Woman's Hour: What happened this morning?

[NonCisWoman]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9117995/Actress-refuses-appear-Womans-Hour-accusing-host-Emma-Barnett-degrading-comments.html

An actress refused to appear on Woman's Hour this morning after accusing host Emma Barnett of making 'degrading and vile' comments about her.

Kelechi Okafor was set to talk on the BBC Radio 4 show to discuss the #MeToo movement with new presenter Emma Barnett.

But as the programme was live on air, the Nigerian-British actress revealed she had come off the show, writing: 'Because what I've just had to witness is absolutely degrading and vile.'

Posting a video to Instagram, she said: 'I won't be going on Woman's Hour now. The host didn't realise her mic was on as she was talking s* about me to the producers.'

For all anyone knows she could have said "don't call them whores Dad". There is no evidence of what was said in this email exchange and I would like to know what was said. Would that be in a court transcript?

@Chicchicchicchiclana

"having a programme presented by a pimp's daughter who refers to her dad's 'whores'"

Isn't this a bit inflammatory?

What? Who?

This is very hard to follow.

@RickiTarr I was quoting a comment from Llama quite early in the thread, which has been deleted now. I expect mine will be deleted too as it quotes a deleted comment.

Keleche has responded further:

^"The assumption is that you can twist a very violent incident because you assume people don’t generally believe Black women.

Glad that somebody else who isn’t mad could confirm what truly transpired.

There’s choosing the wrong one, and then there’s choosing me."^

^"The misogynoir jumped out with “questioning what qualifies someone to be a leading voice in a space”

I haven’t touted myself as a leading voice but I’m interested as to what qualifies you to gate-keep in such a way."^

^"Interesting that the statement missed out allllllllll the expletives used about me while the mic was thought to be muted.

Wonder where the journalistic integrity is in that."^

^"There’s levels to ancestors.

Trust me wholeheartedly when I say

It’s above me now."^

twitter.com/kelechnekoff/status/1346856040432861185

Ricki just Google EB's father - there are newspaper articles in the public domain. I had no idea.

I was also woefully ignorant of the KO/Reggie Yates podcast.

Also very unimpressed with LS. And the BBC.

What an unhappy day.

It all sounds pretty unpleasant and I’m glad i missed the show. If it is just going to be arguments, drama and flouncing via Twitter plus EB and interviewees trying to politically point score with each other then I’ll never listen again.
Bring back Jenny!

Because Kelechi Okafor's tweets are clear as mud I can only assume she sees leverage here so long as the actual facts remain unclear.

I'd also like to see a proper context for the EB email comment to her father. It doesn't look good but I'd not damn someone for such a fragment without knowing what it was really about.

@stumbledin

Sorry - but the point is EB was not prepared nor did the WH team raise it.

It seems that by some accident at the last minute EB was made aware of alleged anti-semitic remarks and decided there and then to ask a question for no other reason that she was heard unprofessionally overheard making personal comments.

No amount of what was said originally or how good or how bad EB is. This is totally pathetic and unprofessional. And shows both EB and WH as sloppy and unprofessional.

Even the most minimal amount of pre show research would have bought this up.

Total usual arrogant BBC staff who now think they are the star and the show if about their performance.

It is reducing the BBC to the level of talk radio.

She has been over promoted and is out of her depth.

Here's the link to Emma Barnett's Twitter statement:

twitter.com/Emmabarnett/status/1346819404517044226/photo/1

Emma Barnett says it was when she and the WH producers were on a Zoom discussing what they'd discovered about Kelechi that Kelechi overheard them. Once anyone in the WH team was aware, it needed to be discussed — because Weinstein was Jewish and Kelechi had indicated support for an anti-semitic comment made by Reggie Yates. It might have been possible for anti #MeToo people to derail the conversation by claiming that, for example, Kelechi was only anti-Weinstein because she had anti-semitic views. It might also have opened The BBC up to accusations of anti-semitic bias (even though Barnett is Jewish).

