All Fools day has come early this year with The Telegraph and The Sun among those hoaxed by sightings of a bear in Rendlesham forest, Suffolk, previously best known as a landing place for aliens from another world.
The East Anglian Daily Times which ran the story yesterday, today revealed that it was all a stunt [...]
Jon Snow, the main presenter of Channel’s evening news, has started a blog. There is nothing particularly insightful or revelatory so far but I have great hopes for the thoughts of the presenter of what is probably the best UK evening news programme.
A story in the Independent today suggests that Dispatches on Channel 4 tonight will be well worth watching. The programme, on the third anniversary of the 7/7 bombings, is called, “I shouldn’t happen to a Muslim”.
The Independent story is from a pamphlet by Peter Oborne, who presents Dispatches this evening, and James Jones. It tells [...]
Evan Davis has raised an issue of huge importance to journalism: to what extent were we complicit in events leading up to the credit crunch. He was talking at the Radio Festival in Glasgow yesterday, but a Google News search suggests only the Guardian and the Press Gazette reported the event.
Davis, the former BBC economics [...]
Peter Preston in his Observer media column today writes about the BBC’s plans for local on-demand web sites with up to 20 minutes a day of video and the opposition from the regional newspaper giants. “It is,” he says, “a baroque row.” Not sure about the adjective but I see what he is getting at.
He [...]
Peter Preston points out that while Sir Menzies Campbell (66), departed from the Lib Dem leadership because he would be too old to fight an election at 68, media people go on.
In his Observer column today he says Michael Grade (64) is bringing back Trevor McDonald (68) to present News at Ten. It might, Preston [...]
The BBC radio newsroom’s home page has some useful things for students including a link to download the news style guide, and news bulletin scripts from the past week. There is also advice on writing for radio.
I thought I kept fairly well up with the news until I clicked on the “Radio news quiz — [...]
The sound of feet shuffling is almost audible in the stories today about the addition of the late-arriving James Purnell, the culture secretary, to a photograph of MPs organised by Tameside and Glossop NHS Trust. It seems to hinge on whether Mr Purnell understood the meaning of the word “merge” or whether he thought it [...]
Returning from Spain, I opened the papers to the story of the Blue Peter cat: a surreal episode which demonstrates just how dangerous inward-looking examination can become. This morning seeing the words “witch hunt” in a Guardian headline, reminded me of how the people of Brandeston in Suffolk turned on their vicar in the 17th [...]
There is good news for broadcasters from both sides of the Atlantic. While the patterns of listening in the UK, shown in the latest Rajar figures, and those for the US, in a report from Bridge Ratings, are different they are both good for broadcasters.
Previous pessimistic forecasts are proving wrong. In 2004 Bridge predicted a [...]
