Novara Media has pulled a misleading video report about police brutality during the Catalonia referendum after Press Gazette approached its editor for comment about the error.
The interview with ex BBC journalist Paul Mason was set to footage of police violence against independence protesters, but included clips from 2012 showing Catalan police beating civilians during a general strike.
Novara Media editor Aaron Bastani said they were informed of the “honest mistake” around ten days ago. The video containing the clip was removed yesterday afternoon.
In response to online comments on Monday, Bastani tweeted: “It’s a background montage to piece of reportage. No dating of videos & still Guardia Civil in Catalunya. Given public interest keeping up.”
He initially held firm when informed that the 2012 video depicted not the Spanish Guardia Civil, but the Catalan Mossos police.
But he later told Press Gazette: “My comment was ignorant and flippant. I was being complacent. It doesn’t live up to our standards. I think it is important that we do live up to higher standards.”
Novara Media is a left-wing media organisation that sets itself in opposition to what it sees as biased “mainstream media”.
Bastani encouraged readers to use Novara’s complaints process in future to inform the site of errors.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
