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BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty reprimanded for ‘breaching rules’ over Trump comments

Her comments "went beyond what guidelines allow for," the BBC has said

Naga Munchetty has been reprimanded by the BBC for breaching guidelines after criticising President Donald Trump.

The BBC Breakfast host slammed Trump after he told a number of United States Congresswomen to “go back” to the “places from which they came”.

Naga said on the early morning show in July: “Every time I have been told, as a woman of colour, to go back to where I came from, that was embedded in racism.

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Naga has been reprimanded by the BBC for breaching guidelines (Credit: BBC)

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“Now I’m not accusing anyone of anything here, but you know what certain phrases mean.”

The BBC has now said the presenter was entitled to her own view but had gone “beyond what the guidelines allow for”.

A spokeswoman for the BBC said: “The ECU ruled that while Ms Munchetty was entitled to give a personal response to the phrase ‘go back to your own country’ as it was rooted in her own experience, overall her comments went beyond what the guidelines allow for.”

No action has yet been taken against the presenter.

During the episode on July 17, Naga had also said to her co-presenter Dan Walker: “I can imagine lots of people in this country will be feeling absolutely furious that a man in that position feels it’s okay to skirt the lines with using language like that.”

Trump had wrote on Twitter on July 14: “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” referring to the Democrat politicians Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib.

The four women are all US citizens and three of them were born in the states.

At the time, Naga was praised by viewers for her comments.

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Naga slammed Trump after he told the Congresswomen to “go back” to the “places from which they came” (Credit: Splashnews.com)

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One person said: “I appreciated you sharing your own experience. It really helps bring home the impact of Trump’s comments. Appalling language.”

Another wrote: “This needed saying. Well done Naga!”

A third added: “An honest and emotional response, feel this needs to be told! Well said @BBCNaga.”

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Rebecca Carter
Associate Editor (News)

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