BBC news

[willow]

OK - I can stand it no more without speaking up! Has anyone else noticed the absolutely appalling decline in the standard of the BBC news over the past few years? I was watching the 10 o' clock news last night and it occurred to me that it's now turned into a version of the Day Today crossed with Newsround. Chris Morris was truly ahead of his time. Why oh why does the BBC insist on treating its viewers like complete morons? Things that I find particularly irritating are:

- The way the presenters stand now instead of having a desk, like they're trying to engender trust with the viewers

- The way presenters and reporters can't keep their hands still when they're talking

- The way everyone EMPHASISES every OTHER word

- Ridiculous use of graphics to illustrate simple points (e.g. reporter using escalators in shopping centre to illustrate how sales have fallen over past year)

- The way every single story has to be personalised to a family or person as if the viewer can't understand the concept unless it's applied (cue use of people looking through photo albums etc)

Seriously, what has happened? It makes me very indigent, in a "what is Britain coming to" type way usually only reserved for Daily Mail readers..... Am thinking of starting a campaign to bring back better journalism to the BBC or something similar......

Does anyone else feel like this or is it just me spending too much time indoors in this cold weather?

[bon3yard]

Britains broken and thats a fact. :'(

[donvanvliet]

This is what my license fee is going on? Insane!

[Jah Lush]

It's still a long way better than ITV, Channel 5 and Sky News. Channel 4 at 7pm is the best though.

[RosieH]

they're just keeping up - other stations started it - they're trying to draw in the crowds

don't sweat it - there's still the Today programme and a great website

[Keef]

Agree with Jah, channel 4 at 7pm is he nuts.

[lozzyloz]

I agree Keef. Jah is nuts and C4 news is the best TV news coverage by miles.

[Ant]

ITV news is scary/funny; Sky news... gah!; Aunty is not great but not too bad, and I like the Today prog; C4 vg.

[yourmomma]

I can't watch it in the morning any more. My two biggest isues are the constant animal/pet stories and the fact that every story has to have the reporter going to a place that symbolises the story cos the viewers are to thick to understand a story about supermarkets unless the reporter is standing outside one!

When Dermot Murnaghan and Natasha Kaplinsky were on I nearly smashed my telly up. Gormless twats!

and breathe.....

[lozzyloz]

What about news on the radio? LBC has to be the most banal.

[PeckhamRose]

I absolutely hate the way George Alligiah (I have absolutely no idea how to spell his name and can not be arsed to look it up) smiles, and smiles a welcoming smile and smiles some more, and the way the presenter will say what the news is about then introduce the reporter on the scene who then says exactly the same thing, repeats it using different words, and then hands us back to George in the studio, who will thank the reporter, and repeat what has just been said, again, smiling.

And the way two presenters look at each other rather than the camera.

It's not yet as bad as American news channels but it sure is going that way.

[AllforNun]

Hey the BBC news rules, Channel 4 is shite always wanging on about crap thats ain't got nothing to do with London and the rest of england.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

I like The BBC.

Over the last 45 years that I have watched regularly I feel certain that they have been the Worlds greatest Broadcaster(if they are not I'd like to know who has been!) but I hate the false laughs and looks which any given 2 BBC Presenters give each other the split second b4 they are back "on air" so they "appear" to be breaking off from their funny little "sideways" chat to speak to the viewers! I read once that they admit it is entirely false.

How could it not be! Watch "Breakfast" tomorrow,for example,and see how the moment the 2 Presenters return to the screen after a live link,they appear to be deeply engaged in laughter/conversation but have to break off to addres The Great British Public and nearly every time(Bill Turnbull with his little smile to his Co-Presenter is a shining example!

[wizardonwheels]

I would say that the news at 10 on ITV is up there as an informative piece of journalism along with the afore mentioned C4 at 7pm.

I would say that most of the visual effects that are used, are so that everyone can understand what is going on in the world today, and that comes from poorer education, think back say 20-30 years ago, where there would be punctuation in titles and the news readers would use big words, now I would hear these words and go and look them up in a dictionary. Now people go and look things up on the internet, and sometimes they will find for example the U.S or Austrailian spelling and meaning of a word and then go about their business with that version of the word in their mind, thinking that it is right.

Sorry I am rambling here.

The crux of the matter is that the world is significantly smaller with the internet and people have a lot more information available to them, and they have a lot more ideas of what makes life more interesting, although most of the time it is having the reverse effect, as this thread has proved.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Lord knows I defend the BBC often enough but the television news they produce is.. well willow described it perfectly. Especially the graphics! But they are all guilty of it - sometimes C4 news has me thinking that no-one learned anything from Day Today but there it is. That's what happens when surveys "say" that news is "boring".

[citizenED]

Agree with most of what willow said - it drives me to insanity too; to alleviate the stress of this just pretend that rather than the BBC having dumbed down, its you that's got super smart in the past few years so everything seems so terribly lowbrow.

On the graphics thing, that too drives me to distraction too. But the "new" BBC weather map is sensational.

[Keef]

Channel 4 is shite always wanging on about crap thats ain't got nothing to do with London and the rest of england.

In the same way that you do about Nunhead on the East Dulwich Forum? x

[matthew123]

Presentation is poor. They need to get back to a solo no nonsense presenter.

I think the BBC international Correspondents on the ground, are generally, of a high standard, particulary in the Middle East.

[Cassius]

C4 news is IMO the best - Jon Snow rocks.

BBC Breakfast drives me insane - more an advertisement for other BBC programmes than a serious attempt at being a news programme, and whether or not 'baby brain' is a real phenonenon or not, Sian Williams is driving me mad with her total stupidity - I wish she'd go off and have the baby, take maternity leave and give us a presenter with a modicum of intelligence - I believe at one time she actually produced the programme!

Bill Turnbill was once, I believe, a serious news presenter but was totally ruined after he did Celebrity whatsit.

[Jimbob]

euronews sky channel 508, knocks spots of everything else.

[dulwichmum]

Have none of you noticed the god that is Huw Edwards? He is worth paying the license fee for (swoon)...

http://www.citylifeltd.org/uploads/gallery/Huw_Edwards.jpg

[Jeremy]

Italian news is the best - or at least the most bizarre. Scantily clad women, and men dressed in full military attire.

[david_carnell]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Italian news is the best - or at least the most

> bizarre. Scantily clad women, and men dressed in

> full military attire.

Now we're talking. I want newsreaders in full evening dress, delivering the news in the Queen's English. None of this pandering to provincial accents or johnny-foreigner pronunciations (Beijing my arse - it's Peking!). I'm writing to that Irish chap on Points of View to express my dissatisfaction. IN GREEN INK!

http://www.lahacal.org/gentleman/photos/tails.jpg

[lozzyloz]

Jeremy - and followed by the weather forecast in Czech?

[dulwichmum]

I think that lady newsreaders should wear diamond tiaras. My cousin from Ireland said that in the 1960's and early 70's in Ireland sat on armchairs and wore tiaras, I like the sound of that.