A news story close to my heart for various reasons. Whilst air disasters and hijacks are rare occurrences, this current 'event' is of particular significance due to the mysterious nature of the Malaysia Airlines disappearance.
Credit to both CNN and SKY for sending Jim Clancy and Kay Burley respectively to anchor the story on location. (KL). This story has generated a huge global interest, hence their decisions to mobilise senior people.
Odd then, that BBC News, the only one of the three to have a bureau very nearby (Singapore - 40 minutes flight time) haven't sent anyone!
The BBC does have an array of reporters and correspondents covering the story, as do Sky, CNN and AJE.
I know many of you may comment that having an anchor on location adds nothing to the story. However, the BBC tends to do so at the drop of a hat these days, so I'm curious as to why they haven't on this occasion.
Nothing really that requires another BBC presenter. Everything that needs coverage can be covered by the reporters currently in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.
Not even noticed no anchor on location - it doesn't warrant one, although if there is a "Bemuda Triangle" where planes and people just mysteriously manage I appreciate that Sky have sent Kay Burley there.
Caught C5's show the other night on it - was surprisingly good, even if host Donal McIntyre didn't even know the basics - surely everyone knows black boxes aren't black!
I think if officials or investigators were prepared to give interviews to journalists, there'd be a strong argument for having a strong high-profile interviewer there. But they're not, and the BBC are having to fight to ask a question at the limited press conferences like every other (and I really do mean
every other
) news organisation out there.
There are serious questions of a high politically-sensitive nature that need to be asked not only of the Malaysians, but of every major country in the region. But without an opportunity to ask them, you barely even need a location-based reporter.
Not even noticed no anchor on location - it doesn't warrant one, although if there is a "Bemuda Triangle" where planes and people just mysteriously manage I appreciate that Sky have sent Kay Burley there.
Suspect locals are more concerned with an inverse Bemuda Triangle whereby people turn up out of nowhere, asking highly insensitive questions which suggest they've been missing from society for a long, long time. Their fears were realised when Burley appeared.
Because they don't see the point. The aircraft could be anywhere, and it looks like they won't be finding wreckage anytime soon, so this story will die down in a few days. Similarly, it took 2 years to find the Air France black boxes, but the news coverage stopped after a few weeks.
BBC World News sent a senior London-based presenter to Bombay last week to anchor coverage of Indian elections which aren't happening for weeks yet! Despite the fact they have various correspondents resident in the city. The cost of doing so would have run into thousands. Ten hour flight, and so on.
They also sent a senior presenter to Pretoria to cover the Pistorius trial, again despite the fact that they have several correspondents in the region. Another long haul flight and so on......
Yet one of the most bizarre and concerning aviation losses in history........they have presenters based on the doorstep, but don't send anyone??
I'm at a loss as to why not, given the credentials of the two other examples I've mentioned above.
They even sent presenters to Glasgow after the recent helicopter crash.