The head of the BBC has reversed a ruling that one of its presenters breached editorial guidelines by criticizing President Trump.
Naga Munchetty, a breakfast TV host, became a liberal cause celebre after being censured for taking Trump to task for saying that certain female members of the Democratic Party should “go back to their own countries.”
“Every time I have been told, as a woman of color, to go back to where I came from, that was embedded in racism,” she said in an on-air exchange with her co-host in July.
“Now, I’m not accusing anyone of anything here, but you know what certain phrases mean.”
The BBC’s executive complaints unit found that she had gone too far, breaching guidelines designed to maintain impartiality.
The finding provoked an angry backlash with figures from across the political spectrum — including Jeremy Corbyn, the hard left leader of the Labour Party, and Sajid Javid, the Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer— rushing to her defense.
Now, in a letter sent to BBC employees, Tony Hall, its director-general, said he had “personally” reviewed the case and that Munchetty would not face punishment.
“Racism is racism and the BBC is not impartial on the topic. There was never a finding against Naga for what she said about the President’s tweet,” he wrote.
“I don’t think Naga’s words were sufficient to merit a partial uphold of the complaint around the comments she made.
“There was never any sanction against Naga and I hope this step makes that absolutely clear. She is an exceptional journalist and presenter and I am proud that she works for the BBC.”
