SENIOR Channel 4 presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy has been taken off air by the broadcaster after being caught calling a Tory MP a “c***” on a livestream.
After a “robust” interview with Brexiteer right-winger Steve Baker, the reporter had believed he was no longer on air.
While his outburst wasn’t shown on Channel 4, other livestreams from Westminster picked up the audio of the incident.
Guru-Murthy was clearly heard saying “what a c***” after telling Baker that his questions weren’t “stupid”.
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Now Channel 4’s head of news and current affairs Louisa Compton has confirmed that the journalist faces a week-long period away from TV screens following the viral moment.
She 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.”
After Wednesday night's incident, Guru-Murthy apologised to Baker for his language.
It had come after yet another tumultuous day in Westminster, with Suella Braverman having just resigned as home secretary.
He later tweeted: “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.”
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.
“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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