Kelvin Mackenzie Is Thinking About Lodging An Official Complain About Fatima Manji's Hajib

[sp1814]

From his column in The Sun (the link at the bottom is to the Independent, because the Sun is behind a paywall):

I will be looking at making a formal complaint to Ofcom under the section of the broadcasting code which deals with impartiality.

Since the question of religious motivation was central to the coverage of the Nice attack, I would ask whether it is appropriate for a newsreader to wear religious attire that could undermine the viewer's perception of impartiality

http://indy100.independent.co.uk/article/kelvin-mackenzie-is-thinking-about-an-offical-complaint-about-fatima-manjis-hijab--byxQgHfLUZ

Do you think he has a point?

[naomi24]

andy-hughes, will you please stop making your comments to me so personal and spiteful. It makes you sound nasty.

[jambutty]

And childish.

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - //andy-hughes, will you please stop making your comments to me so personal and spiteful. It makes you sound nasty. //

I never had you down for a shrinking violet - you have always given as good as you get to me, and others with whom you disagree.

But, that said, if I have overstepped the mark, then I am happy to apologise, it is certainly not my intention to hurt or upset you.

I will be sure to be a little more circumspect in my future responses, and again, my apologies for any upset caused, however unintentional

[naomi24]

andy-hughes, spitefulness doesn't hurt or upset me - I'm grown up enough to understand that it pleases some people - and your apologies come far too easily so please don't bother. Nevertheless it would be rather more pleasant for all if you could bring yourself to be a little more civil.

[RetroChic2]

pot calling kettle black springs to mind lol!

[mikey4444]

Andy..."Personal and spiteful"....there's a well known phrase here, with kettle and pot that comes to mind !

[mikey4444]

RetroChic....just seen that you got in there first !

[naomi24]

And the gang's all here....

Oh well.

[Zacs-Master]

'Bring yourselves to be a little more civil'. Like calling people 'sad'. Oh the irony.

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - //and your apologies come far too easily so please don't bother. Nevertheless it would be rather more pleasant for all if you could bring yourself to be a little more civil. //

I offered the hand of friendship with courtesy, you spurned it and gave me a lecture - so we are both behaving to type then.

[naomi24]

Zacs-Master, I’m not surprised you disagree that bullies are sad people.

Andy-hughes, thank you, but I’m selective in my choice of friends. In the adult world civility is not something to be agreed, but a given.

[Zacs-Master]

Naomi, bullies aren't people who ask questions you're unable to answer, causing you to become flustered and insult people.

[naomi24]

Zacs-Master, haha! That one doesn't wash. Try again.

[Svejk]

back to the OP.
Just going on this site, C4 have obviously 'bothered' some people who perceive them as being insensitive/deliberately provocative over this.
Why is it that the morally superior, on here, who are generally all in favour of taking offence, themselves or on behalf of others, think that some of us have no right to take offence. Indeed, we should be offended and our views disregarded.

[Hypognosis]

On page 4, three different contributors all made similar typos

hajib became hijab
niqab became naqib

a and i are typed by different hands, on a standard keyboard. My own typos are down to using one-finger and a phone keyboard.

Just an observation.

[Hypognosis]

@thread

Andy's summary
//
Mr Mackenzie is not querying the reasons why Ms. Manji does or does not wear a hijab, he is asking wheter it was 'insensitive' for her to do so when presenting a news item about a Muslim atrocity and whether it was similarly 'insensitive' of her employers to allow her so to do.
//

Objection: the phrase "Muslim atrocity" is loaded. Deliberately so.

The never-ending debate is about whether these atrocities "belong to" Islam. We've divided ourselves into the "nothing to do with Islam" camp and the "it's in the Koran" camp. This is what Mackenzie thinks his readership needs constant reinforcing in.

If we didn't all spend all day on AB, we could spend a few weeks reading the Koran, so we're all up to speed. Naomi is the only forum member I know who has claimed to have read it, though I don't know if she means extracts or cover-to-cover.

Separate issue:-

Hypothetically, if Fatima had not worn her hijab and had just been "Arabic-looking newsreader", would Mackenzie have made a similar complaint? I think not, because that would be de facto racism, wouldn't it?

Driving a truck into a crowd of (mostly) white people is de facto racism but let's ignore that, for the time being.

[naomi24]

Hypognosis , //Naomi is the only forum member I know who has claimed to have read it …..//

Not just me. I believe Birdie and vetuste_ennemi have also read it, and I think Atalanta read it quite recently too. I have three copies.

//Hypothetically, if Fatima had not worn her hijab and had just been "Arabic-looking newsreader", would Mackenzie have made a similar complaint? I think not, because that would be de facto racism, wouldn't it?//

No, he wouldn’t – but not for the reason you claim. From the OP, // would ask whether it is appropriate for a newsreader to wear religious attire that could undermine the viewer's perception of impartiality//

[ladybirder]

That would be three different translations naomi?

[naomi24]

Ladybirder, yes.

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - // From the OP, // would ask whether it is appropriate for a newsreader to wear religious attire that could undermine the viewer's perception of impartiality//

Why would a newsreader's attire 'undermine the viewer's perception of impartiality'?

I am sure that all newsreaders of every race creed and colour have their own opinions on the news they read - but they are there to impart the news, not comment or offer their perspective.

No-one would have questioned Trevor MacDonald's 'impartiality' when reading out news about Robert Mugabe's latest atrocities simply because they both happen to be black.

The entire notion is a farce, it was when it started, and it is now, when Mr MacKenzie is still wringing column inches out of it, for his own attention-seeking reasons.