British Expatriate Network

Do you think any televised news is any good?

Since arriving back in the UK I've been devastated by the naffness of BBC News - one thing I was really hoping would be good solid journalism. But it isn't at all. It comes across like a conglomerate of lobbying groups. Newsnight aside (which is still a vibrant and fiercely independent news analysis programme) it feels like CNN but with more stories on vegetarianism and Kylie Minogue. It's two great sins are stories that are horribly alarmist (in other words factually wrong but great for ratings) or extended stories about BBC programmes themselves. If I see one more "TRAIL OF FEAR" flashing headline about polonium 210 I think I'll explode. At least the BBC hasn't gone the whole hog like Sky by flashing an enormous BREAKING NEWS scrolling banner at every single story that comes into the stuido. The effect is that everything from a missing guinea pig to an earthquake is given the same "we are all going to die and it's your fault" vibe.

I dunno - i just feel very let down by how much of a lobby mouthpiece it seems. The feeling I get is the same as when someone tries to sell you a radiation guard for a telephone - it's all sales rather than fact. And I don't mean "ooh they are so leftist" either - they aren't - but they do actively air stories that are on the front page of The Sun or The Mirror as if they were trusted respectable news groups themselves (the BBC did give Piers Morgan his own news show after all).

I am amazed to say it but I actually miss some US news! Not CBS of course - that was always poo - but the sense I had that the BBC were decent has completely evaporated. Local US news tops this shower of spanners every time. CBC News from Canada was decent. And I really like NPR radio and a couple of European News radio shows (all found on WRN Europe).

kentgirl: brought to you by Fonts for the Visually Impaired

fine, I have my contacts in :)

Didn't watch too much news when I was over there, but I did notice they were standing up and walkign around a lot, what's that about? trying to avoid thrombosis?

What I weas disappointed in was that the daily papers have turned into complete and utter cack...

NPR baby, it's all I will have on...before the bastards stole my stereo of course.

I read the New Statesman when I can.
(I like that font you have Kentgirl)

By the way where is Keith? I have not seen a post from him for some time.

Radio Four news is still pretty. Nothing better than the World at One. The rest of the news is emblematic of the illusion of individual participation that are Western “democratic” nation states. I always find it funny that people argue so passionately about political issues when they have little to no say in the administration or policy of a state.

Cack newspapers in the UK are menat to be cack, they rarely purport to be anything else than dumbed down sensationalism and celebrity titter tattle. That's why they are fun. That said, papers like the Guardian and the Independent are much better than the boring crap they have over here.

I rather prefer the Viz myself.

mrbungle2103 are you getting sky news or any sky tv? as I am looking at doing a sling blade thing so I can watch British TV via the pc lol.

I used to like watch question time and Panorama alway a good watch. Wish they done something like that over here. What was ItV panorama ??

Probably "World in Action"

Thats the one lol world in action.

I often laugh when they come to work and say "I read this article and it said this or that, or I saw the news and they where saying this and that"

I look at them and say where was the article and they say it was an editorial of this publication. I tell them an editorial is a personal opinion of the writer and only that.
Just like TV the news only comes on, on the hour and half hour, thats news. The bits in between (Bill O'reilly and the like) are fillers. That is not news its their opinion.

I thought Channel 4 news in the U.K was supposed to be quite good Bungle.

I'm in the biz so I really shouldn't comment much. But I will say generally that when I first came back to Canada TV news seemed to be more worldly than U.S news, but I think in recent years there's a lot of dumbing down going on.

On U.S TV I was very sorry to see Nightline become another 20/20. I thought it was the last vestige of in-depth network analysis. How can you take a show seriously that's traded Ted Koppel for Martin Bashir? PBS Frontline is very good.

I find I have to use lots of different sources to get my news these days. They are more based in radio, newspapers, Internet and my own subscriptions than TV.

Yes in general Channel Four news is pretty decent.

And personally I can't get enough of the Canadian perspective of world events. I may no longer be just under the Ontario border but it's still less dumbed down than it seems here. The BBC here in the UK could do with a programme like The National with a set host.

Actually that's been quite an odd thing - US network news is all about the main presenter. Flick on the news here (save for Channel 4) and it could be anyone of about 5 or 6 people.