Later that day...

Leading the BBC website this afternoon:

And the BBC News Channel is leading with the march.

And, of course, on goes the pandemonium:

Rob Burley: Thing about muting is that you don’t KNOW but you feel certain they are still shouting at you but into the abyss. I only mute when there’s literally no point in doing anything else, for anyone involved.

Jo Maugham QC: Enjoy your sneer. Meanwhile your disingenuity does huge disservice both to the BBC and our country.

Simon Maginn: Rob that's just factually wrong. I'm waiting for an apology for you describing me as 'paranoid'. Apologise for your grossly offensive language.

Rob Burley: So - I can’t believe we still need to explain this but professionally disingenuous commentary requires it - at 5am the BBC led on a march that hadn’t started, then when new quotes from Cab Min/PM came out they lead the story (which still made much of the march) and now this. So all in all, today’s march, which we were preemptively shrieked at for not covering enough, has been all over the BBC since 5.30 (when I first looked) and stays or goes from the lead on merit.

Michael: My, my... someone sounds very bitter today. Is that the sound of words being forced through gritted teeth I hear?

Rob Burley: At this point I’m almost laughing at some of the silliness.

Pete Myers: As long as both marches get equal coverage, everyone will be happy!

Ed Morrish: Has Andrew Marr ever told you his “pro-European body language” story?

Rob Burley: No. 

Ed Morrish: Complaint letter after he’d outlined the reasons the UK shouldn’t join the Euro: “Although your piece was ostensibly anti-Euro, I could tell from your body language that you are pro...”

James Kirkup: I’ve never met Rob Burley but there are few people on Twitter I admire more. Industrial-strength forbearance in the face of chronic muppetry from all sides.  The BBC gets some things wrong (who doesn’t?) but it also employs some first-class journalists.

Rob Burley: Thanks James, that’s ever so generous. And thanks for advocating for the imperfect but very important BBC and our staff.

Jo Maugham QC: A better defence would consist of answering fair questions without sneers or accusations of mental illness.

William Wright (to Jo Maugham QC): A better way to make your argument may have been not to start with the accusation that the BBC had cynically changed the headline and the story for when people got up?

Alladin Noons #FBPE: Go on yourself  BBC News showing aerial images of #PeoplesVoteMarch all down The Mall 👏.
Simon Maginn: Sick of being insulted by over-paid BBC stooges. Rob Burley, if you think I'm 'paranoid' - mentally ill - for calling out BBC bias, I would suggest you're in the wrong job entirely. I won't be libelled and insulted by arrogant BBC goons. Apologise or resign.

Ed Stradling: To be honest, what I half-expect now, is for the conspiracy theorists to complain that the Eid festival down the road at Trafalgar Square isn't getting enough coverage, showing up the BBC for its obvious pro-Brexit, anti-immigrant bias.
Mike: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Rob Burley: Damned basically.