Naga Munchetty broke BBC guidelines over Trump 'go back to where you came from' tweets
BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty has breached BBC guidelines for criticising Donald Trump.
Back in July, Munchetty referenced tweets the US president had written in response to four Democratic congresswomen who spoke out against his immigration policies.
Trump’s tweets called for the women to “go back to where they came from”, a phrase she said was “embedded in racism”.
Munchetty told BBC viewers that she too had been told to go back to where she came from because of the colour of her skin.
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“Every time I’ve been told as a woman of colour to ‘go home’, to ‘go back to where I’ve come from’, that was embedded in racism,” she said.
“Now, I’m not accusing anyone of anything here, but you know what certain phrases mean.”
"I've been told as a woman of colour to 'go home'..."@BBCNaga shares her experience as we discuss the reaction to comments made by President Trump. pic.twitter.com/u0HL5tEdgt
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) July 17, 2019
Asked by her co-host Dan Walker how she felt about the language Trump used, Muchetty responded: “Furious. Absolutely furious, and I can imagine lots of people in this country will be feeling absolutely furious a man in that position thinks it’s OK to skirt the lines by using language like that.”
Despite positive response from viewers, BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) has ruled her comments breached the broadcaster’s impartiality guidelines.
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“The ECU ruled that while Ms Munchetty was entitled to give a personal response to the phrase ‘go back to your own country’ as it was rooted in her own experience, overall her comments went beyond what the guidelines allow for,” the Metro reported a spokesperson for the BBC saying.
Munchetty has yet to personally comment on the ruling.
It is not yet known if she will face any action following the latest ruling.
Yahoo has contacted Munchetty’s spokesperson for comment.
