Two major media outlets in the UK are doing damage control after being blasted for some of their Grammys coverage.
On Sunday, a photo from a BBC News broadcast made the rounds on social media showing actress Viola Davis with the headline “Beyoncé’s big night.”
“BBC News obviously needs more diversity in their newsroom,” read one reaction on Twitter. Another opined: “I could be wrong but this has happened way too many times for it to be considered an accident.”
On Monday, BBC News acknowledged the gaffe.
“We apologise for the mistake last night when our news channels briefly showed a photograph of Viola Davis from January’s Golden Globes alongside a headline about Beyoncé at yesterday’s Grammys," it tweeted. "This fell below the BBC’s usual standards."
We apologise for the mistake last night when our news channels briefly showed a photograph of Viola Davis from January’s Golden Globes alongside a headline about Beyoncé at yesterday’s Grammys. This fell below the BBC’s usual standards.
— BBC News Press Team (@BBCNewsPR) February 6, 2023
The Daily Mail didn’t apologize, though, for a headline on a post about Bonnie Raitt’s win for Song of the Year that read: “Shock as unknown blues singer beats Beyonce, Adele and Taylor Swift to win Song of the Year at Grammys.”
One reaction on Twitter read: “Shock as 23-year-old subeditor doesn’t bother Googling multiple Grammy Award winner before writing ignorant headline.”
Other tweets included “Bonnie Raitt…’unknown.' Yeah, f off whatever 17-yo you have working for you, Daily Mail,” “The disrespect to Bonnie Raitt. I guess we have 12 year olds that work at @DailyMail” and “Bonnie Raitt is a LEGEND. How old are you? Do your homework!”
One person offered an explanation. “If you read past the headline, you’ll see that the Daily Mail isn’t questioning who Bonnie Raitt is, they’re actually responding to the (mostly) younger Grammy viewers who were asking who she was. A bit of a click-baity headline, but not an oblivious one.”
Someone else saw an opportunity to make a reference to Raitt’s biggest hit. “In reporting on Bonnie Raitt, the Daily Mail unwittingly gave us something to talk about.”
The tabloid revised the headline to read: “So who is Bonnie Raitt? Shock moment blues singer beats Beyonce, Adele, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar and more to win coveted Song of the Year award at Grammys (and even she can't believe it!).”
Raitt is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee who has collected 13 Grammys. Last year, it was announced that her 1989 album Nick of Time is being added to the U.S. National Recording Registry.