The BBC has edited out yet another audience reaction to Boris Johnson

Emma Barnett


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The BBC faced a barrage of criticism for editing out audience reactions to Boris Johnson. It now turns out that the broadcaster has done it twice.

“BBC at it again”

The new scandal comes just after viewers caught the BBC editing out audience members laughing at the sitting prime minister. And again, it concerns footage from the BBC‘s Question Time Leaders Special on 22 November. But this time, editors replaced footage of an audience member exposing Johnson with a clip of the Conservative leader downplaying his allegations.

The exchange was about accusations that Johnson is hiding a report on alleged Russian interference in the UK and Conservative Party. Financial campaigner Joel Benjamin exposed the edit:

 

On the show, Johnson was claiming that he didn’t suppress the report because he was following its “normal timetable”. But, in the original clip, the audience member hits back at Johnson, saying:

That is not true. Dominic Grieve said it should have been released on October 28th, it was on your desk on October 17th.

Indeed – the Guardian has reported:

Downing Street was sent a final draft on 17 October and had been expected to sign off the report by the end of last week.

But, in the clip the BBC played on Newsnight on 22 November, that comment is nowhere to be seen. Instead, Johnson says:

This is real… Bermuda triangle stuff

Seriously?

This marks yet another BBC edit that appears favourable to Johnson in this election. As well as editing out the audience laughing at the Tory leader, the BBC broadcast the wrong footage of Johnson laying a wreath on Remembrance Sunday on 10 November. The prime minister laid a wreath, to commemorate the millions of people who’ve died in wars, upside down. Instead of holding Johnson to account for the insult, the BBC broadcast archive footage of Johnson laying a wreath in 2016.

There is a pattern here. The edits always seem favourable to the Conservative government. This surely isn’t the fair and impartial public broadcasting that citizens pay for.

Featured image via BBCiplayer

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  • Show Comments

    2. So the BBC, aka Boris’ Broadcasting Clowns, strike again. I suppose it’s a given with the three ring circus that Bogus Johnson has turned Whitehall into. I look forward to Jeremy doing some house cleaning at the Beeb once he assumes the Ringmaster role.

      He needs to do something about the weasels at GCHQ and the sundry MI departments that are undermining British Democracy. It would be a good idea to kick out the US resident spys for a start. Let the heads (of Departments) and the good times roll!

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      1. Thank you for that comment, I agree, and I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who was spooked by the huge increase in ‘American Interns’ in Our ‘corridors of power’, of course they are spies, but in the sense that they are here to meddle in our country’s democracy rather than steal secrets.

        Still haven’t seen evidence of Russia doing the same though, no Russian interns, no credible plots revealed, but Uncle Sam has it’s fingers so deep into our country, that his balls are making a right old racket as they slam repeatedly into our tender UK Derrière! … and still so few notice that we’re being systematically sodomised by the USA!!

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    3. I used to consider the BBC to be a factual and accurate news source. Not any more. Now I consider it as lousy as the Daily Mail, a disreputable rag owned by a disreputable foreigner. Britain can and will do better under Labour Party leadership. For the many, not the (wealthy) few.

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