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Rob Burley: Also on #marr the Leader of Haringey Council Claire Kober - on why she's resigning after ten years in the job. Tomorrow at 9am BBC1.
Nipper Dodds: Hi Rob, Will there be anyone on from the #SaveOurNHS demo or did that not officially happen according to the BBC?
Rob Burley: Haven't seen the coverage today. Demos are rarely in and of themselves news. So not invited someone from a Saturday demo onto Marr no. But in recent weeks we've had Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, Emily Thornberry and Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth. All talked about NHS.
Nipper Dodds: Thanks for replying. Fair enough but even Sky, CH4 & ITV seem to think it is news-worthy. It’s a good job I’m not cynical or I might conclude there was pressure being applied to ignore it??
Rob Burley: That sort of thing is just hilarious. The idea that a) the govt tell the BBC not to cover a demo and we comply b) that we aren't always, always raising NHS issues on the news. I don't know if on BBC news, I do think demos often not huge news.
Nipper Dodds: I don’t buy it. If this were a demo by Labour members who wanted Corbyn out, it would be blanket coverage.
Rob Burley: You're making my point for me. The march you describe would be unexpected and newsworthy. People marching in favour of the NHS - the most loved institution in the UK - not so much.
Shaping up as a vintage morn, Burleyesque-wise.
ReplyDeleteRob is usually pretty sure-footed with such earnest seekers of equal holding of powers to account, but he may have opened up a can worms for bbc colleagues to claim that demos are not in and of themselves ‘news’.
Because it has seemed bbc coverage of demos can vary in selection and extent and crowd counting and, if necessary, camera lens.
Who can forget one they liked that involved some folk walking down a road, that needed quite the creative angle to keep numbers vague?
Or one in Westminster that was barely mentioned, perhaps due to respect for the shy and retiring types involved?