Yasmin Alibhai-Brown defends Fiona Bruce

[IwantToRetire]

“Suddenly these men, and women, who never talk about society’s most uncomfortable truth of male violence are outraged about domestic violence and have taken to Twitter to demonstrate it… Well done everyone, you have once again burnt the wrong witch – even those among you who claim to be feminists… What you have actually done is demonstrated your innate misogyny – that it’s far easier to police the language of women than hold a man accountable for his crimes.”

inews.co.uk/opinion/stanley-johnson-question-time-fiona-bruce-2205823

Julie Bindel has said something similar in the Spectator Here

Good article, I feel it explains the situation well.

I understand the need for clarification but it did not make things clearer. It minimized the allegation of Mrs Johnson then 'balanced' it with words of Stanley Johnson's friends. A fairer comment would have been to give detail to the allegations then simply say Stanley Johnson has never replied.

I think the BBC has got itself tied up in notes with trying to get balance after they were slated during Brexit coverage, where it seemed anyone could say anything and not be challenged.

This seems a bit different, but I think totally unecessary to have used the words of "the friend" - just to have said something like this is an allegation that S Johnson has never responded to.

It was the bit about a "one off" that got everybody going. And there was no need to have said that.

I think it is a real shame that in criticising Fiona Bruce the men concerned, ie Johnson and his friend have got off.

But also not surprised that JB would also have written an article as it is about supporting fellow journalists as much as the content. And of course women much more likely to be hounded.

Here are links to two statements from Refuge:
refuge.org.uk/news/refuge-responds-to-bbc-question-time-comments/
refuge.org.uk/news/statement-fiona-bruce-ambassador-question-time-13-march/

Well said, Yasmin.

It was a hugely fractious edition of the programme. Yasmin Alibhai Brown was constantly spoken over by Robert Jenrick who acted as though the programme was his interview slot

Couldn't agree more.
All she was doing was protecting the BBC from a defamation claim about claims that haven't been proven in a court of law.
Doing her job of retaining impartiality.

She doesn't count though cos
a. She's a woman, burn the witch.
b. She's apparently married to a tory so she deserves it.

It was an unfortunate phrasing and did not come over well, but in a highly pressurised situation who hasn’t said something in a less than diplomatic way.