BBC urged to take sexism as seriously as racism after sexist Tam Cowan joke
The BBC is facing calls to treat sexism as seriously as it does racism by former Radio 4 newsreader, Alice Arnold, following comments from a BBC radio pundit Tam Cowan that a football stadium should be set on fire to ‘cleanse’ it after hosting a women’s football match.
Cowan was dropped by BBC radio show Off the Ball following the incident but Arnold suggested that Cowan should have been banned for good, pointing out that the remark would have been perceived as being more unacceptable if he had referred to black footballers instead.
In a piece for The Telegraph website, she said: “It has yet to be confirmed if his absence is temporary or permanent... I can’t believe for one minute that the BBC would even consider employing Cowan if his comments had been about race.
“The future employment of Tam Cowan surely can’t be a borderline decision? The BBC needs to show that it takes sexism as seriously as racism. Only a permanent ban on the BBC airwaves will show us their commitment.”
Cowan who made the joke in his column for the Daily Record, has since apologised for the offence caused, saying he meant the article to be ‘tongue in cheek’.