Michael Buerk has faced intense backlash for his description of former One Direction member Liam Payne as a ‘drugged up, faded boy band singer’ a week after his death.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Today Programme this morning, the BBC presenter, 78, was discussing the change in foreign reporting over the years, and took aim at news sites – such as the BBC radio show he was speaking on – for prioritising the news of Payne’s death as a top story.
Payne died at the age of 31 after falling from the third-floor of his hotel room in Buenos Aires on October 16.
Since, there’s been an outpouring of grief from the music industry, fans, and friends, with members of One Direction paying tribute.
Much discussion has circulated about the circumstances of his death, with preliminary investigations suggesting there could have been drugs in his system at the time.
Many have responded with shock and sadness at the news, so Buerk sparked backlash with his description of Payne.
When asked how foreign reporting has changed over the years, he said it’s changed a lot, one aspect of that being that there used to be ‘more of an appetite for seriousness’ in the news.
Using Payne’s death – which hit headlines across the globe last week – as an example of reporting priorities, he said: ‘It was only last week that I think this programme decided that the most important thing that had happened in the world was that a drugged up, faded boy band singer had fallen off a balcony.’
He continued: ‘The 10 o’clock news, which is usually good on these things, thought it was the second most important thing that had happened in the world.’
Many took offence at his dismissive description of Payne, as @jennylandreth took to social media and said: ‘Blimey. Michael Buerk on #R4today expressing his surprise (?) that the death of a ‘drugged up fading boyband member’ led the news. He seemed so … disdainful.’
‘Faded, drugged up pop star’ – Michael Buerk – wow,’ said @AngelaFwrites, while @JoanneWorstenc4 said: ‘What a nasty comment from Michael Buerk.’
@LL18again added: ‘This is awful and also not true about Liam Payne.’
This month marks 40 years since Buerk’s film report on the Ethiopia famine for the BBC, which sparked an outpouring of charity as Bob Geldof’s Live Aid concert came to be, raising £120million for the country.
He reported from over 50 countries in his career as a foreign correspondent, and became one of the BBC’s main anchors for the 9 o’clock news.
He announced his retirement from news presenting at the end of 2002, but he continues to present Radio 4’s live discussion show Moral Maze.
Metro has reached out to Michael Buerk’s representatives for comment.
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