Your Local MP Broadsheet Columnist

Just spotted - Jeremy Hunt writing in the Telegraph about the BBC and competition in broadcasting in the UK.

Well, we stopped having a TV in our house about 5 years ago, and I can't say we've missed it. The internet is broadly as informative as the television, and certainly, if used wisely, can be a lot more balanced in reporting news, due to the wealth of news sites / reports that can be reviewed compartively.

Bring on pay-as-you-go TV, that's what I think. There are certainly some programmes we would watch, but if paying a licence fee - and the horrible intrusion of advertising and a terribly, horribly, unforgivably liberal media - is the price to pay, then buying individual DVDs is our preferred option.

Also, I'm with Charles Moore on the licence fee and their Stalinesque approach that accusea all without a licence of criminmal behaviour. Their copious letters, written in the style of court summons, with, in my opinion, language that must be surely be illegal, are awful, and for some people I know, terrifying.

Don't pay your licence fee.
Don't let a TV licence fee inspector in your door - they do not have any rights to do so.

Cut the red tape

The Wrecclesham Parish Magazine popped through the door this afternoon, and I found the most engaging page to be (as I often do), "And Finally...". My mother-in-law would especially like it (I must show her next weekend), being particularly interested in the calling of attention to ridiculous societal and legal red tape, and the proferring of alternative ideas to the juggernaut of central government.

This issue we had both. And the one paragraph of three that I've not stopped thinking about is a different approach to the Olympics. I quote:

Wouldn't it be wonderful if if the ... London Olypmic Games ... scrapped all the current plans, upgraded ... existing sports facilities, ... opened the Games with a simple ceremony involving the Queen cutting a ribbon, ... reallocated the medal count to favour sports in which anyone could participate regardless of wealth ... and spent some of the ten thousand million pounds ... in sports facilities for schools and local communities?

Now, I don't agree with everything here, but it's great to read of somebody thinking more broadly about how we could do the Olympics. By not spending so much money on what can be seen as a marketing exercise for the UK, rather than anything at all to do with sport, we would be putting our money where our mouth is, and actually spending it on our communities, and indeed making a far more powerful and longlasting political statement than any hollywood-quality, oscar-directed, cultural-navel-gazing, money-down-the-drain, corporate-ticket-nirvana opening ceremony.

Hark the Herald? With a mountain of salt.

I'm not sure that the Herald could have spun some of their stories any more last week. Over the weekend I've been pondering this as I turned pages and was astounded at the ease with which they had turned simple statements of fact into sensational and solatious bits of gossip. Sometimes, at first glance, this may not be obvious, but the overall spin and misrepresentation / suggestion given by subtle or blatant word use, is a strong one in my view. I'm disappointed, as I work from the default position that the Herald is a quality local paper.

In an effort to counter such irresponsible journalism, here are my alternate headlines and bylines:

In 3rd place (see page 1, second story):
Revised East Street planning documents available for 21 days review
The revised planning documents for East Street are now available on the Waverley website, for review and comment over the next 21 days. East Street Action are writing to Mary Orton, the Waverley Borough Council Chief Executive, thanking the planning team for all their hard work in getting these documents available for public viewing.

(Note to Herald: sure, quote from ESA, but why not also ask them what they will write directly to WBC?)

In 2nd place (see page 2, middle of the page):
Waverley Housing Audit Opportunity
There is much hope that the next Audit Commission review of the housing services in Waverley will result in the awarding of more 'stars'. Much work has been done to improve both the services provided, and the access to those services through direct phone number to departments.

(Note to Herald: why use the word 'probing' with such negative connotations, and quote a complaint, but don't offer residents information of the myriad of phone numbers to ring, or the contact details of the residents' panel?)

And, in 1st place, and winner of the gold medal (see page 3, first story):
Lidl's Popularity in Challenging Economic Climate Leads to Unexpected Parking Fine
With the economy challenging everyone's pocket, it's no surprise that one of Farnham's retailers, Lidl, is growing in popularity, due to its low prices, easy layout, and with free parking. Unfortunately, one of its customers lost track of time and found himself out of pocket when charged the fee clearly displayed at the car park.

