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Radio 4 Today presenter Justin Webb taken off air with throat trouble

Justin Webb, 65, left BBC Radio 4's Today programme around 6.40am on Tuesday after coughing and apologising on air. Co-presenter Anna Foster said he was struggling with his throat and was being saved for the Conservative conference.

3 outlets · 1L · 1C · 1R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 2). New coverage since the last version from Daily Express.

Image: The Independent
Image: Evening Standard
Image: Daily Express

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The story, neutrally told

Mixed · 2Justin Webb, the 65-year-old long-serving presenter of BBC Radio 4's Today, was taken off air on Tuesday 6 October after he appeared to struggle with his voice. Mixed · 2Webb opened the programme with Anna Foster at 6am; he read the headlines and said "excuse me" within seconds as he cleared or scratched his throat. Centre · 1He continued for a while, introducing Simon King's weather forecast, discussing the newspaper headlines and questioning BBC News journalist Simon Atkinson about OpenAI's breach of Australian government websites earlier this year.

Mixed · 2At about 6.40am Foster told listeners that Webb was at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham and was "struggling a bit with his throat, so we're saving him" for that, and that Jonny Dymond would join her. Mixed · 2Dymond, a BBC journalist, joked that Webb had "the conference lurgi that sweeps around these places every year" and presented the rest of the programme with Foster. Mixed · 2The Daily Express described the episode as the presenter "falling sick" and a "medical issue", said Foster revealed he had been taken off the air "to rest his voice", and quoted her as saying the team was saving him "from that" rather than "for that"; the other two outlets quote "for that".

Mixed · 3All three outlets (the Independent, Evening Standard and Daily Express) said they had contacted the BBC for comment; no BBC statement is reported.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left1 outlet

Framing
Short news report that leads with Webb sounding unwell and being taken off air, then quotes Foster and Dymond.
Emphasis
The moment Webb scratched his throat and said 'excuse me'; his struggling to finish sentences.
Leaves out or plays down
No BBC response yet.
For example
“Webb, 65, whose voice sounded strained, apologised a few times as he coughed on air and struggled to finish some sentences.” — The Independent

Centre1 outlet

Framing
Near-identical short report that stresses Webb's long service and frames Foster's remark as revealing he would no longer present.
Emphasis
Repeated coughing and apologies to listeners; Foster 'revealed' he would step aside.
Leaves out or plays down
No BBC response yet; does not mention that he struggled to finish sentences.
For example
“Foster revealed that Webb would no longer be presenting alongside her.” — Evening Standard

Right1 outlet

Framing
Longer, more dramatic showbiz-desk version: a star 'suddenly pulled off air' after a 'medical issue', presented as a breaking story to be updated.
Emphasis
Webb 'falling sick', profuse apologies, and being taken off 'to rest his voice'; follows the same sequence of events and quotes as the others.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not note that the Conservative conference was the reason he was being 'saved' beyond quoting Foster; no BBC response yet.
Charged language
“suddenly pulled off air”“medical issue”“profusely apologised”
For example
“The 65-year-old presenter profusely apologised throughout the show before he was taken off the airwaves.” — Daily Express
“This is a breaking showbiz story, the Express Showbiz team will be updating this story” — Daily Express