The N Word
Thursday, June 7th, 2007Today sees the beginning of a fresh racism row stemming from Channel 4’s Big Brother, and the media coverage has so far been very interesting to watch.
The story goes that a Big Brother contestant has been evicted for directing the term ‘nigger’ at a housemate - the exact context of the use isn’t clear (although the BBC News article shines some light on it) but will be when Channel 4 broadcast the scene later tonight. It’s fair enough to assume from the broadcaster’s reaction, however, that it was taken quite seriously.
BBC News 24 was naturally giving some coverage to the story and putting it in the context of a similar racism row which came from this year’s Celebrity Big Brother.
A segment shown on BBC News 24 earlier today was introduced with a warning that “some may find some of the language used in this report offensive” (paraphrased) and the reporter narrating the piece used the term ‘nigger’ on two occasions; first to explain what was said and then to briefly discuss the use of the word in general.
About an hour later the story was covered again and the same warning was given by the news presenter. This time, however, the package was being narrated by a different person, and its contents were slightly updated. What was bizarre, however, was that the new narrator said the evicted contestant used “the N word” and at no point was the term ‘nigger’ used in the package.
It was, however, used afterwards by an ex-Big Brother contestant who was discussing the fresh controversy with the two news presenters. This wasn’t pre-packaged or part of the “potentially offensive” report so the warning didn’t really make much sense despite this.
It seems odd that a news channel would dance around a word, or change its mind on its use, when it is trying to give readers the full facts. Didn’t the BBC, amongst many others, relish at the opportunity to repeat George W. Bush’s ’shit’ almost a year ago? And why be so precious about any word when it is being used to inform the story rather than actually offend?
It would be odd for a news organisation to think that by using a term with the potential to offend, they themselves are causing or encouraging offense. Surely, if this were actually the case a news organisation that featured details of a war would be causing or encouraging violence also?
Perhaps this is a total coincidence too, but the only people who used the word ‘nigger’ on BBC News 24 (that I saw) were black or asian. The first package was presented by an asian reporter (the name of whom I cannot recall or find), the “on the scene” report after the first package (which didn’t contain the word ‘nigger’) was presented by a black reporter, while the subsequent version of the package, which replaced the word ‘nigger’ with ‘the n-word’, was presented by Andrew Burrows, who is white.
Using a black Big Brother constant is understandable as he knows the competition quite well and could discuss what his own reaction would be to being called a nigger. But did the BBC go out of their way to ensure the woman reporting in the earlier package was asian, and the “on the scene” reporter was black?
I hope not. Surely the media isn’t so careful of itself that it avoids having a white person (or, for that matter, any person) utter the dreaded ‘n-word’, even when they’re using it to inform and not offend.
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June 8th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
I read somewhere (can’t remember where now) that both C4 and the BBC would use the word “nigger” in their initial broadcasts and after that bleep it out or shorten it.
June 10th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Really? That doesn’t make much sense, but it wouldn’t exactly surprise me either…
June 11th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
If a housemate called another housemate a cunt, and for whatever reason there was an issue about that, you can guarantee that it would be shortened to “the c-word” in the media, especially on television.
I would be far less opposed to hearing a swear-word repeated (in an informative manner or otherwise) than to have racial epithets such as nigger used loosely.
There are far more connotations to using the word nigger and bandying it back and forth between television pundits only trivialises a word that has subjugated black people for centuries.
Every broadcaster has their own set of ethics to adhere to but it amuses me how people would be more willing to hear nigger, in all its offensiveness, than fuck, shit or cunt.
I know that there is more to this discussion than we have scratched here, and the use of the word in rap music and other components of black culture muddies the waters somewhat, but I do think that discretion was the best way forward in this matter.
June 11th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Well I’d second your opinion on not bandying it about, I don’t think that would do any good, but I think treating it with kid gloves is also damaging as it just increases the potency.
When a news reader or reporter needs to inform the viewer of the details of, in this case, an offensive exchange, it seems odd to use a kind of code-word instead of a direct quote.
It’s not as though it is being directed at anybody by the reporter either - they’re quoting in order to inform.
Obviously the connotations and impact of the word needs to be taken into account, but there’s nothing dismissive about using the word in the right context (in this case as part of a news story).
The report in question gave the details and, as is expected, didn’t try and bear judgment on the issue itself, so it couldn’t be said that the reporter was playing down the seriousness of the word by quoting it.
As for curse words, again, I’ve no problem with them being used in order to inform a story. George W. Bush’s ’shit’ was used repeatedly for days after it happened, on daytime news TV etc. Not to say that ’shit’ can be as offensive as ‘nigger’, because it can’t, but people still take offense to it and news organisations felt it needed to be left uncensored in that case.
June 11th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
People are over shit at this stage I think.
You hear it on Gerry Ryan every five minutes.
I suppose this just reminded me of him talking about it last week and insisting on using the word nigger every two or three minutes, which to me was frivolous and deliberately contrary, particularly as he highlighted George Galloway’s refusal to say it the night before, even after 11 pm.
I don’t think it’s necessary to repeat it, once in the newscaster’s intro and perhaps once again in the package would be more than sufficient.
One must be mindful of the audience and the many watching who will be incredibly offended by the word.
Many news organisations refused to show the Islam cartoons last year, from my perspective of being neither black nor Muslim, I can say which I think would be the more real and offensive reference.
June 11th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Well Gerry Ryan’s one of the more deserving recipient of the word ‘cunt’, if you ask me.
The thing that got me about the BBC coverage was that they used it once in one package, and then changed it to ‘n-word’ after that.
I think using it once in the package to detail what was said is fine - no need to over do it for the sake of it and no need to hide from it like you’re scared of something.
I suppose the Islam thing is different, as any depictions of Mohammad are supposed to be offensive to him - it shouldn’t matter what he’s doing in the picture.
The point is that it is offensive to Islam to draw Mohammad under any circumstances while the word ‘nigger’ can be used in an unoffensive way (from my point of view) in specific and well-handled circumstances, such as to inform.
(Of course, had the Mohammad picture been a tame one nothing would have happened and people wouldn’t have gotten so hot and bothered about it - I mean there are plenty of paintings of Mohammad that no-one has complained about before. That’s another matter though!)
June 14th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I noticed last night that one of the housemates called the other a cunt and it was bleeped.
Interesting.
June 18th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Meanwhile, in Australia, they chose not to release a housemate despite the fact that her father had died on the outside, been buried, and within a week, forgotten by most (including those who were all a-rage at the amoral act).