BBC slammed as 'racist' for using photo of the WRONG George Floyd during funeral coverage
The BBC has once again embarrassed itself with a glaring blunder last night after broadcasting the wrong picture of George Floyd during his funeral. Instead of airing the picture of 46-year-old George Floyd whose death sparked protests across the globe, the corporation displayed the picture of a former New York Jets defensive back of the same name during the segment. And while the outlet correctly described the late Floyd's high school basketball and football history with correct images of him, the inclusion of the ex-pro footballer -- who is still alive -- is definitely a major embarrassment for the taxpayer-funded broadcaster. After airing the incorrect image, the feature noted Floyd's height at 6ft 6 inches despite the American football player's height being only 5ft 11 inches.
The erroneous reportage comes as demonstrations intensify around the world over the May 25 death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody after former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes despite repeated pleas that he couldn't breathe. While Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, the other three officers involved in the arrest -- Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao -- have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Hundreds of mourners, including notable celebrities like Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatus, attended Floyd's funeral in Houston, Texas earlier today. The somber service featured gospel music and saw members of Floyd's family walking down the aisle and dressed in white to celebrate his life. "God took the rejected stone and made him the cornerstone of a movement that's gonna change the whole wide world," MSNBC host Al Sharpton said during a eulogy.
BBC's mishap comes just hours after the corporation was slammed by England rugby union player Ellis Genge for incorrectly using a picture of teammate Lewis Ludlam in an interview posted on its website.
"I'm actually f***ed off with this happening to every mixed race/black sportsperson," Genge wrote on Twitter as he shared his frustrations with the mishap. "Must be the 15th time in less than a year just between me and @LewisLudlam."
Ludlam also replied to the post noting how it was "not the first time this has happened." While former England captain Will Carling called the incident "just shocking." "We apologize for this human error which fell below our usual standards on the website," a BBC spokesperson said in a statement to Yahoo Sport.
Twitterati was quick to pounce on the broadcasting giant following the blunder. "Its what happens when you let young, under-experienced socialists run the show. It's not how good you are, but how you think, that gets you into the BBC," one wrote. "Well, according to the 'new rulez' the BBC will have to be torn down," a second comment read.
"How many times are @BBCNews going to do this? Virtue signaling and misreporting all over the shop, yet every person of color to them looks the same? truly remarkable caliber of ignorance right there," a third chimed in. "Not again! Bit 'racist' maybe from these fine upstanding Marxists of the BBC!" another added.