Oh no! BBC accidentally airs word cloud calling the new UK Prime Minister a t***
- Replies 9
BBC News is usually pretty careful about the language it uses on television, but it appears that someone made a mistake on Monday afternoon.
During a segment on the public's reaction to new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the BBC News channel displayed a word cloud that included some pretty surprising choices of words for the Conservative Party leader.
For those who don't know, a word cloud is generated by taking feedback and forming an image from the most popular responses. In this case, Brits were asked to describe Sunak in one word after he took power on Monday.
In addition to both complementary and unfavourable monikers for the Tory leader, two crude words were also included in the graph. Strangely, while the word 'c***' was censored in the cloud, 't**t' was broadcast in full view.
Oops! We imagine that whoever was responsible for putting together this segment is feeling pretty red-faced right about now. The BBC has issued an apology for airing the offensive language during its afternoon news broadcast.
In a statement, they said: 'The programme briefly showed a "word cloud" graphic that included two offensive words (one of them with an asterisk). We accept that a mistake was made allowing it to be broadcast and apologise if any offence was caused.'
This isn't the first time within just a few days that the BBC has been in trouble for its stance on the Conservative Party.
Martine Croxall, a presenter for BBC News, is being probed for a 'possible breach of impartiality' when she expressed 'glee' over Boris Johnson's decision to withdraw from the contest for prime minister, which would have been his second time in the position.
She also chuckled and responded to a guest's joke that was directed at Mr Johnson, even going so far as to admit that her remarks might have violated BBC policies.
Nick Timothy, previously an adviser to former Prime Minister Theresa May, called Croxall out on her behaviour, tweeting: 'Whatever you think of Johnson, if you care about the BBC you cannot think this is in any way acceptable from one of its presenters.'
Croxall and the BBC haven't made it clear whether she was talking about Mr Johnson's withdrawal or how quickly news moves.
She did, however, advise one Twitter user to take her remarks in context. She also mentioned that her comeback to the show was scheduled for Monday night.
Let this be a lesson to everyone: always edit and double-check your work (and even your words!) before sharing it for all to see! You never know, a momentary lapse in judgement could cause someone to misunderstand you.
What do you think of this story, folks? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
During a segment on the public's reaction to new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the BBC News channel displayed a word cloud that included some pretty surprising choices of words for the Conservative Party leader.
For those who don't know, a word cloud is generated by taking feedback and forming an image from the most popular responses. In this case, Brits were asked to describe Sunak in one word after he took power on Monday.
In addition to both complementary and unfavourable monikers for the Tory leader, two crude words were also included in the graph. Strangely, while the word 'c***' was censored in the cloud, 't**t' was broadcast in full view.
BBC used a 'word cloud' made from people's opinions of PM Rishi Sunak that unintentionally included offensive words. Credit: Twitter.
Oops! We imagine that whoever was responsible for putting together this segment is feeling pretty red-faced right about now. The BBC has issued an apology for airing the offensive language during its afternoon news broadcast.
In a statement, they said: 'The programme briefly showed a "word cloud" graphic that included two offensive words (one of them with an asterisk). We accept that a mistake was made allowing it to be broadcast and apologise if any offence was caused.'
This isn't the first time within just a few days that the BBC has been in trouble for its stance on the Conservative Party.
Martine Croxall, a presenter for BBC News, is being probed for a 'possible breach of impartiality' when she expressed 'glee' over Boris Johnson's decision to withdraw from the contest for prime minister, which would have been his second time in the position.
She also chuckled and responded to a guest's joke that was directed at Mr Johnson, even going so far as to admit that her remarks might have violated BBC policies.
Martine Croxall was temporarily taken off-air for a potential 'breach of impartiality' over Johnson comments. Credit: BBC News.
Nick Timothy, previously an adviser to former Prime Minister Theresa May, called Croxall out on her behaviour, tweeting: 'Whatever you think of Johnson, if you care about the BBC you cannot think this is in any way acceptable from one of its presenters.'
Croxall and the BBC haven't made it clear whether she was talking about Mr Johnson's withdrawal or how quickly news moves.
She did, however, advise one Twitter user to take her remarks in context. She also mentioned that her comeback to the show was scheduled for Monday night.
Let this be a lesson to everyone: always edit and double-check your work (and even your words!) before sharing it for all to see! You never know, a momentary lapse in judgement could cause someone to misunderstand you.
What do you think of this story, folks? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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