At the BBC, reports the Times Online,
An award-winning BBC reporter has accused Lenny Henry of insulting her white colleagues by calling for affirmative action employment polices at the corporation.
The comedian claimed that racism was still rife within broadcasting and asked why ethnic minorities were often found only in menial roles.
But he was criticised by Olenka Frenkiel, a leading investigative reporter who has produced acclaimed reports for Newsnight, Correspondent and the Today programme.
“Lenny Henry calls for a black dg (Director-General). Any black dg?”, she wrote in the BBC magazine. “Regardless of merit, or who they are or what they might have done?”
The Peabody award winner mocked the comedian’s argument. “What about a Polish dg?” Ms Frenkiel asked. “Lots of Poles in Britain today. What about a dg with frizzy hair? Or one who’s disabled? Or incredibly small.”
Ms Frenkiel concluded: “For goodness sake, campaign for a person to be dg – not for a colour. I am still offended by Greg Dyke’s lamenting of the BBC as ‘hideously white’. Why is it okay to vilify white people for their colour not black ones? It’s insulting.”
How long will it be before some enterprising American plaintiff, feeling similarly insulted, files a complaint alleging that calls for affirmative action at his or her institution have created a hostile working environment?
