This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/entertainment/7071592.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| BBC apologises for 'racial slur' | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| BBC Radio 2 has apologised after DJ Sarah Kennedy said she had almost run over a black pedestrian because she could not see him in the dark. | BBC Radio 2 has apologised after DJ Sarah Kennedy said she had almost run over a black pedestrian because she could not see him in the dark. |
| The 57-year-old made the comments on her early morning show last week, prompting some listeners to complain. | The 57-year-old made the comments on her early morning show last week, prompting some listeners to complain. |
| "It's lucky he opened his mouth to yawn or do something and I saw him. He was wearing a black clothes and a black hat, he was just invisible," she said. | "It's lucky he opened his mouth to yawn or do something and I saw him. He was wearing a black clothes and a black hat, he was just invisible," she said. |
| The BBC said: "We apologise for any offence given." | |
| Listener protest | Listener protest |
| A spokesperson added that Kennedy had been "spoken to" about the comments. | |
| At the time she had been discussing winter road conditions and children wearing visible clothes so they could be seen. | At the time she had been discussing winter road conditions and children wearing visible clothes so they could be seen. |
| Her comments sparked protests from listeners on message boards, with one complaining: "This is just one in a long line of irresponsible remarks from Sarah Kennedy, but the BBC don't have a problem with her." | Her comments sparked protests from listeners on message boards, with one complaining: "This is just one in a long line of irresponsible remarks from Sarah Kennedy, but the BBC don't have a problem with her." |
| Another said: "I like Sarah Kennedy and I appreciate her undemanding start to the day, but I have to ask if she's determined to shoot herself in both feet by making ill-advised off-the-cuff comments." | Another said: "I like Sarah Kennedy and I appreciate her undemanding start to the day, but I have to ask if she's determined to shoot herself in both feet by making ill-advised off-the-cuff comments." |
| Another listener added: "My confused elderly grandmother was more tactful and diplomatic than Kennedy." | Another listener added: "My confused elderly grandmother was more tactful and diplomatic than Kennedy." |
| However some fans defended her. One said: "Leaving aside the fact she said 'until he opened his mouth', she was making a point that too many pedestrians (and I include myself in that) wear dark clothing at night." | |
| Another said skin tone was relevant in the issue of seeing pedestrians in the dark, stating: "This is nothing to do with prejudice - it is a fact based on the science of light reflecting off objects." | Another said skin tone was relevant in the issue of seeing pedestrians in the dark, stating: "This is nothing to do with prejudice - it is a fact based on the science of light reflecting off objects." |
| It is not the first time Kennedy's broadcasting has come under scrutiny. | |
| In August she blamed a sore throat for slurring her speech, while in 1999 she called a clergyman an "old prune", described fellow DJ Ken Bruce as an "old fool" and accused a newsreader of soiling her underwear. | |