British Muslim Editor Boycotts TalkTV Over ‘Islamophobic’ Interviews

Roshan Salih, editor at British Muslim news website 5Pillars, announced he will boycott TalkTV over the broadcaster’s “Islamophobic” interviews, expressing having “no respect” for host Julia Hartley-Brewer whose rant at a Palestinian guest went viral last week.

Salih posted a screengrab from an apparent interaction on WhatsApp with a TalkTV booker refusing a request to appear on Hartley-Brewer’s show on Tuesday.

The editor turned down the request, saying that he had “too many bad experiences with presenters not letting me speak, cutting me off, muting me, generally asking too many stupid Islamophobic questions and then shouting over me.”

He went on to write of Hartley-Brewer: “I also have no respect for Julia as a journalist, so it’s a no.”

Hartley-Brewer was accused of “racial stereotyping” by outraged viewers on Friday after frustratedly shouting down her Palestinian guest Dr Mustafa Barghouti and insinuating that the overlapping conversation was because he was “not used to women talking.”

The interview led to calls for broadcasters regulator Ofcom to take action against the channel and petitions for Hartley-Brewer’s resignation.

Billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s News UK launched TalkTV last year as the UK’s answer to Fox, hoping to capitalise on interest in right-leaning opinion-led network GB News and draw viewers from Sky and the BBC.