Friday, June 15, 2007

Breaking Hot Air

I've just been watching BBC News 24, while eating my breakfast, and two things just happened that show the absurdity of 24-hour rolling news. The business of having to put so much on our screens must create pressures, not least when it comes to the rolling info and headers that appear at the bottom of the screen. The presenter was interviewing Anne Weyman, one of the vice-chairs of the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV. Instead of using the group’s proper name they had her name with Sexual Health Advisory Group written underneath it. That's SHAG for short!

All morning there's been news that Portuguese police are searching some ground 9 miles from where Madeleine McCann disappeared. Straight out of that piece on SHAG the newsreader said. "We have breaking news from Portugal." Mrs. H. and I both looked at each other assuming that they were going to say they had found something – but no. "Portuguese Police have said that four police dogs have been sent from Lisbon to aid the searchers." More like breaking hot air than news.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an agency Austin Powers could run when he retires from Her Majesty's service.

Richard Havers said...

Of course in America the Shag was a dance made popular on the East Coast....

Ruthie said...

I share your frustration with the 24-hour news cycle.

It's just as bad here in the U.S.

Rachel Joyce said...

I met Sky News political correspondent Glen Oglaza the other day. A lovely guy. I asked him why we don't get enough current affairs and why we get this 24 hour rubbish.
He reckoned they had tried more current affairs but it was not popular. I found it hard to believe that there was not a market for more informed, in depth current affairs. Probably needs an entrepreneurial type who can get it right.