Never mind politicians, it always pays to fact check BBC interviewers.
Camilla Swift at the Spectator has done that very thing, focusing on the closing moments of Andrew Marr's fiesty interview with David Cameron this last Sunday.
Andrew Marr: You told the Countryside Alliance Magazine recently that your favourite sport was fox hunting. Is that really true?David Cameron: No, I'm a believer in country sports...Andrew Marr (interrupting): You said, "It’s my favourite sport, which I love".David Cameron: No, I love walking...Andrew Marr (interrupting): Is that true?David Cameron: ...I love fishing, I love all sorts of sports.Andrew Marr: And shooting. But fox hunting is a favourite sport?David Cameron: Look, I haven’t taken part in it for many, many years.Andrew Marr: If it was made legal again would you like to fox hunt again?David Cameron: I am only focused on one thing Andrew which is winning this election...Andrew Marr (interrupting): We're not talking about Liam here, we're talking about the other kind.
Following the earlier questions about whether the Tories are 'the party of the rich', this line of questioning could easily be seen as an attempt by the BBC to tar the Tory leader with the brush of out-of-touch 'poshness' again (just before the interview was brought swiftly to a close).
The Speccie's Camilla decided to do some proper journalism and check that Countryside Alliance Magazine article. She discovered that David Cameron did not say that fox hunting is his favourite sport. And he most certainly didn't say, "It’s my favourite sport, which I love", despite what Andrew Marr said.
What the Conservative leader actually said, in its entirety, was:
There is definitely a rural way of life which a born and bred Londoner might struggle to understand. I have always been a strong supporter of country sports. It is my firm belief that people should have the freedom to hunt, so I share the frustration that many people feel about the Hunting Act and the way it was brought in by the last government.
The Hunting Act has done nothing for animal welfare. A Conservative Government will give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote, with a government Bill in government time.
The Spectator describes what The Andrew Marr Show did there as a "smear....worthy of Russia Today".
Andrew Marr himself later responded on Twitter, saying:
@laidmanr @spectator @millsswift oh yes it is: honest mistake – I was wrong – sorry. Cock up not conspiracy, but wrong on my part— Andrew Marr (@AndrewMarr9) April 20, 2015
Genuine mistake or BBC bias?...
....An admission on Twitter is all very well, but surely a prominent correction on next week's Andrew Marr Show from Andrew himself is the least the BBC can do here?
Update (20.00): Steerpike at the Spectator is, understandably, trumpeting Andrew Marr's admission (and, I say, all credit to Andrew for making it).
He notes, however:
It quite obviously is needed, but (and excepting Mr Marr from this) the BBC is constitutionally loathe to 'fess up to serious errors...
...so will we hear a fulsome confession on next Sunday's Andrew Marr Show or will Andrew Marr himself be told by his superiors not to say anything more about the matter?
Time will tell.
....An admission on Twitter is all very well, but surely a prominent correction on next week's Andrew Marr Show from Andrew himself is the least the BBC can do here?
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Update (20.00): Steerpike at the Spectator is, understandably, trumpeting Andrew Marr's admission (and, I say, all credit to Andrew for making it).
He notes, however:
His confession comes after the BBC press office failed to respond to calls for comment from The Spectator. Likewise, Twitter accounts for the BBC Press Office and Andrew Marr Show have remained quiet on the topic, as has the account of Rob Burley, the editor of the Marr Show, despite a tweet from the Countryside Alliance saying that the story was wrong.Mr Steerpike concludes, as I concluded, that a prominent BBC public apology is needed.
It quite obviously is needed, but (and excepting Mr Marr from this) the BBC is constitutionally loathe to 'fess up to serious errors...
...so will we hear a fulsome confession on next Sunday's Andrew Marr Show or will Andrew Marr himself be told by his superiors not to say anything more about the matter?
Time will tell.
