Channel 4 in race storm over Boris subtitle blunder
CHANNEL 4 was accused of a ‘total disregard for impartiality’ last night after misquoting Boris Johnson so he appeared to make racist comments.
The broadcaster tweeted a clip of the Prime Minister giving a speech – but added subtitles claiming he had used the phrase ‘people of colour’ when discussing immigration controls after Brexit.
However, Mr Johnson actually said ‘people of talent’ could come to Britain.
Soon after tweeting the clip, Channel 4 News was forced to delete the footage and issue a humiliating apology.
The video, which was transcribed by a producer, contained the subtitles: ‘I’m in favour of having people of colour come to this country. But I think we should have it democratically controlled.’
Last night, Tories reacted with fury to Channel 4’s blunder, with Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly tweeting: ‘Boris has used the phrase “people of talent” many times during this election campaign in relation to our points-based immigration policy.’
Sir Robbie Gibb, former communications chief for Theresa May, tweeted: ‘Channel 4 News revealed, yet again, to have a total disregard for impartiality. Less than a week before the election they have been caught doctoring footage to smear the PM as a racist. The head of Channel 4 should go on C4 News tonight to make a public apology.’
And Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry added the mistake was an ‘outrageous smear’.
The row threatens to worsen an already strained relationship between the Tories and the broadcaster.
Only last week, the Conservatives wrote to Ofcom to complain after Channel 4 empty-chaired Mr Johnson in a climate debate and replaced him with a melting ice sculpture. Mr Johnson’s comments on immigration after Brexit were made during a speech to workers in Derbyshire on Thursday afternoon.
After Channel 4 tweeted a clip of a section ected of the speech, a row quickly erupted over whether Mr Johnson had said ‘colour’ or ‘talent’.
The broadcaster then removed the video from its social media page, before tweeting an apology.
Channel 4 News tweeted: ‘Boris Johnson says “people of talent” not “people of colour”.
‘Our earlier tweet was a mistake. We misheard and we apologise.’
But a senior Conservative source said: ‘This shows why it has been impossible to cooperate with Channel 4 News. They are campaigners in this election – inventing the most damaging things possible to further their campaign against Brexit.
‘We sadly do not expect the senior management at Channel 4 to take this terrible mistake seriously and we expect more of the same.’ The Tories have long accused Channel 4 of a ‘pattern of bias’ against them.
In 2017, presenter Jon Snow was accused of chanting ‘ f*** the Tories’ at Glastonbury. At the time, he said he had ‘no recollection of what was chanted, sung or who I took over 1,000 selfies with’ at the festival. But he was reported to have been ‘reminded of his responsibilities around due impartiality’ as a result.
Another row broke out this year after a senior Channel 4 executive branded Mr Johnson a ‘known liar’ and a ‘coward’.
Dorothy Byrne, Channel 4’s head of news and current affairs, asked an audience at the Edinburgh TV Festival: ‘What do we do when a known liar becomes our prime minister?’ And earlier this year, during the Conservative leadership contest, Mr Johnson was ‘empty-chaired’ by Channel 4 after he refused to take part in a TV debate.
The row comes as Mr Johnson confirmed that he will not face Andrew Neil in a BBC interview.
Mr Johnson said yesterday: ‘As I say, and I think most people would say, I think I’m the only Prime Minister to have done not one, but – by tonight – two head-to-head debates. I’ve done 118 sit- down interviews with journalists, I’ve fielded innumerable questions... we cannot accommodate every
‘Outrageous smear’ ‘Won’t take it seriously’
body. There’s a guy called Lord Buckethead who wants to have a head-to-head debate with me.
‘Unfortunately I’m not able to fit him in. You know, we can’t do absolutely everything.’
His comments came after Mr Neil challenged the Prime Minister to appear on his show, saying it was a ‘question of trust’.
‘The Prime Minister of our nation will, at times, have to stand up to President Trump, President Putin, President Xi of China,’ he said.
‘So it was surely not expecting too much that he spend half-anhour standing up to me.’
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn faced Mr Neil in a disastrous interview this election campaign in which he refused to apologise for anti-Semitism within the party.
The bruising encounter appeared on the front page of nearly every newspaper the following day.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage have also faced the veteran interviewer on his show.