My Response To The BBC's Response To My Complaint

**Original post date 29th August 2012**

I had to do a lot of thinking about whether I wanted to go through with it or not. I didn't feel like going through with this because I felt that it was just going to take my time and stress me out. I decided though that if I wanted real changes that I should push for them. So here I am again with another complaint to the BBC, but this time it's a letter that is printed and then mailed to them. So it's official. Shit is getting real.

If you had read this and then this, you would know what's up.

With about twenty days left to respond, I didn't want to take a gamble and wait to be in the UK before sending so I decided to send from the Netherlands where I am at the moment.

I send it by airmail and the lovely people at the Post Kantoor (Post Office) told me it'll take about three days; they'll get it Friday.

Before sending off my letter, I had to read the BBC complaints guidelines (they're confusing as hell). There's about four different stages of complaints. 1a is the initial complaint, 1b is the complaint to the response send by the BBC and stage 2 is like editorial stage (don't quote me on this).

I also had to make sure that I was sending to the right people because otherwise they wouldn't get it.

Here is the letter. I used a formal letter style but because it'll look weird and it contains my personal details such as address, I will just post the content:

Dear BBC Complaints,

This letter is written in response to your response to my complaint letter. Let me first thank you for taking the time to respond to me in a timely manner.

In the response it was written that ‘the item was broadcasted before the Men’s 200m final and was a legitimate and serious exploration of the fact that top level sprinting has been dominated by black athletes’. May I ask why this is a legitimate and serious exploration?

Furthermore, has the BBC ever explored the dominance of European athletes in particular sports such as sailing and swimming? Surely this should be classified as a legitimate and serious exploration as well? The fact that the BBC found it legitimate and serious to explore the success of black athletes in sprinting and not white athletes in other sports, is a double standard and comes off as prejudice.

The segment did not mention the fact that track and field is Jamaica’s national sport. Neither did the segment point out the work ethic, passion and culture of black people and how that may have affected their success. If dominance of black athletes needed to be explored, outside factors should have been mentioned as well. Michael Johnson and Colin Jackson were the only ones providing alternative views; something the BBC, as a respectable media entity, should have done, but failed to do so.

Michael Johnson and Colin Jackson did present programs in the past examining why black athletes dominate sprinting. However, Michael Johnson still put a lot of emphasis on the alternative view after the segment, which is; Black athletes are successful because track and field is well invested in and the coaching is good. Mr Johnson also mentioned cultural implications as a possible factor in aiding black athletes’ success; many Jamaicans participate in track and field, therefore they have someone to aspire to and become better than.

Colin Jackson mentioned that in the BBC’s The Making Of Me, that he has super fast twitch muscles, which was then cross-referenced with Caribbean and USA athletes. It was found that about 80% of white European athletes had the same super fast twitch muscle as well. Sprinting ability was then said to be more nurture than nature. The Making Of Me is part of the BBC and it has already disproven some of the claims made by the BBC’s segment; rendering it inaccurate and unnecessary.

It appears that so much emphasis is placed on black athletes’ genes as if their own work ethic isn’t what resulted in their success. It perpetuates the stereotype that black people don’t work hard but are rather naturally strong etc; the very same outlook was why we were taken into slavery. I felt the horrors of slavery was trivialised and downplayed because the claims made, will give people the impression that without slavery, black athletes wouldn’t have excelled at track and field sports.

The segment should be deemed offensive to other races as well because it suggests that you need particular genes to succeed, which may prevent people of other races from taking part. The BBC didn’t even consider the fact that the dominance of black athletes in track and field could have put off potentially successful white Europeans from attempting the sport, hence why black athletes continue to dominate the sport.

Lastly, the apology made in response to my complaint; ‘I’m sorry if you were unhappy with this item’, demonstrates that the BBC does not realise or want to take responsibility of its errors. The apology felt like a backhanded apology. The BBC suggested that it will only apologise if I felt unhappy with the item, when in actuality, the BBC has to apologise for the segment because of its nature and bias.

Is there any way I can also obtain a report of any changes made already or in the future? I would like to see how the BBC is going to implement my complaint in shaping its future coverage.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I’m grateful that I have been given the opportunity to respond. 

What do you all think? Good letter? Yes/no? Well it's send any way so any opinion won't change a thing, but feel free to comment.