News Sources.

[Tonka]

(21 May 2012, 13:55)Skean Dhude Wrote: I rarely watch government TV. I get all my news from blogs.

That made me chuckle. Sorry Skean, I'm afraid I have to pipe up here. The BBC SHOULD be government TV, what with the licence fee and all, but it really isn't. I have heavy inside info here. The old head of the BBC virtually went to war with Blair over the gulf war... yes he did get the chop, but the BBC have their own set of rules, very different form the governments choice, and there is tension because of this. The BBC are very left wing, very PC and culturally inclusive, and incredibly anti gun. But that is true of most journalists. My wife is one, ex BBC, she is fine with guns though... has be around be really. She did a good report from the REME bass supplying our troops in Iraq, and surprised them by knowing what everything was "I see you are now issuing the previously obsolete GPMG" is not what they are used to.

But oddly enough, the spin of BBC news output has far more to do with the education and class similarity of the people who make up the corporation than 'what the government tell them to do'. (I have the education but not the class )

I used to write up news stories, from the raw sources, and I swear, that the first priority is accuracy ... sure they get it wrong, but factual accuracy is the most important thing (we are talking broadcast journalism here, press is another matter altogether). Then comes the sensationalism, and finding the controversial angle of course, but it really isn't all bollocks. The laws around journalism have infinitely more sway on a BBC journalist than the government. Mis-reporting happens through ignorance, but not intentionally. Can the same be said of blogs? I find blogs and on-line independent news very useful, but they are more biased than most mainstream news. Remember a journalist hates to cover anything up... they live to tell people what is really going on!
I still have the luxury of getting the news straight from the raw sources. The only area that is iffy is reporting on party politics, but we all know that's a game of spin anyway. Other than that, there is no cover up... really. I know, My wife is one of the people charged with emergency broadcasting to the public in a crisis... and she sucks at keeping secrets!

Don't worry... there will be lot of PMs sent out if I do get a sniff of anything.