I’m surprised that the BBC’s NewsWatch hasn’t been picked up by more blogs. I had been entirely unaware of it until I spotted the small black logo nestled at the bottom of another BBC News page.
It’s a meta-news site, providing a log of corrections to BBC stories and notes about BBC coverage, and a representation of the BBC News 24 show of the same name. Increasing visibility of this site is probably timely, appearing in the context of recent hoaxes and the ongoing debate about the license fee. But whatever the context, this is one of the things the BBC does very well and a great resource to have available.
Come, come, James. “Licence fee”. You’re not American just yet.
I notice today that Auntie has dropped the corrections page of NewsWatch. Something I said, maybe?
Come, come, Colin. You’ve edited my writing often enough to know that I do make the odd slip of that sort 🙂
Have you been making use of NewsWatch in between FOIA requests?
My view (within the URL above) is that Newswatch is a waste of space, it’s a cynical pantomime that doesn’t change anything within the wasteful, unresponsive and profligate BBC.
Hugh – have you tried living outside the UK. Having now been outside the UK for a year, and so away from the full forces of the BBC, I’m an even firmer believer in its value. Being subjected to the facile US media day after day, I think more and more of the BBC.
Newswatch may or may not be a good thing, but it is more than most media outlets do.