The Reform UK leader was misquoted on the long running BBC news show.
The BBC have pulled an episode of NewsNight from the iPlayer after twisting Nigel Farage’s words (Image: Getty)
The BBC have been forced to issue an apology and withdraw Tuesday’s installment of Newsnight from BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds following numerous complaints after presenter Matt Chorley misquoted Reform UK leader Nigel Farage whilst discussing the Henry Nowak murder. They confirmed the programme had been withdrawn on their corrections and clarifications webpage, writing: “In an interview about the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, we mistakenly quoted the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as saying people should respond to his death with a ‘white, cold rage’.
“To be clear Mr Farage actually said ‘pure, cold rage’ as had been stated earlier in the programme and we apologise to him for this error. The programme has been removed from BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.” It is unknown how many complaints the error generated.
BBC Newsnight presenter Matt Chorley misquoted Reform leader Nigel Farage (Image: BBC)
The removal of the episode comes after Chorley publicly apologised for the misquote. Taking to X he penned: “I owe Nigel Farage an apology. During last night’s Newsnight we covered the murder of Henry Nowak and the political reaction to the case, including discussing Nigel Farage’s comments about ‘pure, cold rage’.
“However I referred to ‘white cold rage’. This was a mistake on my part, a misremembering of the quote. It didn’t change the content of the interview but I should have got the quote right. I apologise to Nigel Farage for this.”
However this didn’t appear to appease a furious Farage whose team later claimed Chorley deliberately changed the his words.
They demanded an on-air apology, a written apology posted online for seven days and full probe into why Chorley repeatedly used the phrase “white cold rage” instead of “pure, cold rage”. They had indicated they will refuse to appear on BBC shows if these demands were not met.”
The Daily Mail reported Farage’s legal team sent a letter to the BBC which claimed: “It converts a criticism of discriminatory conduct by the authorities into an apparent appeal to race.
“It suggests that Mr Farage, far from condemning racialised treatment, was himself invoking race as a basis for public anger.
“In a national debate in which his opponents are already accusing him of inflaming racial tension, that alteration is not inaccuracy at the margins.
“It is seriously defamatory, and on the material available it was deliberate.”
