Spreading the news

Hmm. 

This was on the BBC News Channel at 6:04 pm today. 

The BBC presenter stopped an eye-witness in Beirut and said:

I just want to bring our viewers up-to-date with some information which had been provided to us by Jeremy Bowen, our BBC Middle East editor.  

I'm just going to read this out. 

A huge explosion has shaken Beirut. Footage on social media shows a building at the Beirut port being blown apart. 

A big column of smoke rising above the Lebanese capital followed the fireball.  

Some local reports - this is from Jeremy - have suggested it was an accident at a fireworks storage warehouse.  

But with tensions high on the border with Israel, many other scenarios are being discussed on social media, including an Israeli attack.  

The Israeli military has said it does not comment on allegations in foreign reports.

So that is just to bring you up-to-date with the information given by Jeremy Bowen, our Middle East editor. 

So there's the BBC's Middle East editor adding nothing of value, as far as I can see, but simply telling the BBC audience what he's seen on social media - and, for good measure, spreading only the anti-Israel speculation on there. 

Here again is the BBC's Specialist Disinformation and Social Media Reporter surely warning people against doing what Jeremy Bowen has done tonight: