BBC News Mandela Coverage

Actually I think you'll find that only viewers who were in regions affected would have cared more about that than Mandela's death. Here in North Hampshire where we had some wind and that's it I was to be honest more concerned with Mandela's death than the storms.

THAT IS THE NATURE OF NEWS it affects different people, eg if the Autumn Statement had been the main headline - the bankers and upper classes wouldn't have been that bothered by it where as it would affect the Working and Middle Classes more, being a Tory Chancellor. The fundamental basis of news is that different stories affect different people, like all health stories don't affect me since I read Ben Goldacre's book that shows that the media is incompetent when it comes to health where as Daily Mail readers are very interested to here the latest list of things that there is a vague link between terminal illnesses and a certain thing.

Sometimes one story is so momentous is it the news. I mean how far would you take your logic, if a large city was totally destroyed abroad somehow, would you demand coverage of the storms on the News channel then? Of course you may argue that would be more significant than Mendella's death but it's all opinion at the end of the day.

Oh and you're just anti-licence fee, and you're using this a stick to beat the BBC with then? Your whole attitude also seems very insular and hostile to this big international story.

There isn't alot the news channel could have said that would told people about how exactly their relatives were dealing at 3am in the morning with the weather.

[quote="jjlk" pid="896054"]

I get your agenda now, you are anti-the licence fee, anti-BBC.

You pay not just for BBC1 and BBC News Channel, but all the other TV and Radio services, even the ones not funded by the licence fee, so don't start that crap.

BBC Local Radio was the place to go, and available through the BBC website, through the UK Radioplayer and via TuneIn Radio as well.

No searching involved, just a little common sense. Why are you advocating laziness? If you're that interested in a story, you should be prepared to go find where the story is being covered best, by the people who know those areas best, not rely on the BBC, ITV, SKY or any other single broadcaster to cover the stories you want covered.

By the way, did ITV News cover anything other than Mandela at Ten? You haven't even replied to that one either.

Yes it affects different people, so it should have a balanced amount of stories over an 8 hour period not just 1!

At around 4am the BBC News website had a headline 'UK Storm: As It Happened' as the storm was still engulfing the east coast. Even on every tweet the BBC News twitter feed sent out about Mandela people were replying saying 'What About the storm? whats going on? have you forgotten about it?' also there were 20+ Tweets between 12am and 6am about Mandela and just 1 about the storm. that is not right. plus BBC News is not an international news channel, its a Domestic news channel and domestic news should have priority.

...And the Amstell joke.. Amstel being an idiot being the main attraction to that story not Mandela's Death.

Not arsed about ITV/Sky News e.c.t i don't pay for it so they can do what they want and no I'm not anti BBC I admire it but it has some serious flaws in its management and its news output. And its not about avoiding laziness, if i'm paying £140 quid a year for the BBC i should be able to switch on and be updated about all the news, not just one story. We all pay so we all have a right to criticize them when they make mistakes.

Difference in priorities regionally tonight

BBC Look North leading with Nelson Mandela with a live OB, the flooding pushed down the bulletin.

ITV Calendar lead with the flooding and had a report about Mandela half way through

By that logic if the only thing that happened in the UK was The One Show's Alex Jones breaking her foot and the US president was assainated the Alex Jones story would be the main one.

Just because it's a domestic news channel, doesn't mean it only covers domestic news it just means it's aimed at domestic audience.

Should there have been more coverage of the floods? Yeah probably in circumstances. But it's also understandable in some circumstances too there wasn't and on that online reaction which is by no mean a perfect gauge of what the public really want can only really help them when similar instances happen at the same time again.

You're overreacting anyway.

Don't really see what angle any regional bulletin can add to the story to make it the priority tonight. ITV have called it right in that case BBC wrong.

No Jon, if the US President got shot and Alex Jones broke her foot, The US story has priority because the Alex Jones story doesn't affect anyone apart from Alex Jones.

And maybe i am overeating but that's just my opinion and you have you're right to yours Jon and i respect that.

and Of course BBC Look North will lead with Mandela its in their blood, ITV is impartial the BBC is not. it really is a disgrace. (Cue the Anti BBC Comments )

But if they're also covering Mandela to a much great extent than the floods, it suggests from a commercial perspective it's the more important story and something that there is a desire to hear about more than anything else amongst British public.
This argument doesn't make sense. You do realise no news channel gives you 'all the news'? You mean 'all the news i'm interested in', which isn't always going to be possible.

There might some viewers with an Alex Jones based foot interest. Anyway, I just applied your own logic to that situation.

I agree.

They can cover whatever they like, there are independent commercial broadcasters. And of-course it makes sense, i don't want all the news i want a variety of different stories not just one.