THE BBC has issued an apology after a presenter mixed up Bill Cosby and Bill Clinton during a news broadcast.
Michelle Fleury was reporting on Cosby’s release from prison after the comedian and sitcom star’s conviction for sexual assault was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
However, during her report to camera outside SCI state prisons Fleury mistakenly referred to Cosby as Clinton.
She said: “For the last two years this is where Bill Clinton has called home but tonight, he will sleep in his own bed after the bombshell decision by Pennsylvania to overturn his conviction of sexual assault.”
The report switched back to the BBC studio soon after, where news anchor Huw Edwards quickly issued a clarification and apology for the mix-up.
“Just to clarify what was said there at Michelle’s introduction to the story when she mistakenly said Bill Clinton instead of Bill Cosby,” he said.
“We apologise for the mistake; the story of course is about Bill Cosby, the entertainer.”
Despite the swift clarification, the mistake did not go unnoticed on social media.
“What a mistake,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“The BBC mixing up Bill Clinton and Bill Cosby on the evening news bulletin is quite the mood,” another added.
A third tweeted: “Bill COSBY not Clinton!!!”
BBC News confusing Bill Clinton and Bill Cosby 🥴 pic.twitter.com/RyXKBRcPo6
— Benjamin (@CommunistBen) June 30, 2021
BBC blunders are nothing new, of course.
Last November the broadcaster came in for flack after naming Dublin in a list of Britain’s top 10 airports.
Prior to that the BBC also drew the ire of Arlene Foster after using an Ireland flag to represent Northern Ireland in an TV graphic.
