THE BBC has blamed showing old footage of Boris Johnson laying a wreath on a "production error".
The Prime Minister was pictured laying a poppy wreath upside down on the Cenotaph during Sunday's National Service of Remembrance in London.
His handwritten message, pinned to the top of his wreath, said: "To the immortal memory of those who laid down their lives for us all."
But when he approached the war memorial on Whitehall, video coverage showed him turning the wreath over, which meant his message ended up at the bottom of the wreath and upside down.
Other political leaders, including the Home and Foreign Secretaries, then laid their wreaths next to his with the messages at the top, not the bottom.
The BBC was widely criticised for not showing Sunday's footage, instead showing footage from 2016 on its flagship morning TV programme BBC Breakfast on Monday morning.
The mistake was picked up by LBC producer Ava Evans, who pointed out the BBC was showing footage from 2016.
Slide One is Boris Johnson, yesterday, laying a wreath upside down on the Cenotaph
— Ava-Santina (@AvaSantina) November 11, 2019
Slide Two is the footage BBC News are rolling with this morning - bizarrely, it's from 2016. pic.twitter.com/8BrOyA9Kyr
"This was a production mistake and we apologise for the error," the corporation said in a statement.
This morning on the programme we incorrectly used footage from a Remembrance Day service that was not filmed yesterday.
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) November 11, 2019
This was a production mistake and we apologise for the error.
Some newspapers pointed out that Johnson apparently placed the wreath "upside down" at the Cenotaph, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also came under criticism from some who felt he did not bow deeply enough.
Twitter users questioned how the error happened.
That begs the question why was the production team looking into archive rather than the footage released yesterday? Was it a damage limitation expertise? Shame on you BBC I have always defended you loved you ,am so disappointed.
— Sabina Ahmed (@sabaone) November 11, 2019
Others asked how the BBC would manage to stay impartial during coverage of the December 12 General Election.
1.
This is frankly unbelievable. During an election @bbcnews has ‘incorrectly’ replaced footage recorded yesterday where an untidy Boris Johnson placed his wreath upside down with footage of him looking smarter from 2016. Can the BBC be trusted to be impartial in this election? https://t.co/HpVnMssNNk
— Adam ‘Vote Labour’ Errington (@DrAdamErrington) November 11, 2019
2.
This is frankly unbelievable. During an election @bbcnews has ‘incorrectly’ replaced footage recorded yesterday where an untidy Boris Johnson placed his wreath upside down with footage of him looking smarter from 2016. Can the BBC be trusted to be impartial in this election? https://t.co/HpVnMssNNk
— Adam ‘Vote Labour’ Errington (@DrAdamErrington) November 11, 2019
3.
Propaganda. Pure and simple. The BBC have intentially altered footage to make Johnson look less scruffy and place a wreath the right way up. This is madness on any level. https://t.co/AdIRGhO0Jb
— daysofspeed (@daysofspeed) November 11, 2019
4.
In the heat on an election campaign, supporters on all sides can sometimes perceive bias but it is hard to see how you could reasonably explain the BBC's Boris laying a wreath in 2016 footage this morning as a 'Production Error'- wouldn't exactly be easiest footage to find.
— Katie Dawson (@katiedawson23) November 11, 2019
5.
BBC used footage of the 2018 wreath laying ceremony on Breakfast TV today - not the actual footage of a scruffy-looking Bojo laying wreath wrong way round on Sunday. Any broadcaster will be staggered at the risible suggestion it was "a mistake." Literally fake news https://t.co/tuIZi6oOXu
— Lesley Riddoch (@LesleyRiddoch) November 11, 2019
6.
And you still think the bbc is unbiased? He actually looked incredibly scruffy and disrespectfully laid the wreath upside down yesterday. Showing old footage like this is propaganda. https://t.co/oonMXTpBW4
— Zoe London (@zoelondondj) November 11, 2019
7.
BBC Newsroom panic:
— Mr Ethical (@nw_nicholas) November 11, 2019
"Damn, Johnson looks pissed and laid his wreath the wrong way round. What shall we do.?"
"Edit in some old footage."
"But the wreath is green in the old footage, it was red yesterday."
"Don't worry, nobody will notice."
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