Does the BBC’s ‘due impartiality’ need to include extremist figures?

Ravi Ghosh asks if impartiality and balance are good enough reasons for the BBC’s platforming of extreme views
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Open Letter: The BBC must stop uncritical coverage of fascists

ƒmWe, the undersigned, believe that giving uncritical coverage of fascists by the BBC and other media outlets is wrong, dangerous and diminishes political debate in Britain. We call on the BBC, as a key democratic institution, to refuse to allow violent political views to be broadcast unchallenged. The BBC and other national broadcasters and press publications… Read More

Undercover – Black Love for British Screens

by Imogen Sian Edwards Maybe it’s just my particular newsfeed, but last month I was awash with statuses celebrating the new BBC drama that would star – for the first time – TWO black actors in lead roles. Gasp. That’s something you never see on telly and was just about enough for me to set a… Read More

So Nadiya won the Great British Bake Off, why the big deal?

By Henna Zamurd-Butt  Surely in “melting pot Britain” no one should be batting an eyelid at Nadiya Hussain’s win of the Great British Bake Off? Well yeah. But clearly the pot’s not as melted as we’d have hoped because the media has been flipping out about it all week. The Mail even broke its three-year run… Read More

Lost in the Shuffle: The BBC’s UK election night was a blow for diversity

The BBC’s UK election night was a blow for diversity by Emmanuel Akinwotu There was an irony in the brilliant BBC coverage of the most dramatic UK election in memory. It focused on a spectacular and momentous change in British politics. But it was mostly covered by white males. In the upheaval of the election… Read More

Screen Time For PoC in 2014

by Shane Thomas CONTENT NOTE: This post will contain discussion of domestic violence, and also contains spoilers for ‘Murdered By My Boyfriend’ and ‘The Secrets’ Earlier this week, I was in conversation with a work colleague. She’s a black woman, and we both reminisced about the 1990’s sketch show, The Real McCoy, while simultaneously interrupting… Read More

Young Voices: The policing and repackaging of black music go hand in hand

by Amika Shah It’s not often that grime legend Wiley’s Twitter account is seen as a place for reasoned debate. However, over the weekend, the BBC’s urban radio station, BBC Radio 1Xtra released what it calls its ‘Power List’ – a list of the most influential artists in British black music, which seemed to be… Read More

A Public Life of Intimate Violence

Touched by Patsey’s struggles in the Oscar winning film ’12 Years a Slave’, Karen Williams describes how the film helped her to recognise and articulate the depths of latter day racism in her own ‘Public Life of Intimate Violence’  I have spent decades challenging women to have public lives, and for dark women to insist on their right to it, even with the abuse… Read More

Akala, the New Prophet?

by Shane Thomas Back in 2011, Channel 4 had a season of programming, which they called their “Street Summer” season. A tokenistic nod to featuring the lives of working-class people, especially working-class people of colour? Possibly. However, it did feature some fascinating viewing. One of their programmes was the documentary, Life of Rhyme. It was my… Read More

Drones: the international system of force and collusion is alive and well

by Dr Rohail Ahmad The BBC revealed on 24th October 2013 that Pakistan was fully aware of the drone attacks on its territory by America: “Secret memos show Pakistan endorsed US drone strikes”. This is a confirmation and continuation of the international system of force and collusion that is both the origin and perpetuation of the… Read More