BBC coverage of Liam Payne’s death criticized by former presenter
Former BBC presenter Michael Buerk has criticized the extensive media coverage of Liam Payne’s death, calling him “a drugged-out, washed-out boy band singer.”
Buerk, who was the face of BBC News for almost 30 years until his semi-retirement in 2002, spoke on the Radio 4 program “Today” about how foreign reporting had changed over the past 40 years.
“I think it’s really different,” he replied. “There was a greater need for seriousness. I think this show decided last week that the most important thing that had happened in the world was that a drugged-out, faded boy band singer had fallen off a balcony. Even the 10’O Clock News, which is normally good about these things, thought this was the second most important thing to happen in the world. And I think there was a broader agenda or a broader appetite; If you watch the news these days, they seem to harp on the same half-dozen stories, while entire continents go unmentioned month after month.”
Payne, who rose to fame as a member of the group One Direction, died last week at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Initial toxicology reports indicate drugs were found in his system, while local reports also indicate drug paraphernalia was found in his hotel room.
It is not the first time that the BBC has been criticized for its reporting on the death of a public figure. Following Prince Phillip’s death in 2021, the broadcaster was forced to set up a dedicated complaints page for viewers frustrated by the extensive coverage.
