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AIBU?

To want the BBC to explain wreathgate properly

123 replies

Hingeandbracket · 12/11/2019 08:12

The BBC has apologised for cutting a section of 2016 coverage of Boris laying a wreath into the coverage of Sunday.

But they haven’t provided a proper account of how or why they did it.

I would like to know.

This was not a simple or easy mistake.

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Am I being unreasonable?

372 votes. Final results.

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ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 12/11/2019 08:21

Why are you bothered by this? It was a mistake, it’s been acknowledged and it is difficult to see how it harmed anyone but the bbc.

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LordEmsworth · 12/11/2019 08:23

This was not a simple or easy mistake.

How do you know that exactly?

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Hingeandbracket · 12/11/2019 08:25

Why are you bothered by this?
I pay for the BBC. One of the reasons I pay is because I hope and expect unbiased reporting.
I want to know exactly how and why this was done. It wasn’t a simple “pressed the wrong button” mistake.

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Hingeandbracket · 12/11/2019 08:27

How do you know that exactly
Aside from all the former BBC employees and other news folk tweeting about the process where archive footage has to be specifically requested, it’s pretty obvious. No-one has random footage from 3 years ago just lying around.

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ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 12/11/2019 08:28

I do see where you are coming from but I am not sure how it created a political advantage or disadvantage for Johnson. If it had been something clearly positive or negative it would agree with you.

Currently I am subscribing to the cock up theory.

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Georgina678 · 12/11/2019 08:29

I just think it’s a sign of how insane our politics is currently that this isn’t even our first wreath-related political scandal of the decade...

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Chloemol · 12/11/2019 08:29

YABU to assume the BBC is unbiased. It’s the most biased broadcaster out, and time we stopped paying a tv licence and it went commercial

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FelixFelicis6 · 12/11/2019 08:29

For God’s sake...have you not thought WHY they would bother to do this deliberately? It would obviously be picked up, and obviously be traced back to the person who did it? And for what? Not everything is a big conspiracy, and if they were conspiring, wouldn’t they do it for something that actually made a difference?!

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Hingeandbracket · 12/11/2019 08:31

Currently I am subscribing to the cock up theory.

And I am not dismissing that as an explanation just saying I’d like the full story.

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ShirleyPhallus · 12/11/2019 08:31

God, it was a mistake. How can people care about stuff like this?!

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Hingeandbracket · 12/11/2019 08:32

@FelixFelicis6 I am not saying it’s a big conspiracy. I just want to know what happened

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CherryPavlova · 12/11/2019 08:32

I agree. His appearance this year was disrespectful and shambolic. Corbin was smarter.
Could it possibly be BBC bias?

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MustardScreams · 12/11/2019 08:33

There is no way it was an innocent cock up. You only have to read what ex BBC staff say about it to know that.

Have we all conveniently forgotten anorak-gate? If it was JC placing the wreath the wrong way it would be headline news for days.

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notaladyinred · 12/11/2019 08:33

Archive footage does not have to be specifically requested, the people saying that haven't worked at the BBC since the days of tape. These days it's all on a server and the date the footage hails from isn't always immediately obvious. Anyone who actually works in this sort of environment these days knows how easy it is to make this sort of mistake.

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hopeishere · 12/11/2019 08:34

Why some people care?

Because if it was done deliberately it was an attempt to manipulate the general perception of the prime minister- present him as statesmanlike not scruffy and silly. You don't care that people can be manipulated by incorrect views / assertions etc?

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ShatnersWig · 12/11/2019 08:34

But they haven’t provided a proper account of how or why they did it

You're obviously not on Twitter. I read an explanation from the BBC of how this happened and several current and former BBC employees (some of whom don't work in London) have backed up how easy it is to do this because of the way their Jupiter (I think I've remembered that correctly) works.

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Hingeandbracket · 12/11/2019 08:34

God, it was a mistake. How can people care about stuff like this?!
Why wouldn’t you prefer to be able to trust TV news to be accurate?

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CherryPavlova · 12/11/2019 08:35

Why do people care? Because it clearly wasn’t a mistake, it was intentional distortion for political ends. It was a thinly veiled attempt to present him more favourably as that is key in the media driven politics we now have.
It’s really not that simple to go and dig out old clips instead of using current material.

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PigletJohn · 12/11/2019 08:35

They didn't DO it by mistake.

The "mistake" was deciding to do it.

It would have been honest and dignified to cut away to a different camera so the PM was not shown at that moment to save him embarrassment.

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weymouthswanderingmermaid · 12/11/2019 08:35

Ordinarily it wouldn't bother me. But I was gobsmacked last year at the vitriol aimed at Jeremy Corbyn for wearing a smart dark raincoat, in the pouring rain, at the ceremony. So yeah, I don't think this footage was used my accident, sadly.

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Hingeandbracket · 12/11/2019 08:36

You're obviously not on Twitte
I am but I haven’t delved so deeply as experts in superior comments like you: thank you so much for the enlightenment

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Mumofone2001 · 12/11/2019 08:37

I watched it from 10-11:30 ish and it showed him putting the wreath down? I'm confused did they then replay the wreath footage and not show it all? Surely the soldiers we are remembering are more important than seeing Boris place a wreath anyway? I wouldn't have thought anything of it if I hadn't seen him put it down a first time and instead had footage of the soldiers and their families, I would have preferred it.

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MustardScreams · 12/11/2019 08:38

You can remember the soldiers and be infuriated with biased reporting. It’s not one or the other.

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Actionhasmagic · 12/11/2019 08:40

Lol imagine if your naive enough to think this is a mistake

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BoxFox · 12/11/2019 08:40

The BBC is a public sector department gone very badly wrong these days. Both quality and content too often a joke:

Those dreadful morning news presenters giggling and fawning over each other on their sofa.

Technical problems with outside news broadcasts.

Two or three people used where one would do

Journalists giving their personal opinions in staged current affairs interviews - the news should be conveyed factually and without bias. If they want to include opinions or perspective then that would be for independent and clearly identified guests to do.

Once the current nonsense is settled and we can get back to a government engaged in running the country then I hope to hear the sounds of a swamp being drained emanating very loudly from the BBC.

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