BBC director general Lord Hall has overturned a decision to partially uphold a complaint against Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty, stating her comments about Donald Trump's tweet were not enough to merit a breach of guidelines.
Lord Hall personally reviewed the ruling by the BBC's executive complaints unit (ECU), which had found Munchetty breached editorial guidelines by criticising the US president's motives. The complaint stemmed from a July 17 broadcast where Munchetty said being told to 'go back to where I came from' was 'embedded in racism'.
In an email to staff, Lord Hall said 'racism is racism and the BBC is not impartial on the topic'. He added there was never any sanction against Munchetty and hoped the reversal made that clear.
The decision follows an open letter from 44 black actors and broadcasters, including Sir Lenny Henry and Gina Yashere, calling for the ruling to be revisited. More than 100 MPs also signed a letter requesting a meeting with Lord Hall.
Munchetty received widespread support on social media with #IStandWithNaga trending, as well as backing from Chancellor Sajid Javid and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The original complainant can still take the case to Ofcom.
