News
Vanessa Feltz “extremely upset” by Sunday Times article
Vanessa Feltz has spoken out over Sunday Times column on her BBC Breakfast Show
July 31, 2017 08:21
Vanessa Feltz has spoken out over Sunday Times column on her BBC Breakfast Show
July 31, 2017 08:21Vanessa Feltz has said she was “extremely upset” by the Sunday Times column which claimed she earned a high salary at the BBC because she was Jewish.
Speaking on BBC Radio London, where she presents the breakfast show, Ms Feltz said: "I would have thought after all these years I'd be immune or used to it, but that's not at all how I felt. I felt extremely upset.
"The apologies are all very well but how did it end up in the paper in the first place?"
She added that the piece written by Kevin Myers was "so obviously racist it's surprisingly hurtful".
Writing on the BBCs pay issue, Mr Myers noted that the best-paid female presenters, Claudia Winkleman and Ms Feltz, were Jewish.
He wrote: "Good for them. Jews are not generally noted for their insistence on selling their talent for the lowest possible price, which is the most useful measure there is of inveterate, lost-with-all-hands stupidity."
In a further statement, Jonathan Goldstein, chair of the Jewish Leadershipo Council, said: “The Editor of The Sunday Times, Martin Ivens, phoned me last night to apologise for the antisemitic article published in this weekend’s Sunday Times (Irish Edition).
“We will meet in September and Mr Ivens has agreed then to discuss how this article managed to get through the editorial process.
“I am grateful for the swift initial steps taken by Mr Ivens. However, given the record-breaking rise in antisemitic incidents reported by CST and antisemitism’s unfortunate prominence in our national discourse over recent months, it is the editorial process that remains a concern.
“I look forward to meeting Mr Ivens to discuss how such incidents can be avoided in the future.”
Martin Ivens, the Sunday Times editor, said the piece, which was in the Irish edition and online, should not have been published.
Frank Fitzgibbon, editor of the Sunday Times Ireland, said he took "full responsibility".
He added: "This newspaper abhors antisemitism and did not intend to cause offence to Jewish people."
A News UK spokesman said the column included "unacceptable comments both to Jewish people and to women in the workplace".
The newspaper has said Mr Myers "will not write again" for the Sunday Times.
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.