The head of an organization representing the editors in the British media resigned after a scandal over his statement about the interview of Megan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry in front of Oprah Winfrey, DPA reported.
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In a statement released last night, confirming his resignation, Ian Murray, executive director of the Society of Editors, said:
“Although I do not agree that the Society’s statement was intended in any way to defend racism, I accept that it could have more clearly condemned narrow-mindedness and obviously caused concern.”
On Monday, Murray issued a statement saying that “The British media are not narrow-minded and will not be diverted from their vital role of holding the rich and strong accountable.”
His words provoked violent reactions among the editors. Dozens of journalists, blacks, Asians and mixed races, from ethnic minorities, as well as editors from the Guardian, the Financial Times and the HuffPost news site, signed a letter to Murray outlining their objections. against the statement.
Also, various organizations have begun to differentiate themselves from their nominations for the Society’s annual awards, which are among the most prestigious in the UK for journalism and are presented on March 31.
Subsequently, earlier yesterday, the Society’s board clarified the statement, saying Murray’s initial statement “does not reflect what we all know: that there is a lot of work to be done in the media to improve diversity and inclusion.” .
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