Viewers accuse Q&A of ‘fake news’ over incorrect claim that London mayor said terrorism was ‘part and parcel’ of living in a big city after Westminster attack

The ABC has admitted it was an oversight not to correct a misleading question on Q&A about mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s response to the attack on Westminster last week.

The first question asked on the popular Monday night program was: “In the wake of the London terror attack in Westminster, the mayor of London, Mr Sadiq Khan, stated that terror attacks are now ‘part and parcel’ of living in a big city, expressing a need to be vigilant.

“Sydney is a booming metropolitan capital, with a population of 5 million Australians with diverse backgrounds and cultures. Is Mr Khan right? And do Sydneysiders and residents of other major Australian cities need to accept terrorism as an inevitable part of modern life?”

ABC Q&A (@QandA) Do residents of major cities need to accept terrorism as an inevitable part of life? Lydia Khalil & @KerryChika respond #QandA pic.twitter.com/oYCABzEqFB

But, as many viewers remarked on the program’s Facebook page, Khan actually said being prepared for the threat of terror attacks was part and parcel of living in a big city and he said it six months earlier about another incident, not the London attack.

What Khan actually said in September was: “Part and parcel of living in a great global city is you’ve got to be prepared for these things, you’ve got to be vigilant, you’ve got to support the police doing an incredibly hard job. We must never accept terrorists being successful, we must never accept that terrorists can destroy our life or destroy the way we lead our lives.”

The question from audience member Eliza appeared to be based on misinformation in a tweet by Donald Trump Jr, the eldest son of the US president, sent in the hours after the attack in London on the Houses of Parliament which left four dead, including a police officer.

Trump Jr was heavily criticised for misrepresenting Khan by linking to a September 2016 story in the Independent, which quoted Khan in the wake of a bombing in New York.

Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan https://t.co/uSm2pwRTjO

“You have to be kidding me?!” Trump Jr tweeted, quoting the headline: “Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan”.

Panelist Peter Holmes a Court corrected the questioner’s statement about Khan: “He didn’t say that, right? First thing is to get over the messages that get out so quickly. He said that in New York, September 20 last year when the bomb went off on 23rd Street, what he was saying is we have to be prepared for terror all the time.”



Some viewers said Q&A was guilty of reporting “fake news”.

“It’s worth noting that he didn’t say that after the Westminster attack, he said it in September last year after the bomb explosion in New York,” one viewer said. “I still disagree with him, but there’s no use being dishonest, whether intentional or unintentional.”

Donald Trump Jr called 'a disgrace' for tweet goading London mayor Sadiq Khan Read more

Another viewer said: “The London mayor did not say it post this incident, but rather about a year ago. As well, he said it in completely different context.”

A spokeswoman for Q&A said it was an oversight.

“As a general rule we try to ensure audience members questions make sense, without changing them more than we have to, however not correcting the issue of timing in this question was an oversight,” she told Guardian Australia. “This was quickly addressed in the discussion that followed. The substance of the question was unaffected, and it was a valid question to put.”