Naga Munchetty and The Diversity Myth

Over the years I have probably bored and offended quite a few people with my reluctance to believe that diversity is a buzzword, not a reality. I embrace, celebrate and actively promote progress and as a BAME woman I’d love to say that when it comes to progress in diversity and inclusivity, we have ‘come a long way’; I’d be the first to celebrate. However, the Naga Munchetty unfolding before our eyes at the BBC, only serves to confirm what I already know: diversity is still a buzzword.

The Naga controversy was sparked by a breakfast TV exchange with her co-host Dan Walker on the 17th July. Discussing a news item about Donald Trump’s comments that four congresswomen of colour should “go home” Walker asked Munchetty how she felt.

She replied: “Every time I have been told, as a woman of colour, to go back to where I came from, that was embedded in racism. Now, I’m not accusing anyone of anything here, but you know what certain phrases mean.” She added: “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.” As a BAME woman and as a journalist, Munchetty expresses her opinion and experience in a clear and measured manner. I, and many others, found her comment on the news piece to be relatable and relevant. The beauty of diversity is that it offers different perspectives and insights. It brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that enables us to learn and grow as part of a global community.

In response, the BBC’s editorial complaints unit (ECU) found that she had breached editorial guidelines because BBC journalists were not allowed to “give their opinions about the individual making the remarks or their motives for doing so”. To make matters worse, it turns out that the original complaint also mentioned her white, male colleague Dan Walker, however, the complaint focused on Munchetty at the third and final stage of the complaints process.

Is the BBC any different to Trump when it allows for white male privilege but quickly suppresses and silences their BAME female counterparts? The Racism Ruins Lives study has recently found that a majority of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) workers have experienced racial harassment at work in the last five years or believe they have been treated unfairly by their employer because of their race. At the same time, The Global Shapers new report reveals that London’s BAME women are suffering a ‘double disadvantage’ in the workplace. The truth is, if the much-loved face of breakfast TV can be dealt with so unfairly right in front of the general British public, what chance do the rest of us stand?

Munchetty is still just one of just a handful of BAME female news presenters. Last year, the BBC announced that as part of their plan to be more inclusive, they would appoint two BAME members to the BBC's executive committee by 2020. I say this is just more talk. Companies are all too eager to appear to be doing the right thing but when it comes down to it, they aren’t actively creating an environment for BAME progress.

Nobody is silencing Donald Trump.

Despite a long catalogue of offensive behaviour and comments towards women (I don’t work for the BBC and so I’m not afraid to say it: Trump is a racist and a sexist). Dozens of prominent broadcasters, actors and celebrities have joined an open letter by letter drafted by Marcus Ryder and Afua Hirsch to the BBC, saying their position is “deeply flawed” and “illegal”. The open letter to the broadcaster, published in the Guardian and signed by Sir Lenny Henry, Gina Yashere, Adrian Lester, David Harewood, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Gillian Joseph and many others, warns the decision was a "form of racially discriminatory treatment towards BAME people."

A petition calling on the BBC to reverse its judgement on Ms Munchetty attracted more than 11,000 signatures including my own. Yet, Trevor Phillips, the former chairrman of the Equality and Human Rights Commision, said BBC staff and presenters had been prevented from joining a protest in support of Ms Munchetty. “BBC minority staff are being told not to sign the letter or any petition and to stay clear of this one.”

Everyone knows it is one thing to be the victim of discrimination, and quite something else to be silenced from speaking out.

“When its potential is tapped, diversity is a powerful tool. But we won’t manage this with facile training sessions and snooze-fest seminars.” Belinda Parmar

After a general outcry from tens of thousands of people, the BBC's director general Lord Hall finally reversed a decision to partially uphold the complaint. He told staff that Munchetty's words were not "sufficient to merit a partial uphold" of the complaint against her. This is the inevitable result of enormous pressure with the eyes of the world watching the world’s largest broadcast news organisation. It doesn’t change the fact that a respected reporter was found to have breached the BBC's guidelines for simply expressing the widely shared viewpoint that a tweet from Donald Trump telling four BAME female politicians to ‘go home’ despite them all being US citizens was infact racist.

In a country that proudly calls itself a modern democracy, their keenness to censure minority communities from speaking out goes against progress.

Next month, I’m hosting The Baton Awards 2019, designed to celebrate and empower BAME women for this very reason. Even in a job where being an intelligent articulate individual is a requirement, BAME women are told to ‘go home’ by the president and to ‘be quiet’ by the BBC. Too many people at the top use ‘diversity’ when it suits their image or agenda. Much like the Windrush where Caribbean’s were invited to England who promised prosperity and employment in return for building the country up, from the NHS to construction, and more. Yet, when the time came to include us in the fabric of society, the very same community have been wrongly detained, denied legal rights and threatened with deportation. As Pat Younge said,

‘Celebrate the victory… then focus. Lots of questions about how we got here an making sure it doesn’t happen again.’

There’s no doubt that we need to be having conversations about diversity, but it must be backed up with actual change and that comes from the top. Its time for the companies, organisations, politicians and those at the top to stop paying lip service to diversity as a checkbox. For as long as its an empty gesture, Naga Munchetty will be just one of many of us who hit the same old glass ceiling time and time again.