BBC ‘selectively editing’ riots footage [updated]


9:42 am - August 12th 2011

by Robert Sharp    


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During Tuesday’s edition of Newsnight, hosted by Gavin Esler, one of the studio interviewees accused the BBC of selective editing.

The prgramme can be viewed online via the BBC iPlayer (available until 16th August). In a debate about why young people have joined the riots in London, student Yohanes Scarlett said:

First of all, I would like to say, earlier, during your newsclip here, you had a recording of a gentleman with a bandana across his face and sunglasses on, and I would like to point out right now right from the beginning that the BBC have cut out his original statement. I was there. He gave an original statement which he wanted the people to hear. It has been cut out, this is a misrepresentation.

Scarlett’s speech begins at about 15 mins 35 seconds on the iPlayer recording. The clip he referred to is at 7 mins 23 seconds.

Chairing the discussion, Gavin Esler immediately asked Yohanes Scarlett what the chap with the bandana said, but Scarlett said he couldn’t remember it by heart and was reluctant to paraphrase. He went to to say that the BBC should play the full clip. “Perhaps we will” replied Esler.

@Magic_Torch: @robertsharp59 @BBCNewsnight Just because they were accused it doesn’t mean it was true #justsaying

There is probably a simple reason why the interview was cut. Reporters have a strict time slot and the subject Liz MacKean was reporting on was very broad. However, it was an edit which a Newsnight interviewee – someone credible enough to be invited into the studio to talk specifically about the concerns of urban youths – thought was an unwarranted.

@Eastmad: @robertsharp59 @GavinEsler agreed – selective editing of people who you know don’t have much of a voice is egregious

Youths without a voice causing violence; youths causing violence because they have no polical voice. This context is important. This is not simply a case of a politician complaining about selective editing (which actually happens very rarely). Politicians have ample opportunity to clarify and expand upon what they say to broadcast journalists, and they are trained to talk in soundbites anyway. This is not true of the underclass, the submerged.

So fairly or unfairly, the BBC’s reporting has been called into question. If rebutting this criticism was in any way difficult, then maybe it would be appropriate for the BBC to shrug off Yohanes Scarlett’s comment, and the news cycle would move on. But in the age of YouTube and iPlayer, there is really no excuse for uploading Liz MacKean’s entire interview with the masked youth.

It only takes a few minutes, and will give those who want it a deeper insight in the psyche of those caused chaos on our streets.

Update 3:45pm, 11 Aug 2011

I’ve just received this response via e-mail from Newsnight’s Deputy Editor, Liz Gibbons:

With reference to your tweets about why we didn’t put the full interview and statement of the man who claimed to have some involvement with rioting on Newsnight on Tuesday night – it is standard televisual journalistic practice to choose clips from interviews in filmed pieces, rather than run interviews in full. This individual asked to make a statement to camera, but also agreed to do an interview in which our reporter was able to ask him some robust questions about why he thought it was justifiable to loot. I am sure you understand that it would be odd for the BBC to allow a statement from someone justifying criminal behaviour to be aired unchallenged, without us asking the individual some robust questions which the public would expect us to ask. We gave this individual no undertaking or promise of any kind that we would run his interview in full or that we would air his statement at all.

I have spoken to the reporter about the content of the statement that the individual made to camera and I am content that there was nothing he said in that pre-prepared statement that was not reflected in the subsequent interview exchange that was aired on the programme. Nor did he claim to represent any group, or organisation, or offer any insight beyond that which was reflected in the interview about why people were committing acts of violent disorder and criminality. You may have noted that Yohannes Scarlett who appeared in the studio, and was present when this interview was filmed, couldn’t actually recall what this individual even said in his pre-prepared statement.

I hope that allays your concerns.

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About the author
Robert Sharp designed the Liberal Conspiracy site. He is Head of Campaigns at English PEN, a blogger, and a founder of digital design company Fifty Nine Productions. For more of this sort of thing, visit Rob's eponymous blog or follow him on Twitter @robertsharp59. All posts here are written in a personal capacity, obviously.
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Reader comments


1. DaveW

Not including a person’s comments is not “selective editing”. Only including, say, comments saying the riots were caused by one reason and ignoring interviews done that suggest otherwise – that’s selective editing. The student here doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

2. Robert

@DaveW, the student was a bloke!

Look at the quote from Yohanes Scarlett again. The accusation is ‘misrepresentation’.

Perhaps I have ‘misprepresented’ the nature of the problem by calling it ‘selective editing’?!

Either way, my concern here is that the BBC’s editorial standards were called into question, live, on one of their own programmes. The context of this criticism means that the trust that the BBC has among the young black demographic is eroded. As a comitted fan of the BBC its important that they clear this up.

3. de

They could have:

1. Mentioned he made the statement, even if they didn’t play it.

2. Just stuck it on the internet somewhere.

3. Told him not to bother.

4. Shown the first few seconds, then cut to interview.

why interview him at all given their attitude?

