The BBC Corrections Page: Where Even 'Random Boring Crap' Can Be Entertaining
Take a closer look at the BBC's Corrections and Clarifications Archive for 2020, where mistakes made by even the most reputable news source are corrected.
Welcome to the latest edition of "Random Boring Crap"! Today we're taking a closer look at the BBC Corrections page, because sometimes even the most reputable news sources get things wrong. And let's be honest, sometimes it's pretty funny when they do.
But before we dive into the list of hilarious corrections made by the BBC in 2020, let's take a moment to consider the philosophical implications of a corrections page for a large corporation like the BBC. After all, admitting to making mistakes is not always an easy thing to do, especially for an organization that prides itself on accuracy and credibility.
However, a corrections page can actually enhance an organization's credibility by demonstrating a commitment to transparency and accountability. It shows that the BBC takes its role as a source of reliable news seriously, and that it is willing to correct any errors that are brought to its attention.
Now, without further ado, let's take a look at some of the best corrections made by the BBC in 2020:
- In a report about the coronavirus epidemic in the US, the BBC mistakenly used pictures of people being tested in the Netherlands. Whoops, wrong country!
- On Question Time, a panelist referred to the number of COVID-19 tests being done per day, but the BBC incorrectly reported that the number referred to testing capacity rather than actual tests being conducted.
- On the Andrew Marr Show, the BBC incorrectly reported the death rate from coronavirus in different parts of the UK, using outdated figures instead of the most recent data.
- @BBCMonitoring reported that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had said the Tigray operation would continue "no matter who dies," but later discovered that the clip was not current and did not refer to the Tigray situation. Oops.
- In an episode of Thinking Allowed, the presenter questioned whether the Head of the UK Vaccine Task Force had engaged in contemporary corruption, but the BBC later apologized for not giving her the opportunity to respond prior to broadcast.
- @BBCBreakfast mistakenly reported that there was a new self-employed support scheme for "those who've fallen through the cracks," when it was actually just the second round of government support grants.
- And finally, on BBC London: Evening News, the BBC used pictures of the wrong person to illustrate a story about charges brought against an MP. Oops again.
Now, I know what you're thinking: "This sounds hilarious! Why is this part of 'Random Boring Crap'?" Well, my friends, as much as we may enjoy a good chuckle at the BBC's expense, the fact of the matter is that the Corrections page is actually pretty dull. Here are five reasons why:
- The corrections are often quite technical and specific, making them difficult to follow for the average reader.
- They typically involve minor errors that most people probably didn't even notice in the first place.
- They can be repetitive, with multiple corrections about the same topic appearing over and over again.
- They're not exactly the most exciting content for a news website, which is probably why they're tucked away in a separate section.
- And let's face it, we're all secretly hoping for a juicy correction that involves a major scandal or controversy, but those are few and far between.
So there you have it, folks: the BBC Corrections page. It may not be the most riveting content on the internet, but it's an important part of maintaining journalistic integrity and credibility. And who knows, you might even get a good laugh out of it every now and then.
link to the referenced page
Chatgpt prompt
- prompt: - create a blog post styled like a humorous wire.com article, about the 'bbc corrections page' caled "Corrections and Clarifications - Archive 2020", blog post is is part of ongoing series called "random boring crap" - include paragraphs talking about, funny corrections the bbc made, phylosofical meaning of a corrections page for a large corperation like the bbc, and a list of 10 corrections, lastly end on 5 reasons this page is super boring. - exerpt from the page " - @BBCMonitoring - On 23 November, Ethiopia’s Fana Television broadcast a 50 second-long segment of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaking in what appeared to be the national parliament. BBC Monitoring reported that the PM had said the Tigray operation would continue “no matter who dies”, based on a comment in the recording. We later established that the clips were not current and did not refer to the Tigray situation. - We have since deleted the tweet. - Question Time - In exchanges about the Test and Trace system a panellist said that 240,000 tests were being done a day. We suggested this referred to the capacity for daily testing that exists, not the actual number of people who were being tested, which we said was 81,000. In fact 81,000 was the average daily number of people newly tested in England and did not include those newly tested in other parts of the UK. - News at Ten - We reported that the National Audit Office had found a potential conflict of interest in the awarding of a Covid 19 contract to a firm whose founders previously worked for or advised the Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove. - The NAO found “no documentation on the consideration of conflicts of interest, no recorded process for choosing the supplier, and no specific justification for using emergency procurement.” - But we should be clear that it also found “no evidence that the Minister for the Cabinet Office had been involved in either the award or management of this contract.” - In a report about the handling of the coronavirus epidemic in the US we mistakenly used some pictures of people being tested in the Netherlands. - Thinking Allowed, the presenter gave his opinion about the Head of the UK Vaccine Task Force, Kate Bingham, querying whether recent allegations that Ms Bingham had disclosed confidential information at a US conference might be considered an example of contemporary corruption. - Ms Bingham was not given an opportunity to address this prior to broadcast. Ms Bingham has told us that she did not disclose confidential information at the conference and that she gave the presentation in her capacity as Head of the Task Force, which is a role she performs unpaid for the public benefit. The content of her presentation received prior approval from officials which the government has confirmed. - We apologise to Ms Bingham for not giving her the opportunity to respond prior to broadcast. - @BBCBreakfast - We said there was a new self-employed support scheme for “those who've fallen through the cracks.” - As the BBC News Online article to which we linked made clear, this was in fact the second round of government support grants, with the same rules, and a number of self-employed people said they were still not eligible. - We have since deleted the tweet. - The Andrew Marr Show - In exchanges about the death rate from Coronavirus in different parts of the UK we said that it was 26 per 100,000 people in Northern Ireland as compared with 46 per 100,000 in England and Wales, and 51 in Scotland. - While data from the four nations are not directly comparable as methodologies and inclusion criteria vary, we should have used more up to date figures. The latest Government figures for 30 May show that in fact the death rate from Covid-19 in Northern Ireland was 28 per 100,000 as compared with 58 per 100,000 in England and Wales, and 44 per 100,000 in Scotland. - BBC London: Evening News - Last night we reported on charges brought against the Poplar and Limehouse MP Apsana Begum. In one of our bulletins we made a mistake and incorrectly used pictures of another person, Liza Begum, to illustrate it. We would like to make it clear Liza Begum has nothing to do with the story and we sincerely apologise to her for the error and the distress caused."
Author
by oran collins
github.com/wisehackermonkey
