The Newsroom

ITV News and Major Disasters

Do they cover them better? (September 2005)

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CS
Cerulean Sunrise
Got political on the "news bulletin" between the 2 parts of Jaws. The reporter who was up to his waist in water was allowed live to pour out a 30-second burst of overt Bush-bashing. Now I'm all for it, but surely for a channel which is fast gaining a reputation as being the sneering middle class Daily Mail type in TV form, this type of political statement is surely doing it no favours. That and the aloof and condescending manner of Mark Austin has steered me further and further away from ITV News to the point where I'm ready to advocate it's dropping from Freeview.
AN
Andrew Founding member
ohwhatanight posted:
They only seem to have two reporters out there at the moment but are still covering the story adequately but I wouldve expected a News Special or Tonight With Trevor Mcdonald by now.

Friday's Tonight without Trevor McDonald was a special.

I presume the scheduled recorded generic edition which was due to go out was dropped and replaced by a special one without Trev
BB
Bartholomew Beelzebub
Cerulean Sunrise posted:
That and the aloof and condescending manner of Mark Austin has steered me further and further away from ITV News to the point where I'm ready to advocate it's dropping from Freeview.

I'm sure David Mannion is quaking in his boots knowing he has such a powerful enemy as Meic Young.
CA
Con Air
Brekkie Boy posted:
Well, I always find ITV News better at covering the bigger events. Perhaps it's because they usually cover it more from the human interest angle, rather than the political angle.


I'm not sure its so much the human interest, which is an old trick which I don't think washes any more

I think its got to do with giving the story a dramatic, even sometimes an epic edge - they seem to do that well because they're a lot more uncooth than the BBC who are level headed about big stories. In that sense ITV are less British in their take on these things
TR
TROGGLES
Con Air posted:
Brekkie Boy posted:
Well, I always find ITV News better at covering the bigger events. Perhaps it's because they usually cover it more from the human interest angle, rather than the political angle.


I'm not sure its so much the human interest, which is an old trick which I don't think washes any more

I think its got to do with giving the story a dramatic, even sometimes an epic edge - they seem to do that well because they're a lot more uncooth than the BBC who are level headed about big stories. In that sense ITV are less British in their take on these things

ITN is all dramatics & sensational language & imagery.
BP
Bob Paisley
Brekkie Boy posted:
Well, I always find ITV News better at covering the bigger events. Perhaps it's because they usually cover it more from the human interest angle, rather than the political angle.

Though good, I wouldn't regard their coverage of Katrina as outstanding as usual (compared to the Tsunami, Beslan etc) - perhaps exactly because the story is developing into a huge political crisis, as much as a human crisis.


I think the basic truth of it is that ITN have always taken a somewhat more melodramatic/sensational approach than the BBC. And this is such a dramatic and sensational story - the bits of the jigsaw fit.
NG
noggin Founding member
Jonathan posted:
Sorry, I know it is a tragedy, but it's time the news moved on a bit. What else is there to discuss apart from despair and sadness. There's been a hurricane, thousands have died, most people know the raw facts by now.


I think there are still new and interesting angles to this - the biggest being how Bush copes with the aftermath and the political fall out, as well as how the region copes with rebuilding itself, and how the rest of America copes with such a large influx of displaced people. Personally - I think these new angles more than justify the continuing coverage.
NG
noggin Founding member
Bartholomew Beelzebub posted:
Cerulean Sunrise posted:
That and the aloof and condescending manner of Mark Austin has steered me further and further away from ITV News to the point where I'm ready to advocate it's dropping from Freeview.

I'm sure David Mannion is quaking in his boots knowing he has such a powerful enemy as Meic Young.


Especially as Freeview have nothing to do with the carriage of the ITV News Channel on DTT. It is carried by D3/4 in the ITV (not quite) half of Multiplex 2 - and technically is nothing to do with Freeview (which strictly speaking is the BBC, Crown Castle and Sky - who control Mux 1, B,C and D - and not 2 and A last time I checked - though this may have changed if SDN sold control of A). ITV can use their (not quite) half of Mux 2 to carry what they want.

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