The Ligali organisation raised an official complaint with both BBC News and Channel 4 News over their failure to report on the historic launch of the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in London and the Reparations March from Brixton to Parliament that took place a week later. With several thousand people attending each event, both were of major significance to the African British community. The BBC responded by writing;
“Thanks for contacting us regarding BBC London News as broadcast 24 July. I understand you feel that there was insufficient coverage on the opening of the Black Cultural Archives.
There are several factors that we take into consideration when deciding how to put together our news bulletins. These can include whether the story is new and requires immediate coverage, how unusual the story is, how much national interest there is in the story and the length of the bulletin.”
The BBC have not attempted to justify their exclusion of the Reparations March but have said their online news team covered “various aspects of [the BCA] story” and listed the following;
“http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-28480116
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p023kk8b
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p023cp60”
Channel 4 who also failed to acknowledge the march as well as the importance of the establishment of the new Black Cultural Archive site wrote;
“We are very sorry to read that you feel Channel 4 News has excluded certain items, which you wish to appear in our news reports. As you can imagine the editorial staff face a very difficult task when deciding upon which items from around the globe to report on, unfortunately this means that they are not always able to satisfy the needs of our wide and varied viewership.”
The original complaint highlighted “Channel 4's consistent decision to exclude events of significance that affect the Pan African community in the UK from its televised news broadcasts.”
The complainant Toyin Agbetu of the Ligali organisation wrote;
“On 1 August 2014 there was a protest march of over two thousand people walking from Brixton to 10 Downing Street and then onto Parliament. It is clear that this unified voice was a message from one of Britain's minority communities to government. Channel 4 as a public broadcaster failed in its duty to give cover of topical issues from the Pan African community that are either marginalised or discriminated against by the rest of the mainstream media.
As license fee payers Africans in Britain have a right to expect events such as this one to be covered if not live then in pre-recorded packages on both local and national channels.
The disappointing editorial decision to exclude this as well as the recent historic Black Cultural Archives launch (24 July 2014) from television channels appears anti-African and supportive of racist strategy/ideology that denigrates the political and aspiration concerns of African people with regards to topical issues such as Maafa (Trans-Atlantic and Colonial Enslavement).
If this was not an editorial decision then the fact that the Channel 4 news team was unaware of this march would demonstrate incompetence in covering community affairs.”
When asked for a comment on the responses from both broadcasters a Ligali spokesperson added;
“It’s a pity that even in 2014, the only time we are guaranteed to see our faces on the news in Britain is if it is related to sports, crime, entertainment or racism. If the Police had sparked off a conflict on either of those days there is no doubt in my mind that the British media would have reported the story.”
External Links
Black Cultural ArchivesMoving celebration marks long journey to the Black Cultural Archives launch in BrixtonBlack Cultural Archives unveils new centre in BrixtonKunga Dred Reports on the Reparations MarchDemotix - Black Reparations March to the Houses of Parliament
Thousands of Africans unite for Reparations March 2014
“Thanks for contacting us regarding BBC London News as broadcast 24 July. I understand you feel that there was insufficient coverage on the opening of the Black Cultural Archives.
There are several factors that we take into consideration when deciding how to put together our news bulletins. These can include whether the story is new and requires immediate coverage, how unusual the story is, how much national interest there is in the story and the length of the bulletin.”
The BBC have not attempted to justify their exclusion of the Reparations March but have said their online news team covered “various aspects of [the BCA] story” and listed the following;
“http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-28480116
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p023kk8b
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p023cp60”
Black Cultural Archives Launch, 24 July 2014
Failed in its duty
Channel 4 who also failed to acknowledge the march as well as the importance of the establishment of the new Black Cultural Archive site wrote;“We are very sorry to read that you feel Channel 4 News has excluded certain items, which you wish to appear in our news reports. As you can imagine the editorial staff face a very difficult task when deciding upon which items from around the globe to report on, unfortunately this means that they are not always able to satisfy the needs of our wide and varied viewership.”
The original complaint highlighted “Channel 4's consistent decision to exclude events of significance that affect the Pan African community in the UK from its televised news broadcasts.”
The complainant Toyin Agbetu of the Ligali organisation wrote;
“On 1 August 2014 there was a protest march of over two thousand people walking from Brixton to 10 Downing Street and then onto Parliament. It is clear that this unified voice was a message from one of Britain's minority communities to government. Channel 4 as a public broadcaster failed in its duty to give cover of topical issues from the Pan African community that are either marginalised or discriminated against by the rest of the mainstream media.
As license fee payers Africans in Britain have a right to expect events such as this one to be covered if not live then in pre-recorded packages on both local and national channels.
The disappointing editorial decision to exclude this as well as the recent historic Black Cultural Archives launch (24 July 2014) from television channels appears anti-African and supportive of racist strategy/ideology that denigrates the political and aspiration concerns of African people with regards to topical issues such as Maafa (Trans-Atlantic and Colonial Enslavement).
If this was not an editorial decision then the fact that the Channel 4 news team was unaware of this march would demonstrate incompetence in covering community affairs.”
When asked for a comment on the responses from both broadcasters a Ligali spokesperson added;
“It’s a pity that even in 2014, the only time we are guaranteed to see our faces on the news in Britain is if it is related to sports, crime, entertainment or racism. If the Police had sparked off a conflict on either of those days there is no doubt in my mind that the British media would have reported the story.”
Reparations March 2014: Thousands walk united in peace for reparative justice, 1 August 2014
External Links
Black Cultural ArchivesMoving celebration marks long journey to the Black Cultural Archives launch in BrixtonBlack Cultural Archives unveils new centre in BrixtonKunga Dred Reports on the Reparations MarchDemotix - Black Reparations March to the Houses of Parliament
Ligali is not responsible for the content of third party sites
Thousands of Africans unite for Reparations March 2014
Speak Out!
Click here to speak out or read (6) comments about this articleAs license fee payers Africans in Britain have a right to expect our historic events to be covered. These deliberate editorial decisions to exclude our experience appears anti-African and supportive of racist ideology.
Toyin Agbetu, The Ligali Organisation
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