BBC: Has the clock gone back 50 years?

This reads like something you would expect to hear from the BBC 50 years ago

BBC journalist visits Nepali Maoists

A BBC correspondent has become one of the first Western journalists to travel to a stronghold in Nepal of the Maoist rebel movement - the mountainous Rolpa region in the west of the country.

Maoist insurgents carried out their most successful attack against government forces in this area just over two weeks ago, when they captured 72 police officers, killing one.

Our correspondent says the local Maoist leader told him the current ceasefire between the Nepali Government and rebels was not an obstacle to the rebels' goal of taking over the country. They currently control eight of more than 70 districts in Nepal.

Earlier our correspondent saw the local leader address a meeting of 5,000 villagers, both young and old.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service




(Edited by SkyNews at 10:07 pm on July 28, 2001)

Forgive me for sounding dumb, but I'm willing to take the risk.

Why does it sound like the BBC 50 years ago? Replace BBC with Sky News and it sounds like something you'd write regarding their coverage. 'A BBC correspondent has become one of the first Western journalists.....'

And why did you have to do it in blue and bold? You really are trying every (annoying) trick in the book to get this noticed.

Cheers, Asa

Firstly, the blue was to emphasise I was quoting another source.

It's not the fact that the guy is the first Westener to visit the area, but the way the BBC have carried it as a news story.

You can imagine it being read in BBC English about 50 years ago: 'X has happened in y. The BBC's Joe Bloggs reports that xx. He adds that'

Why can't they just use piece by him!

I'm not fully sure why this is supposed to be so interesting it deserves its own thread!
I'm also not sure why it sounds like something from 50 years ago.

Networks do this all of the time. Just this week Sky have been doing special reports from the Congo in Africa and I'm sure Eve Richings was in somewhere like Uzbezikstan (forgive my spelling), just a few months ago.

Why is this so old?

On a somewhat related issue, I am getting very annoying with News 24 plugging BBC One and Two.
Twice I've seen them pass off programmes as reports.
There was a 'report' the other day about this new Space programme, which I agree is excellent.
But they did a report on it at 20 past the hour and throughout most of the report there was a 'BBC ONE' logo at the bottom!
It's hardly news! It's just a programme for god's sake.

Tedious. (The thread I mean, not the replies.)

(Edited by Andrew Wood at 4:33 am on July 29, 2001)

Yes, good word. 'Pathetic' may be another.

Leave SKY NEWS alone for god's sake.
I am sure this forum has a rule of everyone being entitled to thier own opinions - but keep them to yourself. They are unimportant. SKY NEWS pointed out a suggestion - which you do all the time.
God, next time we put a foot wrong we'll be shot dead.

I'll go and get the guns.

Umm, you're probably right. 4.20 in the morning (after a night out) was I suppose not the best time to make a reply. I still think he's wrong and I agree with Asa's comments, but I could have been more 'tactful'.

Apologies to SkyNews.