4. dave bones

I love Newsnight but am afraid that wasn’t the only mistake. They played this really important clip with a middle class white journalist talking over what the woman actually said. As soon as I saw this clip I was trying to get it to TV so I was pulling my face a bit when it arrived like this.

5. dave bones

Does that not link?

is here

http://youtu.be/G18EmYGGpYI

6. Bull ing don

They apologised for this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biJgILxGK0o&feature=player_embedded

7. Barrie J

Anybody who was involved in the Miner’s strike of 1984/1985 will be all too aware of what happens to BBC news footage in the ‘cutting room’.
The BBC is a lazy, arrogant organisation, contemptious of any complaint or criticism. What passes for news is frequently no more than government propaganda or the regurgitation of press releases.
Checkout BBC Breakfast, hosted by a succession of escapees from The Muppet Show – debate and content of a staggering mediocrity. When announcing a recent fall in inflation an ‘Old Etonian’ Newscaster was heard to say (I paraphrase) ‘Good news that food will be getting cheaper – duh.
Did he mean that food won’t be going up in price quite as quickly?
For news; watch Al Jazeera or even Press TV.

Sorry for the diatribe.

8. Ed

@Barrie J

Are you on crack? – Press TV as a marker for good journalism? And you have the sheer balls to call the BBC government propaganda?
Hell, if that’s the sort of news you’re after, why not go for Russia Today or CCTV9?

Al Jazeera does excellent coverage, I would agree, but really – are you a fictional left wing troll?


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Liberal Conspiracy

    BBC accused of selective editing on riots footage http://bit.ly/oZlRMP

  2. Anonymous

  3. Luton NUT

    BBC accused of selective editing on riots footage http://bit.ly/oZlRMP

  4. Lisa Ellwood

    RT @libcon: BBC accused of selective editing on riots footage http://bit.ly/oZlRMP

  5. Kate Hillier

    RT @libcon: BBC accused of selective editing on riots footage http://bit.ly/oZlRMP

  6. Sam Barnett-Cormack

    RT @libcon: BBC accused of selective editing on riots footage http://bit.ly/oZlRMP

  7. Joshua Haddow

    BBC accused of selective editing on riots footage http://bit.ly/oZlRMP

  8. Class Actions

    BBC accused of selective editing on riots footage http://bit.ly/oZlRMP

  9. Musings of a lefty

    BBC accused of selective editing on riots footage http://bit.ly/oZlRMP

  10. Owen Blacker

    BBC accused of selective editing on riots footage http://bit.ly/oZlRMP

  11. robertsharp59

    My questions for @BBCNewsnight now up at @LibCon http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Commenter draws distinction between 'selective' & 'misrepresentation'

  12. robertsharp59

    Regarding my post about editing on @BBCNewsnight, the BBC have responded: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP

  13. CJ Harris

    Regarding my post about editing on @BBCNewsnight, the BBC have responded: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP

  14. robertsharp59

    @Shirin_Shween @Magic_Torch @Eastmad So, @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Please RT?

  15. robertsharp59

    @CriminologyUK So, @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Please RT?

  16. robertsharp59

    @LutonNUT @IconicImagery @narco_sam So, @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Please RT?

  17. robertsharp59

    @govsocgradessex @jdhaddow @classactionsuk So, @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Please RT?

  18. zefred

    BBC accused of selective editing on riots footage | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/nNNWkJF

  19. Luton NUT

    @LutonNUT @IconicImagery @narco_sam So, @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Please RT?

  20. Kate Hillier

    @govsocgradessex @jdhaddow @classactionsuk So, @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Please RT?

  21. Richard Maddrell

    BBC accused of selective editing on riots footage http://t.co/vuR1jmW via @zite

  22. Magic Torch

    @Shirin_Shween @Magic_Torch @Eastmad So, @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Please RT?

  23. Joshua Haddow

    @govsocgradessex @jdhaddow @classactionsuk So, @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Please RT?

  24. Shweeeen!

    RT@robertsharp59 @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing interview with rioter: http://t.co/E41A32B @griffinsusie @farentaghizadeh

  25. Twitted by jdhaddow

    […] This post was Twitted by jdhaddow […]

  26. Kol Tregaskes

    BBC ‘selectively editing’ riots footage [updated] http://j.mp/r9BR90

  27. ChinaShare

    BBC ‘selectively editing’ riots footage [updated]:During Tuesday’s edition of Newsnight, h… http://t.co/O6GYoGy

  28. ABrunton

    @CriminologyUK So, @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Please RT?

  29. James Wilson

    @CriminologyUK So, @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Please RT?

  30. Twitted by CriminologyUK

    […] This post was Twitted by CriminologyUK […]

  31. Class Actions

    @govsocgradessex @jdhaddow @classactionsuk So, @BBCNewsnight responded to me about editing: http://bit.ly/oZlRMP Please RT?

  32. yohanes scarlett

    http://t.co/yYuMp0q So the BBC did eventually respond





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