Following allegations of sexism, the BBC on Friday conceded an “inappropriate” headline in a story about the resignation of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, in which the media outlet questioned whether women “really can have it all”. Jacinda Ardern, 42, announced Thursday she would be stepping down in early February after five and a half years in power, saying she “no longer has the energy” to run for a new term.
The BBC World channel reported the announcement and then published an article on its social media entitled: “Jacinda Ardern resigns: can women really have it all?” The phrase caused an uproar on social media, with many netizens lamenting one sexist coming out. “We quickly realized that the original title wasn’t appropriate and changed it. We have also deleted the tweet linked to the article, a BBC spokesman told AFP on Friday. “What world are you in?” asked an irate surfer on Twitter. “It’s a shame @BBCWorld,” cried another. “Jacinda Ardern is a longtime leader and international hero. Thanks to her, many other women have greater ambitions and will have greater success. She did everything.”
Also readThe BBC could ditch its channels and go 100% digital
During her tenure, Jacinda Ardern faced the Covid-19 pandemic, a deadly volcanic eruption and the country’s worst attack on record, the 2019 killing of 51 Muslim worshipers at a Christchurch mosque by a white supremacist. Hugely popular overseas , where it adorned the front pages of the magazines Vogue and Time, it has also enjoyed great popularity records in New Zealand, where the media sometimes even spoke of “Jacindamania”.