I’m sure Ben Thompson of BBC News is a very amiable chap to speak to for 10 minutes or so at a cocktail party or perhaps after he’s hosted (remunerated I bet) the dog fancier’s annual dinner but he was not designed to anchor for hours, all weekend, breaking news in the Middle East. Trying to fill hours of broadcast by interviewing a succession of talking heads - many with weak credentials.
This isn’t a Ben problem, but a BBC problem. Ben’s a victim. Inexpensive camera fodder as the BBC offloaded more experienced broadcasters in its pursuit of quantity over quality.
The BBC has, arguably, the most desirable funding mechanism of all the world’s public sector broadcasters - essentially a compulsory charge on every television owning household. I absolutely support that method of support if it is used to deliver strong, substantiated content without the need to be first or frantic.
The BBC should first and foremost be accurate, independent and trusted.
Last night’s brouhaha over the Gaza City hospital explosion was just one of many recent examples where the BBC has rushed to broadcast and regretted it later.
The BBC’s motto is “Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation”. It’s laudable but it doesn’t mean it should be doing it incessantly at a tempo it cannot possibly sustain whilst upholding meticulous values.
My solution ?
The BBC stops 24 hour rolling news output. Ends it, as soon as possible.
In its place regular news bulletins at 0700, 1000, 1300, 1800, 2200 - with breaking news bulletins when both important and urgent news developments dictate it.
This would be a compelling offering. People are tired of ‘fake news’ and the distortions of Twitter aka X. A BBC that was set up to deliver definitive news and not rushed news would be the pivot we need.
Let the commercial broadcasters fight for eyeballs with sensationalism, the BBC can and should rise above it.
Less news, better news.
Slower news, more accurate news.
Best of all, trusted news.
There has never been a more pressing time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Izatt is a brand consultant living in London and founder of Mission Critical, a highly focused and curated weekly briefing for time-poor and information-hungry decision-makers. He also produces THE DAILY, a complimentary weekday new briefing and you can sign-up here. No spam, just short and sharp. Mark was a Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Scotland from 1994-95 and subsequently stood in the then Clydesdale constituency at the 1997 General Election before spending 10 years living and working in New York.