BFMTV was forced to publicly apologize after the broadcast of comments made off-air, during an interview with a relative of a hostage.
Live failures are not uncommon for news channels. If certain sequences give rise to hilarious bloopers, this one didn’t make anyone laugh. Indeed, this Thursday, October 12, after the speech by President Emmanuel Macron, BFMTV broadcast a special program devoted to the war between Israel and Hamas. Presented by journalists Maxime Switek And Julie Hammett, the show aired testimonies from the families of the hostages. Among the hostages, Céline, a missing Frenchwoman.
While Emmanuel Macron promised to “make every effort” to bring back the French hostages from Hamas “safe and sound”, the families of the victims testified at the microphone of BFMTV. Journalist Ronald Guitrange, special correspondent in Tel Aviv, therefore questioned Céline’s brother and husband. But Céline’s husband spoke in Yiddish and during his interview, no translation was offered. Instead, viewers were able to hear a very inappropriate conversation, probably coming from the control room.
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BFMTV apologizes after the slip-up
During the interview, we can first hear a woman say: “We don’t hear the trad. (…) No, but the trad.” Then, in a very annoyed tone, the latter continues: “She is an English-French interpreter, she is not a Jewish interpreter.” Always live on BFMTV, the tone rises and during the images of the interview, we clearly hear: “Fuck, you’re buffoons.”
Two hours after the live slip-up, journalists Maxime Switek and Julie Hammett presented a public apology. “We would like to return to what happened earlier on the air just after the President of the Republic’s speech. Due to a technical problem, remarks made off-air were heard on-air. BFMTV deeply regrets what happened and understands the legitimate emotion that these comments are causing this evening., said Maxime Switek. And Julie Hammett adds: “Yes and we apologize to anyone who was shocked, BFMTV will continue to demand the greatest rigor and control of the comments made on its antenna and in no case authorizes comments which undermine the honor or consideration of any person. It was important for us to send you this message.”.
Passionate about women’s news, Agathe has been deciphering the latest trends for aufeminin since 2022. Her favorite areas? Psychology, nutrition and well-being advice, without forgetting the tips…