If there's any lack of professionalism it lies with the person who failed to spot that Kelechi could hear everything — and that's almost certainly not Emma Barnett. If you've ever worked in live radio or media you'd know that there are constant discussions going on in the background all the time, and constant changes of tack. Given the situation with Zoom and a new presenter these sorts of things happen. I think less of Kelechi for making allegations and then running.

It's interesting that everyone is assuming that it was Emma that used the word "whores". The news articles all say that there were emails between Emma and her father that referred to whores, but doesn't say which one of them actually used that word.

It could have literally been:
Dad: I love my whores!
Emma: Piss off.

To be honest, whatever the context, I think it's a bit unfair. I'm about the same age as EB and the thought of a phrase being pulled out of a long-forgotten email I wrote as a student, and used to discredit me as a professional woman so many years later feels ridiculous. God knows what stupid things I would have written so long ago.

Agree KO's tweets are indecipherable.

KO's tweets were indecipherable. Unfortunately her anti-Semitic rant was loud and clear. I felt nauseous reading her comments.

@Chicchicchicchiclana

For all anyone knows she could have said "don't call them whores Dad". There is no evidence of what was said in this email exchange and I would like to know what was said. Would that be in a court transcript?

This.

The word was apparently in email exchanges and I’ve seen nothing that says who said it, in what context, what EB actually said and/or responded.

But hey, don’t let that stop the pile on

What is the 'very violent' incident KO refers to in her tweet? Because if it's overhearing the WH team talk about her, I'd agree that's hugely upsetting, unsettling and unprofessional but would strongly dispute that it was 'very violent.'

That kind of hyperbolic misrepresentation clouds the real points at issue here and undermines KO's position, IMO.

I think EB might be wise to clarify the context of the emails and then draw a line.

From the article about KO, expanding on the comment about fat Jewish producers: "What is happening now is people demanding their pound of flesh and I’m very specific about the reference I just made. If you’re familiar with the Shakespearian play you’ll know where I’m going with this."

I entirely support EB wanting to ask her about those (quite shocking) remarks.

@17thEarlOfOxford

From the article about KO, expanding on the comment about fat Jewish producers: "What is happening now is people demanding their pound of flesh and I’m very specific about the reference I just made. If you’re familiar with the Shakespearian play you’ll know where I’m going with this."

I entirely support EB wanting to ask her about those (quite shocking) remarks.

That's far worse than I'd expected. No wonder KO doesn't appear to be responding.

@Dailyhandtowelwash

I have to say I'm feeling anti-EB after seeing her on the front of the Sunday Times magazine promising 'more men' on Woman's Hour.

I caught some of it this morning and within 2 minute, heard an awful lot of male whataboutery. Really disappointing. Do men REALLY have to geg in on everything. It's WOMENS hour. Just 1 hour in 24 hours dedicated to womens issues. I do NOT want men to increasingly feature ffs and will absolutely not listen if it continues.

The incidents behind this thread are an example of what's wrong with the way identity politics have evolved. At worst, like here, it ends up being a game of Top Trumps with the person with the most "oppressed identity" seeking a declaration that they're the winner. The facts are not especially important.

Who were the men on this morning? I didn't hear much of it but I did catch Lionel Shriver.

@Lllama

"isnn't this a bit inflammatory?"

Not if it's true.

Of course she's not responsible for her father's crimes. But she is responsible for her own misogyny and misogynoir.

Fucking hell. Emma should be deeply ashamed of herself. What the actual fuck are women's hour thinking.

That's far worse than I'd expected. No wonder KO doesn't appear to be responding.

I agree. This is about as anti-Semitic at it gets. No wonder EB felt the need to say something.

Can the whole world please agree that violence means physical harm, and not words? It's beyond tiresome to hear about 'violence' that turns out to be verbal.

@Chicchicchicchiclana

I'm not at all sure why the crimes of Emma Barnett's father are relevant, either in this discussion or in her job.

They're not but Emma referring to abused, exploited, trafficked women as whores most certainly is relevant.

Where did she refer to them as whores @Othering? Receipts?

Thanks @Chicchicchicchiclana and @JamieLeesCurtains