Coverage of the death of Chris Kaba – and the acquittal of the police officer Martyn Blake tried for his murder – has raised more troubling questions about editorial decision-making at the BBC.
Kaba was shot dead during an armed vehicle stop in south London on 5 September 2022. Because Kaba was black, it appears the BBC’s commitment to achieving due impartiality succumbed quickly to the distorting lens of identity politics.
Anyone consuming only BBC coverage of the Kaba case would have likely assumed that he was just a talented young man who was ultimately the victim of a terrible injustice
When Kaba’s name emerged the day after the shooting, a BBC online article quoted loved ones of the 24-year-old drill rapper describing him as ‘funny’ and ‘super-kind’, an individual who would ‘do anything for you’ and a ‘good person’.
Inevitably, the spectre of racism was raised unchallenged, with the mother of Kaba’s fiancée claiming that had he been white, he would have been given ‘a chance to get out the car’.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in