Dame Vera’s Funeral was Private
The Claim
BBC decided not to broadcast the funeral of Dame Vera Lynn live, but did broadcast the funeral of George Floyd in America.
News posted on
Emerging story
Multiple Facebook posts and tweets shared and retweeted thousands of times in total claim that the BBC decided not to broadcast live the funeral of Dame Vera Lynn, but did broadcast live the funeral of George Floyd.
The claims show a picture of Floyd with the label “American Criminal”, Lynn’s picture is shown alongside Floyd’s with the label “British Icon”.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation finds that the circulating claims are false based on misleading information. Lynn’s funeral was a private event in Brighton, which is why no coverage took place.
Singer Dame Vera Lynn has died at the age of 103. Dame Vera was fondly known as "the forces' sweetheart" for her morale-boosting visits to the front line to entertain troops during the Second World War.
The BBC did not decide against broadcasting Vera Lynn’s funeral. The funeral was private, but the BBC did broadcast live coverage earlier of her funeral cortege.