BBC Breakfast this morning is leading with the "crucial climate change conference", with a heavy focus, image-wide, on the worldwide protests calling for action (most of which seem to feature men in polar bear costumes).
We've already heard from Richard Black (yes, that Richard Black, formerly the BBC's environment correspondent) of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, which was described by presenter Jon Kay as "a non-profit organisation that's looking for debate on energy change", and Professor Richard Allan from the University of Reading.
The same story also leads the BBC News website's home page:
Sky News, in contrast, places the story second - and takes a very different, more sceptical take on it:
And ITV News doesn't feature the story among its main headlines at all:
Striking differences, eh?
That whole BBC 'lead' story is dire.
ReplyDeleteFrom the headline through opening wish-list it is a reporter's series of claims based on what he has 'heard', from 'someone', and projected up to what they call news, using... yes... 'quotes'. Quotes from people who are not specified or identified.
I feel a wee line dropped to BBC complaints is in order.
And maybe another FOI.
Also, as there is a means to do so at the bottom, maybe a quick note to ask Matt in person.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/bbc_headlinescopy_based_on_subst/new
DeleteI can't see why they shouldn't tell you who those talkative "observers" are but I'm betting they still won't tell you!
DeleteThey will brush it off as a secret collection of BBC sources, of which they found two. Sort of, who kind of alluded to what he was pitching.
DeleteThe bigger fish to fry is the use of quotes by the BBC as broken down in the FOI.
They'll blow that off too, but the world's must trusted and transparent news organisation refusing to back up how it validates what it claims folk say is hardly going to look good.