Damning testimony from former BBC staff dismisses claim BBC showed 2016 footage instead of Boris Johnson’s 2019 disrespect was ‘error’
Earlier, the SKWAWKBOX reported that the BBC had attempted to dismiss as an ‘error’ their use of 2016 footage of Boris Johnson placing a wreath at the Cenotaph, instead of 2019 footage in which Boris Johnson three times disrespected fallen troops.
Yesterday, a dishevelled Johnson messed up the timing of his part in the wreath-placement ceremony, insulted the memory of the fallen by placing his red wreath upside-down – and stood with his attention clearly wandering during the 11am silence.
But this morning, the BBC showed a neatly-groomed Johnson placing a green wreath in 2016, during a segment supposed to show yesterday’s Remembrance Day service, neatly covering Johnson’s sloppiness.
The BBC attempted to justify the incorrect footage by saying the clip was used in ‘error’.
But former BBC journalists have dismissed the ‘error’ claim as ‘near impossible’:
This is not the first such ‘error’ by the BBC. In 2017, as Corbyn made a storming Commons speech destroying Philip Hammond’s Budget, the BBC instead ‘accidentally’ showed footage of Corbyn’s speech from six months earlier.
Instead of the fluent, confident Labour leader owning the room in the way that he had done consistently since the supposedly ‘shock’ General Election result, viewers saw a different response entirely.
SKWAWKBOX view:
The BBC’s ‘error’ hid Boris Johnson’s triple disrespect for fallen troops yesterday, in a period when broadcasters are obliged to report political events impartially in the run-up to the general election.
The claim that it was a mistake was convenient cover – but at least two former BBC journalists have dismissed the claim and at least one has directly accused their former employer of lying to the public to cover up political complicity.
The journalists deserve praise for standing up for truth. As for BBC News – long run by Tories, it seems it has abandoned even the pretence of impartiality.
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They also chose to do this today of all days, Armistice Day
WOW! This propaganda is becoming very scary. The BBC, of all the broadcast media, should be the most trusted source of public information. The newspapers will obviously spout ‘fake news’ being owned by vested interests and can be expected, but the series of BBC blatantly crude efforts aren’t even subtle and frankly, taking the piss!
You been abroad for the last decade Michael? 😂
Have you all forgotten the Panorama drama,
Now how about accusing the BBC of lying and consistent partiality for cheap and nasty Tory party
Watch Politucs Live today Jo Coburn grinning and winking at her Tory guests
Or get straight onto Newsnight and ask them to fix it or their will be a formal complaint
This item came through when I had this, from the Glasgow poet, Tom Leonard actually in my hand. It seemed spot on (read it out loud with a Glasgow accent).
The wreath incident is too serious not to be funny.
this is thi
six a clock
news thi
man said n
thi reason
a talk wia
BBC accent
iz coz yi
widny wahnt
mi ti talk
aboot thi
trooth wia
voice lik
wanna yoo
scruff. if
a toktaboot
thi trooth
lik wanna yoo scruff yi
widny thingk
it waz troo.
jist wanna yoo scruff tokn.
thirza right
way ti spell
ana right way
ti tokit. this
is me tokn yir
right way a
spellin. this
is ma trooth
yooz doant no
yirsellz cawz
yi canny talk
right. this is
the six a clock nyooz. belt up.
*Very good!*
Have the BBC been reported to Ofcom for breach of Purdah ?
Johnson, arrogant slovenly oaf. Is he really the original ITV Gaffer ? ‘The Gaffer’ – doesn’t need to take advise he’s your man at any price
More like who put ‘Fred Scuttle” in charge of the cheap and nasties
There should be a new website, or perhaps twitter thread: “BBC production errors.” Should include Fiona Bruce, for a start.
If any of those comments by ex-BBC people ever accidentally hit our screens I wonder if the BBC will dismiss them as disgruntled ex-employees… the corporate go-to response to whistleblowers.
Wishful thinking to hope any current BBC employee will ever tell the truth about bias.
They’re apparently 100% for the 1%.
For the Battle of Orgreave during the miners’ strike, the BBC reversed the sequence of the footage.
They later claimed that that was an error too.
And lets not forget the Stockport Messenger Dispute when the footage got reversed in the cutting room and was brought up by Tony Benn in Parliament . BBC , British Broadcasting Conservatives. some things never change
Allan, That last sentence was prophetic. looking back at the media’s behaviour now that we have trouble at t’kiev. it’s unbelievable. they are openly inventing things. no mention of the years of mortar, sniper and artillery bombardment of Donbas. Putin woke up and in went the army. No reason just what Russians do. We must end this war-loving butcher funding. No mention of the part played by the cowboys and the city who encouraged Ukrainian bullheadedness. It’s a sorry picture of our media, public(haha) and private. Thank you, pertinent post.
BBC News and NEC. Both in need of a hefty stable-cleaning exercise.
The arrogant patronising BBC needs eviscerating, the fat cats on enormous salaries and pensions are a disgrace. If you dont pay your tv licence you can go to gaol. What other media outlet can say its compulsory to buy our product or you will lose your liberty?! Make the tv licence voluntary and they can starve.
Plain citizen. How relevant to the present. These posts could be written now! Cheers.
Maybe the BBC past masters of voice overs and propaganda should voice over Johnson.It worked for gerry Addams when the Thatcher government decided to censor politicians from the natioalist community and we heard the new cool and authoritative voice of gerry Addams that everyone understood without the broad Belfast accent.,his comment ” It made me sound smarter than I actually am and boosted Sinn Fein ” Don’t tell Pifel Johnson
In my opinion the Tories obviously took the opportunity to scare the absolute shit out of the BBC following the McAlpine affair. Things at the Beeb went downhill very rapidly after that event. In particular Newsnight – the guilty party in 2012 – disintegrated as a serious current affairs programme and BBCQT became even more of a weekly party political broadcast on behalf of the Tories.
I think that your analysis is a major part of the story. To which add the political control resulting from new governance arrangements and the pressure on the license fees imposed after the frighteners were put on.
Then there’s the longer, well-known historical pressure from the Israel lobby that has led to ducking issues in that area; plus related constant pressure and nods-and-winks from the security services over foreign affairs (not confined to the Beeb) – and the shit storm over relative pay which has been focused on the Corporation and led to hasty appointments aimed at satisfying the gender bias issues.
All work towards a docile broadcaster and reinforces the network of the ‘Bubble’ and its narrative that has so much influence on the tenor of the News and Current Affairs output.
You don’t need conspiracy theories to explain what’s happening.
I don’t remember the BBC or any of the MSM pointing out that Tory claims of Labour overspending were a crock of shit – so I have to assume that the BBC was already either completely Tory in outlook or completely in Tory pockets by at least as early as 2008.
I don’t recall any of the MSM ever making the point that the banks and bankers bailed out by ‘Labour overspending’ were Tories to the last man and were themselves responsible for the crash which was enabled and set in motion by Thatcher’s deregulation all those years before – deregulation which, once done, was completely beyond reregulation by anyone, Brown included, and was itself the sole cause of the ‘overspending’.
Never heard anyone point out either that the Tories hadn’t exactly objected to their friends the bankers being bailed out.
I tried to submit a complaint about this on the abc complaints page. Having filled in the numerous sections and reached the final page it does appear that the ;submit’ button doesn’t function. Anyone else found this?