Channel 4 said it took the incident ‘very seriously’
Krishnan Guru-Murthy has been taken off air for a week by Channel 4 News after he was recorded calling MP Steve Baker a “c**t.”
Guru-Murthy apologised “unreservedly” to Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker on Wednesday after the off-air remark was recorded.
The broadcaster said the remark followed a “robust interview” with Mr Baker but it was “beneath the standards I set myself”.
On Thursday, Channel 4 said it has a strict code of conduct for employees and “takes any breaches seriously”.
Channel 4’s statement said: “Channel 4 has a strict code of conduct for all its employees, including its programming teams and on-air presenters, and takes any breaches seriously.
“Following an off-air incident Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy has been taken off air for a week.”
https://twitter.com/TheCentreLefty/status/1582791769892491268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1582791769892491268%7Ctwgr%5E5f5313906ef25f67b75ca689ad47137b7ae3a6bc%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fpolitics%2Fkrishnan-guru-murthy-calls-steve-baker-the-c-word-off-air-364048
Channel 4 newscaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy had to apologise “unreservedly” to Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker after he was heard saying “what a c***” following an exchange with the Tory MP.
The broadcaster said the remark followed a “robust interview” with Baker but it was “beneath the standards I set myself”.
“I have reached out to Steve Baker to say sorry,” he added.
In an interview with Times Radio, Baker said that sacking Guru-Murthy would be a “service to the public” if he was found to be in breach of his code of conduct.
After a robust interview with Steve Baker MP I used a very offensive word in an unguarded moment off air. While it was not broadcast that word in any context is beneath the standards I set myself and I apologise unreservedly. I have reached out to Steve Baker to say sorry
— Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) October 19, 2022
“I had an interview earlier with a journalist I don’t have a great deal of regard for who I felt was misrepresenting the situation through the construction of his question, which I called out, I think live on air, or I thought it was a pre-record,” he said.
“And he clearly didn’t like that, quite right, too. But I’d be quite honest, I spent a long time live on air, calling him out on his conduct as a journalist and glad to do so any time.
“But it’s most unfortunate that he’s sworn on air like that. If it’s in breach of his code of conduct, I do hope they sack him – it would be a service to the public.”
Baker later replied to Guru-Murthy’s tweet, accepting the apology and saying he “appreciated” the gesture.
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