[WikiEN-l] BBC

[Steven Walling]

Again, "it depends on the journalist and their employer". Some news media
groups obviously tend to push their people to sensationalize certain
stories. For the BBC, it might be science. Fox, it's sex offenders. I wasn't
saying journalists are perfect. But they do serve an important purpose. I
personally think anyone who isn't smart enough to realize the weaknesses and
prejudices of the particular media groups they watch, read or listen to is
asking to be duped. I might listen to NPR and read the NYTimes, and love
them, but I'm not stupid enough to think they're god.

On 7/25/07, John Lee <johnleemk at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On 7/26/07, Steven Walling <steven.walling at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > As the originator of this thread, (thanks for the analysis Fred) I just
> > want
> > to make a quick comment on this  business. I'm a published critic (quite
> a
> > different beast from a news journalist), but the plain and simple truth
> > when
> > it comes to the  veracity and skill of any journalist is it depends on
> the
> > journalist and their particular employer. This is just the same as wiki
> > editors; some are hopeless fools with bad grammar, some are experts in
> > their
> > field and great writers. There is no hard and fast rule. But it can be
> > said
> > that the vast majority of journalists, especially those from a
> prestigious
> > organization such as the BBC, have received specialized training that
> > vastly
> > enhances the abilities of otherwise mediocre people. Wikipedia users
> > certainly don't go through 4+ years of school in how to adhere to NPOV.
> > Not
> > that I think they should.
> >
> > When it comes to science coverage, I think this is kind of a special
> case.
> > Take for example Charlie Rose the other night. He interviewed a table of
> > experts and advocates on the search for a solution to the HIV/AIDS
> > epidemic.
> > The people sitting at that table have spent a lot of time in academic
> > institutions just to understand the science around this, and then afr
> more
> > time working professionally on the subject. I don't think Rose should be
> > expected to pick it up handily in a week. But what he is there to do is
> > understand it sufficiently to know what are the right questions to ask,
> so
> > that his viewers can better understand it. And knowing which are the
> right
> > questions to ask is not so easy as one would think.
>
>
> Well, I think what most of us on this list have in mind when we bring up
> the
> BBC and science reporting is the horrendous gaffes they have made on their
> website by blowing things out of proportion and exaggerating/fabricating
> facts. (The case of cows supposedly having accents comes to mind.)
>
> Johnleemk
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