Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
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Let's get down to the Nitty Gritty or maybe not?

Posted by Ged on January 23, 2021, 2:40 pm

See below an excerpt from an article in today's Daily Mail:

BBC rejects complaint against Laura Kuenssberg for saying 'nitty gritty' after anti-racism campaigners claimed the phrase started in slave trade
• The BBC political editor used the phrase while speaking on talk show Brexitcast
• She used term while speaking about departure of No.10 press chief Lee Cain
• But the use of the well-known phrase sparked a complaint from one listener
• BBC has rejected the complaint, which was originally dismissed by editors
• Anti-racism campaigners say term is from slave trade, but this is disputed

The BBC has rejected a complaint against political editor Laura Kuenssberg over her use of the phrase 'nitty gritty' - which anti-racism campaigners claim originates from the slave trade.
The award-winning journalist used the well-known term while speaking on BBC political talk show Brexitcast as she discussed the departure of top Downing Street press chief Lee Cain.
But the remark sparked a complaint from a listener about the use of the phrase, which some anti-racism campaigners claim originates from Transatlantic slave ships.
The term was reportedly banned by Sky Sports last year over the concerns about its origins - which are disputed by some linguistics experts.
Programme bosses threw out the complaint against the journalist, who is paid up to £250,000-a-year in her top-ranking role at the BBC.
However the determined listener refused to back down and the grievance was escalated to top BBC complaints chiefs.
Now the corporation's executive complaints unit has backed the decision of programme makers and dismissed the objection.
Today 'nitty-gritty' is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) as meaning: 'The fundamentals, realities or basic facts of a situation or subject. The heart of the matter.'
Ms Kuenessberg used the term while talking about the resignation of Lee Cain in November last year.

These people should maybe take up Trainspotting, the best vantage point being the middle of the track.