Yes you're right, sorry if anyone read my comment to imply that BBC actively used that word to describe a black person themselves.

But it's pretty much accepted in the UK and especially UK media that if reporting on it, you say "the n word", especially if you're a white reporter.

A lot of people were extremely offended, even in the context you've added, and the BBC have now acknowledged it was wrong.

The reason for today's boycott is partly their delay (and initial defence), and partly a wide, subjective view of institutional racism among large parts of the BBC.

This is obviously a very complex topic, but for now can't we at least agree that we don't need to hear the n-word purposefully spoken by BBC News?