Experts Just Aren’t What They Used To Be
The BBC has had to apologize to viewers after airing an interview discussing the recent Apple Computer vs Apple Corps lawsuit. Why? Because the "internet expert" they interviewed was not an internet expert at all. He was a cab driver.
"We interviewed the wrong person," a British Broadcasting Corp. spokeswoman said Monday while speaking on condition of anonymity in line with company policy. "We apologize to viewers for any confusion."
The case of mistaken identity occurred May 8 — the day Britain's High Court awarded Apple Computer a victory in a lawsuit against Apple Corps, the Beatles' commercial arm.
In a reaction story to the verdict that is now circulating widely on the Internet, consumer affairs correspondent Karen Bowerman welcomed who the BBC thought was computer expert Guy Kewney.
As Bowerman introduced him, there's a moment when the still unidentified driver realized the mistake. He scrunched his face into a grimace, and in panic tried to open his mouth as if to explain.
What's really funny here is that the cab driver went ahead gamely and gave an interview. The reporter conducting the interview only realized something was wrong toward the end.
Remember this story the next time you watch an interview! The expert may or may not be!
UPDATE: Daily Mail story. This quote is interesting:
The man, who had been waiting for his fare in the reception of Television Centre, found himself being ushered into a studio and fitted with a microphone after raising his hand when a producer called out the name Guy Kewney.
By AbbaGav, Monday, 15 May , 2006 @ 2:02 pm
I saw the video from this link over here. I’d have to say the cabbie really did a pretty good job considering he wasn’t briefed in advance on the topic. Perhaps there could be a BBC contract in his future. What could it hurt?
By Gaius, Monday, 15 May , 2006 @ 2:10 pm
Thanks for the link to that.