BBC RECEIVES 18,600 COMPLAINTS OVER USE OF RACIAL SLUR IN NEWS REPORT. The BBC has received more than 18,600 complaints about the use of a racial slur in a TV news report. The N-word was used in a report about a racially-aggravated attack in Bristol, broadcast by Points West and the BBC News Channel last week. The corporation has since defended the use of the word, but accepted it caused offence.