ITV News

I also agree that as a news provider ITV News should've led with the Irish story.

BUT

As a commercial broadcaster trying to retain viewers I feel they have to lead with their most 'sexy' and compelling story.

After seeing the report from Iraq I can see why they led with it as it was totally compelling and lasted quite a few minutes. As a viewer I was given and insight and a glimpse into what our soldiers have to put up with and deal with day in and day out and it was a great few minutes of television.

I carried on and watched the report about the Irish situation but then turned off! Imagine if they had led with the Irish story - I might've not seen the Iraq story and so there probably is some legitimate decision making in the running order of the programme.

Weren't really paying much attention to the new yesterday so can't really comment - I guess they took the view by then people might be less interested in the Irish story so went their own way instead.


Interesting to comment on how ITV News increasingly sets their news agenda themselves now, leading with special reports and interviews that perhaps aren't related to the main headline of the day.

I'm sure people be quick to give ITV some flak for that - but worth remember that Newsnight and Channel 4 News have long done the same thing too!

I agree that it's good to lead with individual and different stories a la Channel 4, but to be honest I didn't really feel that the Aghanistan report told us anything new. Obviously it showed the whole 'on the front line', what it's like for troops thing but I'm unconvinced that there was anything new and newsworthy enough to make it the top spot on the evening news. But then again, I suppose with only having a half-hour programme the scope of the NI story was less than was possible on C4s 55 minute slot where they could interview and discuss the wider issues.

Did they lead with the Afghanistan report again on the 10.30?

I can't believe that the Evening News did not lead on the Northern Ireland story - that was historic! To be honest, though, I should not be surprised by that decision...it epitomises ITV News recently. I agree with comments that the agenda and tone of the programmes has changed dramatically since last year's refresh. It is now so tabloidy - so much so that I would say it is now worse than Sky News.

I only really started watching ITV News in 2003, as we'd always been a BBC family. When I was growing up, we'd always watch the BBC Six O'Clock News. When I first watched ITV News, it was quite a refreshing change. At that point, I thought the BBC was getting a bit stale and boring. However, I've increasingly been going back to the BBC for news, instead of ITV. I can't stand the tone of their bulletins - I think you get a more balanced agenda from the BBC and there are far more items featured in BBC bulletins than ITV ones.

To be fair though they might have took the view that they'd kind of been here and done it all before - it fell apart last time, so why will it be any different this time!



It was an editorial decision - perhaps the wrong decision - but thank god they didn't lead with something trivial like Elton John's birthday or something!


And if the BBC had opted for a different main story, would we be discussing that?

And they've never done the "we're embedded with British troops on the front line in <Afghanistan/Iraq>" before?



Yes, I think we probably would. To lead on what was effectively a filler story over a truly historic meeting is poor editorial judgement, be it by ITV or the BBC. I suspect they led on it because they had spent money sending Neely out there with the troops and because they could claim it was an 'exclusive'.

Bit of a wobbly end to the Lunchtime News there
The camera panned back from Lucy and Alister, but it then jolted and turned to the right of the newswall leaving you with a shot of the background, it then turned back to the left and you could see Lucy's head!

For anyone who didn't see it, here it is...

It really wasn't that thrilling...

I never said it was!

ITV has renewed its contract with ITN till 2012:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2048460,00.html

£250m - which sounds like more than they invested last time - so hopefully the extra money will show - and the "upgrade" will include the long overdue switch to widescreen, which now seems more likely since C4 have made the move.