(Note to Herald: what nonsense. I realise it wouldn't be as exciting a piece, but why so irresponsibly quote a spurious accusation, and then so weakly - "sought to dispel" - report the borough council repudiating it?)

I'm really annoyed with BBC Radio 2

They simply can't report the proper sense of what David Cameron says. Instead of pointing out that his speech in the constituency of Glasgow East yesterday said that 'some' of the poor in our country are poor because of their own choices, they decided to quote him without the sense of 'some', and imply that he said 'the poor', as if it were all of them.

I get so annoyed! Why is it so difficult to report accurately the words of our political leaders? And it works both ways. I'd much rather they report Gordon Brown's words without prejudice, and enable listeners to respond to the actual speech / event / report, rather than something that sounds like the original, but really isn't.

And my point isn't whether David is right or not. My point is that without much more honest reporting, the electorate doesn't stand a chance of distinguishing between the real ideologies of any party.

sheh-CAH-go

Being in the US for business this week means I get to read much better quality front pages on newspapers. I'm pretty eclectic in my daily browsing, but I think I can safely say that no matter which it is, the quality of reporting (accuracy, literacy) is consistently better, and the range of topics much more conducive to informed opinions.

Here's a sample of headlines from the New York Times today:

Obama Camp Closely Linked with Ethanol
In Algeria, a Tug of War for Young Minds
Mugabe's Rival Quits Runoff
New Outreach to Blacks as Border Patrol Grows
Agreements Are Elusive At Oil Talks

I don't know about you, but I hear people generally touting Americans as uninterested in things overseas. But I say that we would rarely find such a mix of articles on the front pages of our newspapers, even my natural home, The Daily ToryTelegraph. (Especially ones about issues out of the normal public eye - Algeria for instance.

Birds. Plural. Just.

During my frequent visit to the new Waverley website today, I spotted the top news story for the environment:

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

Was this another outbreak?! My concern level grew somewhat. Then I noticed that it was more of an update on the situation, than a warning of impending doom. Phew.

But, it did get my mind wandering. If one were to trust the media to reflect accurately the intensity, impact, and immediacy of any particular news story, one would have to assume that Bird Flu now has only a place in history rather than the present. Sadly, it's not the case. However, I happen to think that it's excellent that Waverley's site deals with information about issues that continue to be issues, long after the daily rags have grown bored.

As an aside, one of the two chickens we have in our garden is looking decidedly under the weather. We may soon be the owner of 'a chicken' rather than many.

I'll keep all (five) of you posted.

WWW

It could be that I'm a nerd (probably), or that I live and breathe Waverley (no, I have a better balance than that in life,) or maybe that I think making it easy for residents to communicate with the council, to find information, and to generally know what's going on, is a good thing for all (definitely).

Hence, a short to post to say what a great new website we have, and please visit.

Flat Earth News

A book I'm reading at the moment is challenging my preconceptions of local news coverage. For a while now I've been disinclined to believe most of what I read in the newspapers, and (sadly) what I see or hear from the BBC and other TV stations. But, I've considered local newspapers to be guardians of community opinion, if not exactly guardians of truth per se.

However, I'm tempted to believe otherwise by Nick Davies, based on his analysis of the reporting coverage of the UK by way of PA and PR.

I do think he paints it in a light that makes out journalism to be a venerable profession, as precious to life as healthcare or agriculture (which is is not). I'd say he goes overboard on page 85 by referring to the 'now vulnerable media'!

But, in lieu of a full book review, I'd say it's worth reading for insight into the state of journalism today, and as a prompt to think more incisively about what we read, and not consume it as so much fodder for our insatiable appetites for gossip. If he's right, even a good percentage of what we read in the Herald is straight from a PR person's pen, or an agencies newsfeed.

P.S. I do admit to being a amateur PR person now and then, striving to help a business for which I work get better known...

P.P.S. I wonder how many fully original stories the Herald contains...