News 2020
It isn't true yet, but it will be
Many people in Britain believe that stand-up comedians offer a more accurate picture of reality than some news programmes, a shock report claims.
The report was compiled by the BBC customer research division after a previous survey of perceived accuracy in reporting returned an overwhelming vote for "none of the above" as the country's most reliable information medium.
The new survey, which requested that participants specify the programme they regarded as most accurate, has sent shockwaves through the highest levels of the British information management industry.
"I've always held the British public in considerable contempt, but I never realised it was as bad as this," commented Guardian columnist Preston Kettle, whose uncompromising opinions on his fellow journalists and Government spin doctors are a byword for media impartiality.
"The Government will need to re-think its presentation strategy radically after this," continued Mr Kettle. "And of course we in the media must take a substantial portion of the blame ourselves. We should always remember how hard it is to focus the public's attention on any serious issue, let alone keep it there."
The BBC refused to confirm or deny rumours that, in an effort to duplicate the success of stand-up comedians, the conventional bulletin format with its seated newscasters will be dispensed with in the near future.
Another possibility is that the BBC may decide to expand the so-called "And Finally" format throughout each bulletin. The "And Finally" item is generally an amusing or heart-warming story placed at the end of a bulletin so that customers will not be depressed by any unpleasant news which may occasionally creep into the headlines.
At the moment, such items rarely take up more than 60% of any news programme, but BBC executives said this may have to change if the corporation is to remain competitive. "Like many other people, the BBC has to live in the real world," said media commentator Bradley Ichneumon. "That means it has to give the public what it wants, no matter how crass. If a survey says the public thinks there are too many game shows, that means there have to be all the more chat shows to fill up the time, and so forth. It's just the way things are."
Many people in Britain believe that stand-up comedians offer a more accurate picture of reality than some news programmes, a shock report claims.
The report was compiled by the BBC customer research division after a previous survey of perceived accuracy in reporting returned an overwhelming vote for "none of the above" as the country's most reliable information medium.
The new survey, which requested that participants specify the programme they regarded as most accurate, has sent shockwaves through the highest levels of the British information management industry.
"I've always held the British public in considerable contempt, but I never realised it was as bad as this," commented Guardian columnist Preston Kettle, whose uncompromising opinions on his fellow journalists and Government spin doctors are a byword for media impartiality.
"The Government will need to re-think its presentation strategy radically after this," continued Mr Kettle. "And of course we in the media must take a substantial portion of the blame ourselves. We should always remember how hard it is to focus the public's attention on any serious issue, let alone keep it there."
The BBC refused to confirm or deny rumours that, in an effort to duplicate the success of stand-up comedians, the conventional bulletin format with its seated newscasters will be dispensed with in the near future.
Another possibility is that the BBC may decide to expand the so-called "And Finally" format throughout each bulletin. The "And Finally" item is generally an amusing or heart-warming story placed at the end of a bulletin so that customers will not be depressed by any unpleasant news which may occasionally creep into the headlines.
At the moment, such items rarely take up more than 60% of any news programme, but BBC executives said this may have to change if the corporation is to remain competitive. "Like many other people, the BBC has to live in the real world," said media commentator Bradley Ichneumon. "That means it has to give the public what it wants, no matter how crass. If a survey says the public thinks there are too many game shows, that means there have to be all the more chat shows to fill up the time, and so forth. It's just the way things are."
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home