Some time ago I started writing communications about news failures on the BBC News website. It has been quite clear to me that the quality of journalism on the BBC website has been falling for years (subjective rather than hard data). The headlines and stories have not been presented well. Rather than giving accurate news and reporting important things it seems that the BBC feel they are in competition with sites such as the Huffington Post and the Daily Mail “news” websites. The BBC is not in competition and as a public body should try to maintain high standards of news and programming but they push their content to the lowest denominator of population trying to compete with channels that I couldn’t care about.
I have decided to stop using the BBC News website so much. It has been a gradual decision but was forced through the day I saw the following picture and clip on the front page of the site.
This story is not news. It’s not even a new thing. Animals have been given wheeled prosthetics for a long time. I just don’t care!
Goodbye BBC News website. I will still listen to Radio 4. I feel there is still some standard of production there. I guess one day I’ll change my mind. Is it because I’m getting older and therefore more cynical? I think there’s a Phd in looking into these factors.