BBC journalism in the spotlight
John Simpson - who was on the panel
Is BBC journalism still brave, surprising and distinctive? The short answer is yes, according to an Inside Track
discussion on the topic which took place in the Media Centre at lunchtime today.
World affairs editor John Simpson, head of newsgathering Adrian Van-Klaveren and Karen O'Connor, editor of
This World, were joined by world affairs correspondent Jeremy Bowen, who chaired the event which handily
took place on the eve of the new current affairs strand This World, which starts at 9pm on BBC Two.
Simpson insisted there was never a golden age of BBC journalism. ‘I remember just how timid and nervous the
BBC used to be,’ he said.
‘Our output is as good, if not better, than I remember it at any stage.’
Van Klaveren said that ensuring news quality boiled down to two principles. Firstly ‘by actually being there’ on
the scene with reporters and secondly by using the best teams to cover events.
O’Connor readily conceded that threats to such journalistic ideals nevertheless remain very real.
She fears that the new regulatory structure, under Ofcom, could lead to the ‘tyranny of measurement’, which
would constrain ‘brave’ journalism.
‘How do you measure, what’s brave, surprising and innovative?’, she ventured.
O’Connor suggested that the other threat comes from within us – as everyday concerns and the reality of being a
small cog in a large wheel - can tend people towards playing it safe.
She noted: ‘The tyranny of the machine can be a constraint.’
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