers were fine though, she was very careful not to make any accusations against anyone and was just speaking about her personal experience IMO.

VladmirsPoutine · 27/09/2019 17:58

@Tonnerre The response to your position is answered by @ChicCroissant.

No-one blames Dan. But clearly he hasn't been reprimanded and it was indeed him that even lead Naga to giving the responses she gave. So they either both go down together or neither of them at all. What is the starking difference between them?

AnyFucker · 27/09/2019 17:59

I have rewatched the clip and in hindsight it looks like Dan is actually setting her up. she handled it well, I thought.

ChicCroissant · 27/09/2019 18:01

It's going to be one of those issues where the secondary outrage completely overtakes the first! It really does not come across as fair at all.

Tonnerre · 27/09/2019 18:11

Well, that's my point, really, @VladmirsPoutine. So rather than make a personal complaint against Dan Walker, I would rather complain about the decision to discipline Naga Munchetty.

VladmirsPoutine · 27/09/2019 18:21

@Tonnerre Can't we do both? I mean if she's being reprimanded then it surely stands to reason that we not only contest the decision but also report on the white man that put her in that position to begin with and see where he lands also?

Smellbellina · 27/09/2019 18:33

I think the fact that they reprimanded Naga, AND the fact that they reprimanded Naga and NOT Dan are indicators of 2 different distinct problems within the BBC

Loopytiles · 27/09/2019 18:38

Yes, BBC “impartiality” is often false equivalence: climate change, immunisation.

Tellmetruth4 · 27/09/2019 18:52

I’m actually glad this is out there because people who try to claim racism is over can see this bullshit with their own eyes. It’s currently a bigger crime to call someone out for their racism than the person being racist in the first place.

I also never bought for one second that the BBC is a diverse institution. I bet the majority of the BAME people in their employment are in the cleaning and catering depts. If they’re not, they don’t have decision making power are discouraged from rocking the boat and can’t defend themselves.

The ones who make it near the top (not the top because that wouldn’t be allowed) are the type who’ve learnt that to get on they have to throw other minorities under the bus and pretend they’ve never experienced racism in order to not make their white peers feel uncomfortable. They think we can be fooled by them throwing some diverse faces across the screen but the boardroom will look very different.

chomalungma · 27/09/2019 18:54

I remember watching the interview before the comments and the comments afterwards. The interview before was with an American who defended the comments. It must have been awful for Naga to watch that. Then Dan asked her.

Good for her. Racism needs calling out. Trump is a racist. I cannot imagine how difficult that must have been for her. Same as for someone who was LGBT to hear such stuff.

SomeoneInTheLaaaaaounge · 27/09/2019 19:00

Honestly I’m really not a fan of hers. But how she has been treated is an absolute disgrace!!!!! It is appalling and that no comment whatsoever has been made about holier than thou Dan. I love the BBC but they need to ducking aologose to Naga sharpish.

Tellmetruth4 · 27/09/2019 19:10

One racist Trump supporter makes a complaint about some bullshit and it’s upheld. Meanwhile Laura Kuenssberg could give BJ and actual BJ whilst begging for a hard Brexit live on air and the 1million complainers get the same response from the BBC: ‘we have decided not to uphold your complaint about impartiality for the following reasons blah blah blah’.

Hold34 · 27/09/2019 19:12

I'm pretty neutral about Naga, not really a fan but nor do I dislike her.

This result from the BBC is completely insane, I just do not understand their position at all. Surely they will not stick to it?

Sweetpea55 · 27/09/2019 19:19

I don't like Naga but I find it disgusting that she was led into this and the reprimanded.

chomalungma · 27/09/2019 19:22

but I find it disgusting that she was led into this

I think her comments were needed. No issue at all with them. The interview before was awful and Naga must have been fuming during it. This was not something about climate change or Brexit. This was about racism, something she experiences. I am glad she said what she did.

Sandsnake · 27/09/2019 19:43

I think the BBC were plain wrong. I don’t think that this was due to Naga’s skin colour, though. It’s due to the BBC absolutely falling over themselves to prove their impartiality, in part due to being under sustained attack by elements in the right wing media. I think there was racism in play - but from the person that complained. There’s a lot of people out there who can’t stand Naga as she is a brilliant, bold, outspoken woman who also has the temerity to not be white. I think she’s ace.

This obsession with being seen to be impartial has seemingly led to the BBC adopting an utterly warped interpretation of what is acceptable and, as Vladamir points out - them giving false equivalence to some ridiculous views when there just shouldn’t be. I know it’s not quite the same but I’ve half a mind to put in a complaint about the BBC’s recent showing of a programme documenting the rise of the Nazis. I mean, they were clearly biased with their description of the Nazis as ‘evil’ and didn’t give that Hitler bloke much of a hearing at all...

Brefugee · 27/09/2019 19:46

I don't think Dan Walker led her into anything. The look on his face said it all. He's a white man and never encounters this kind of thing and he probably assumed that Naga doesn't either. He seemed genuinely shocked when she answered with yes and said what she said.

emilybrontescorsett · 27/09/2019 19:48

I agree with you op.
It was shown tonight and my thoughts were , why on earth is Dan let off when he instigated it all?

Sparklesocks · 27/09/2019 19:50

She’s been treated really badly, I understand why the bbc have ‘impartiality rules’ but lumping this in with that is dangerous territory.

NotGreatBob · 27/09/2019 20:12

@AnyFucker except she’s not black, though I agree with the jist of your sentiment

VladmirsPoutine · 27/09/2019 20:15

To be honest, I think we've already crossed the threshold @Sparklesocks. We have a PM that openly mocks the death of an MP (Jo Cox), by suggesting the way to heal/unite the nation is by "getting on with brexit".

The BBC would happily give Nigel Farage his own show given the chance. We have the most openly far-right-wing government in my lifetime thus far.

A PM that uses war-time discourse e.g. 'surrender bill' to describe Brexit negotiations, who openly unlawfully shut down parliament. So this debacle with Naga is par for the course as it seems the route we are going.

Didn't one of the BBC politicos go on to be director of comms at N.10?