Coronavirus | Television News Coverage

Then the complete change of tone with Outside Source

Yes, I don't think we've ever seen Fiona Bruce in breaking/rolling news mode. Thought she was faultless to be fair. Shows she can do it though. Nothing like being thrown in at the deep end.

She was great. Authoritative but calm, informative but not cold. That will have had a positive influence on how many people absorbed the content of the PM's statement. Many of her peers would struggle to strike a similar tone.

Surprisingly for somebody who’s anchored news bulletins across 4 decades Fiona Bruce is quite good at presenting the news.

Yes.

Back at Christmas if you'd been told the PM would be making such a dramatic statement before Easter I'm confident you'd have been stunned. Infact I bet you'd have thought it a virtual impossibility with odds of a million to one.

Even World War II didn't enact such limitations on the populace and closure of literally every public outlet during the blackout as far as I know.

That’s not meant too snarkily to be clear - she got the tone spot on. But I wouldn’t say it was that different to her normal role - it was a 30 minute special bulletin with her largely recapping the address and exchanges with correspondents. Skills she’d regularly use doing bulletins.

In a situation like this would she have known what was going to be announced so can prepare?

News companies and broadcasters will be readying their cameras outside supermarkets as we speak. I’ve no doubt the headlines tomorrow will be of chaos, bedlum and arrests at supermarkets tomorrow

incidentally, Channel 4 News were already scheduled to be on air until 2030, but remained on air for a bit of reaction and eventually signed off at about 2045. They've done a few extended programmes in recent years (mostly Brexit-related), but have generally been shunted over to More4 at 2000 - so this is probably the latest they've been on the main channel in quite some time.

Fiona Bruce was on normal Monday shift, but the most ideal anchor to have on duty to get the tine right. Genuinely believe she is the most authoritative clear news presenter there is. Now Alistair Stewart gone from ITV there is no one else that gets my attention the most.

Her presence made the already historic announcement even more so.

I wish just one reporter asks the question, many friends and family are asking tonight, what are the limits of essential work. Key workers, as listed a few days ago, or something wider?

Someone I know works for Sky, they've been told they are critical workers. Really?

Do they not listen at all. Should surely be Inside Source now.