Saturday 12 April 2014

'Newsnight': 7-11 April




Saturday morning's regular review of what Newsnight chose to cover over the past week follows (as you can see, unless you're excessively hung over this morning). Do you see BBC bias here?


Monday 7/4
1. Ukraine/Russia: "The U.S. warns Russia to back off from Eastern Ukraine, or else. Or else what?...Is the West's main weapon now bluster?" Interview with Dr Gary Samore, White House Co-ordinator for Weapons of Mass Destruction 2009-13 & Dr Alex Pravda, Oxford University. 
2. Maria Miller: "Do Tory MPs want the culture secretary Maria Miller simply to disappear?"
3. Rwandan genocide. Interview with Williams Nkurunziza, Rwandan High Commissioner to the UK & David Belton, author 'When the Hills Ask For Your Blood'
4. Death of Peaches Geldof. Interview with Hadley Freeman, The Guardian
5. Dark matter: "Are we about to find dark matter?" 
6. Sheffield half-marathon fiasco: "How much matter do we need?" Interview with Dr Chris van Tulleken, University College London. 
     [Closing credits: Game of Thrones, Screen Junkies satire]

Tuesday 8/4
1. Maria Miller: "How's it playing out in Maria Miller's constituency?" Interview with Andrew Lansley MP (Con)
2. Irish president's state visit to the UK: "...a former commander of the IRA explains why he so admires the Queen of England". Interview with Martin McGuinness (Sinn Fein).
3. Resignations at the Police Federation: Bullying in the police
4. Trial of Oscar Pistorius. Interview with Nomsa Maseko, BBC.
5. Japanese militarism: "...how the rising power of China is letting the prime minister drive the country away from almost 70 years of pacifism".

Wednesday 9/4
1. The murder of P.C. Keith Blakelock: "Is it now possible that no one will be convicted for the very public atrocity of the killing of P.C. Keith Blakelock?" Interview with Ken Marsh, Metropolitan Police Federation & Tony Meisels, partner at Lewis Nedas Law.
2. Maria Miller's resignation: "Is there a much bigger problem with the way the public sees the whole political class?" Interview with Newsnight's political panel: Lord Finkelstein (Con), Baroness Grender (Lib Dem) and John McTernan (Lab).
3. Kenya's crackdown on Islamic terrorism: "Are the Kenyan anti-terrorist police out of control?"
4. A book about British involvement in the Afghan War that the MoD wanted to squash: Interview with Dr Mike Martin, author, An Intimate War & Christina Lamb, foreign correspondent, The Sunday Times
5. Poems To Make Grown Men Cry: Interview with Clive James, & reading of Canoe by Keith Douglas.

Thursday 10/4
1. Nigel Evans MP cleared: "But one of the men who testified in the case tells Newsnight he feels humiliated and parliament has to change". Interview with anonymous witness at Mr Evans's trial & Daniel Berk, solicitor to Nigel Evans. 
2. Tamiflu: "The drug that was meant to protect us from a flu pandemic might not actually work". Interview with Peter Openshaw, Professor of Experimental Medicine & Carl Heneghan, Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine. 
3. Greece & the Euro Crisis: "Is it time to call off the crisis?" Interview with Elena Panaritis, member of the Greek Parliament (Socialist) 2009-12 & Baroness Vadera, former advisor to Gordon Brown.
4. The London Olympics 2012: Akram Khan tells Newsnight how terrifying it was to choreograph the Olympics opening ceremony.
    [closing credits: France bans work phones/e-mails after 6.00pm. Images of French people relaxing at night].

Friday 11/4
1. Trial of Oscar Pistorius. "As we too inch towards allowing cameras in court we'll debate if justice loses if openness wins". Interview with Clive Anderson, barrister and broadcaster &  Julian Young, solicitor advocate. 
2. Ukraine/Russia
3. Indian elections/Narendra Modi: "He's certainly loved, but also loathed. India's voters look likely to choose a man some believe has dangerous charisma. So who is the politician at the centre of Modimania?" Interview with Lord Bilimoria, chairman, Cobra Beer  & Pragna Patel, Southall Black Sisters 
4. Sue Townsend: "And she loathed being called a national treasure but Sue Townsend, the creator of the appallingly awkward teenager Adrian Mole, is tonight remembered with huge affection".
     [closing credits: a school teddy bear appears in photoshopped photos]

1 comment:

  1. Lansley was a disaster.
    That he is the embodiment of Parliamentary opinion and authority shows the descent we`ve made since (even) Weatherill and Boothroyd.
    He was a disgrace...and politics is dead if he is able to float in the jacuzzi as a "statesman".
    Harvey Proctor, David Mellor...even Gummer...are Attlees and Churchills compared to Andrew Lansley etal.

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