London/UK Riots Coverage (Sky News/BBC News Channel)

A good half hour almost from the Skycopter showing the extent of the damage now that it's light.

Could the programmes on BBC News overnight be a result of the work to rule situation that started last Monday?

Maybe the presenter is only contracted to work for the first 30 mins of every hour and they are simply paid overtime if they present the full half hour.

why does it feel like the BBC N Channel aren't really bothering today? They've been really flat this morning compared to Sky

Have any other channels been rolling out the coverage, ie CNNi or Al-Jazeera Eng??

CNNI only had a live report from an ITV reporter in their 0300 cet bulletin, before that it was non stop CNN US coverage of financial crisis.

They usually are in these circumstances. I remember the student riots and they had a distant shot of just people milling around. Sky, on the other hand were in the same place with a camera pointing in the other direction where there were police and rioter clashes. BBC do like to tone things down.

Although the BBC were caught up in the crossfire yesterday, by accident (as were the Sky News team on the oppositre side of the road)... I have noticed they (the BBC) do seem to sit on the sidelines a bit in public disorder situations whereas the Sky/ITN teams seem to get in action a bit more. Maybe different H&S regs.

Maybe the BBC feel angry that their satellite truck was damaged and their reporters/camerateam mobbed.

For anyone who has just logged on and wonder what we've been talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdfqcvGE6zQ

One would assume that this was the BBC's satellite truck that was badly damaged...

Sky News appears to have dropped the 15 minute news bulletin format this afternoon in favour of continuing coverage. Good to see some flexibility when the story warrants it.

Richard Pallot was at the scene for ITV News during the night. Salma Siraj (who also presented) voiced a report for the News at 5.30, Richard reported on the ground. He was then live in the newsroom.

Re: work to rule - surely such eventualities regarding major breaking stories would be in contracts anyhow.

Agreed. When you read the NUJ's guidance on work-to-rule (http://www.nuj.org.uk/files/BBCWorktoRule.pdf) it seems to be talking predominantly about acting-up and "standing in" for people on higher pay grades, and enforcing breaks/days-off. It even makes the specific point about unpredictability allowances and that "unpredictable circumstances" should still be treated BAU.

You must have been watching a different BBC News to me. I remember BBC correspondents in the thick of it - Ben Brown, in particular, in protective clothing and hard hat in the middle of the Parliament Square 'kettle', and other reporters and camera crews reporting from outside the kettle and showing live destruction and confrontations with police from various zones, including their helicopter showing clashes between police and those determined to cause trouble.

The BBC's coverage was, in my opinion, very good and in the thick of it during those protests. I have to agree, however, that its coverage of the unrest in the last 24 hours has been extremely tepid.

Interesting comparing the BBC and ITV reports tonight. BBC very much more about the calm after the storm. ITV much more about the possibility of it kicking off again tonight and the possibility of bodies in the burnt out buildings.