BBC says ‘no intention to cause any offence’ after trailer gaffe

The JC reports:

“BBC producers have changed a trailer for a series about tax and benefit fraudsters following complaints that it could be seen as antisemitic.

The original trailer for Britain on the Fiddle featured the song “If I Were a Rich Man”, from Fiddler on the Roof, the 1960s film about Jews in a Russian shtetl.

Some viewers felt that the choice of music pandered to negative stereotypes about Jews and money.”

From the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines:

“We aim to reflect fully and fairly all of the United Kingdom’s people and cultures in our services.  Content may reflect the prejudice and disadvantage which exist in societies worldwide but we should not perpetuate it.  In some instances, references to disability, age, sexual orientation, faith, race, etc.  may be relevant to portrayal.  However, we should avoid careless or offensive stereotypical assumptions and people should only be described in such terms when editorially justified.”  [emphasis added]

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