A video filmed near the fires affecting several regions of France has been circulating widely on social media for several hours. It shows a man holding a microphone equipped with a BFMTV windscreen making racist remarks to the camera before passing the microphone to other people present. Moments later, a journalist takes the microphone, ending the video. The release of this footage has quickly sparked numerous reactions and questions about its origin.
BFMTV claims not to be the source of the video
Given the scale of the reaction to this incident, BFMTV issued a statement to clarify the situation. The channel asserts that this video "has never been filmed, produced, or broadcast" by its teams on none of its platforms. According to BFMTV, the footage was recorded at the end of a live broadcast. The channel explains that several individuals allegedly seized the microphone without permission in order to record a private video, before posting it on social media.
The channel refers to a disinformation campaign.
BFMTV believes that presenting this footage as content produced by its newsroom constitutes disinformation. The channel insists that the images are not part of a report or journalistic production by its teams. It reiterates that simply using a microphone bearing its logo does not mean that the statements made represent the views of the newsroom or that they were recorded for a broadcast segment.
A firm condemnation of the remarks made
In its statement, BFMTV unequivocally condemns the statements made in the video. The channel describes these remarks as "unacceptable" and affirms its condemnation of them. "with the utmost firmness"She insists that these statements in no way commit her editorial staff and reaffirms that they were made outside of any authorized journalistic framework.
