News Organisations & Responsible Broadcasting

Now I know this isn't about TV Pres (please forgive me) but it's something most of us here have a vested interest in. Today on the various news outlets I notice they have flared up about the recession again and how it is predicted that it could take up to 10 years to recover from it. Does anyone else think that this type of predictive news being reported as a headline is in some way a little irresponsible on the part of news organisations? Whilst I appreciate news organisations are there to report things such as this should they perhaps think a bit more carefully about how they report it? What I don't understand is there has been some good news on the exchange rate front where the pound has risen against the Dollar & Euro but it get's little mention. It's starting to seem a little like only bad news is good enough to report. I do personally believe that the World Media Circus has certainly worsened this recession by almost injecting fear into people through constantly finding more bad news to report. Even with the MP's expenses row in the UK it does seem to have been blown out of proportion when you have to remember most MP's were in fact totally within their rights to claim what they did as the regulation (or lack of) allowed for it. Given MP's are now going to be much more closely scrutinised (or so they say) is it time the media is too. Now I know this can open up all sorts of cans of worms as there is so many arguments for and against. I appreciate the media is regulated already but is it working? Do you think there needs to be more responsibility from the major players in this field? I lost my job in February of this year and have been one of the very few fortunate ones to find another job recently. I do firmly believe that if the press had taken more carefull steps in how they report such events like the recession then maybe it wouldn't have got so bad. Many people take what they see in the media as pinch of salt but there is also many who take it as god. I think we just need to find a better medium between the two and maybe think for just a minute before getting it onto our screens just to beat the next channel to it.

Thanks for reading, please let me know your thoughts good or bad and apologies again this isn't strictly presentation talk but I know many in here are still very interested in this sort of thing.

I'm sorry, but 'responsibility' is in the eye of the beholder. In the case of the 10 year recovery projection - yes, that's damn scary. But I also think it's more than a distinct possibility for Britain. You could well be right that it might damage consumer and business confidence, and in effect become a self-fulfilling prophecy - but what's the alternative? Not broadcast bad news at all?

The media has an important job to do in disseminating information. We might not always like what they tell us - but it's never a productive course of action to go 'shooting the messenger', as it were. Certainly I'd rather take my chances with a free press that might go a bit overboard sometimes than have media be tightly regulated by government agents in the name of 'responsible broadcasting'.

You did well to spot that. I didn't realise there was any news other than Michael Jackson today... although I have had Sky News on most of the day.

I'm certainly not saying we shouldn't broadcast bad news, just maybe be a little more thoughtful in how it's put across to the viewer. Sometimes it feels like the world is coming to an end when you listen/watch the news sometimes for even minor news stories are treated like a catasrophe.

Certainly any regulation regarding the media should in no way be connected to government, this would only make things worse.

Who knows maybe it's just me who see's it like this but there was a time where you could watch the news and get fact, not prediction and speculation.

It does seem like a disproportionate number of stories are based around a negative 'hook'.

Like many people on here i've lost my job due to the recession, and I can't stand the wall-to-wall economy 'doom' stories. What's the worst that's likely to happen in a recession... you might lose your job... then what... you look for a new one. Doesn't seem like it's worth the endless doom-mongering imo.

And talking about MP's expenses, I don't recall the BBC or ITV reporting on this kind of data:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/World_Map_Index_of_perception_of_corruption.png
which shows the UK as one of the least corrupt places in the world/G8/commonwealth/europe. That kind of thing doesn't get the vaguest of mentions. It's obviously far better to interview some unwashed members of the public in some city centre, and report their polarised views on the subject...

rant over .

Most reporters or presenters, though, won't have stuck a finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing and plucked a random figure of 10 years out of thin air.

If they are saying it's likely that it will take 10 years to recover from recession, then they are almost certainly reporting the opinions of economists or other financial experts. I don't know any journalist who would venture their own opinion. Apart from maybe some very specialist expert financial journalists. But generally speaking, reporters and presenters don't have opinions as such, or don't voice them, their job is to report and present the opinions of experts.