Media regulator Ofcom is to investigate ITV News after a presenter used the word "coloured" in a report on racism in football last month.
Richard Pallot, an ITV News reporter, said the term while reporting on a racism in football summit at Downing Street in late February, attended by ex-player John Barnes and Prime Minister David Cameron.
Ofcom intends to investigate whether ITV News broke broadcasting rules covering the prevention of harm and offence to viewers, along with maintaining generally accepted standards, reports The Guardian.
ITV News used its Twitter page to apologise for Pallot's use of the term, which aired in the lunchtime bulletin. It also edited the comment out of all catch-up versions on ITV Player and the ITV News website.
At the time, an ITV News spokesman said: "ITV News apologises for the inappropriate use of the word 'coloured' in a report on racism and football in today's news at 1.30pm. We take this error very seriously and we regret any offence caused."
However, Ofcom is likely to be concerned that the ITN-produced programme allowed the word to be included in a pre-recorded report, suggesting a problem with the compliance procedures around the news bulletin.
Red Dwarf star Danny John Jules was among those to criticise the use of the term.
He tweeted at the time: "An @ITV news report on David Cameron's 'Race Pow-Wow' at No 10 and the DINOSAURS referred to Black players as 'COLOURED'. WTF? Dumb Fuckwits! (sic)"
The controversy follows a similar outcry when Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen also used the word "coloured" while discussing racism in football on the BBC programme.
