I'd always, before, pooh-poohed the idea of watching BBC but they are straightforward, reliable and provide generally responsible news without the unnecessary drama associated with the American cable outlets.
I also like BBC coverage of more international news because, frankly, both the cable and commercial networks here, (hello, ABC News), offer little if any foreign news coverage outside of cursory ten-second visuals. I know I'm in the minority but I like watching international news--it's not sexy but it's important enough especially when you look what's taken place just in the last week with Middle East developments, the on-going events in Ukraine and the ghastly murder of American journalist, James Foley.
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Really enjoy the BBC....it's news given to the audience by journalists not performers.
ReplyDeleteI like your view on this, Rich (and she ain't bad looking either.) I have to agree. Since where does it say that Lemon and Tapper should interject themselves into an active story with their pithy opinions and comments? CNN's coverage sucks. However, I do like Rosemary Church on CNN International. She's eloquent, beautiful and has the best voice. Her sidekick, however, is a dick. He sounds a lot like her, just not as good in the presentation. Lemon kept calling him "Rosemary" two nights ago Now that was funny. Not once, but several times. He couldn't tell the difference. Tapper did the same thing, twice. I guess protests in small town America will do that. CNN sounds like it is just desperate to dig up a story it can't quite put its finger on with coverage from Ferguson. Add Cooper to the mix and it's sounding like a rain delay at a Cardinals game when the protest gets quiet. Bad, bad, bad.
ReplyDeleteI agree. They became advocates. If I were the ND, I'd fire them all. I'd also fire the "experienced war correspondent" on Fox who went to a riot without adequate gear like a gas mask. And then, this "experienced" journalist opined that the police response was "amateur hour." An organization with integrity would fire a reporter on the spot. It is a huge breach of journalistic ethics. Not to mention this experienced drone was not prepared. Not to mention the police were telling him and his advocate cameramen to move back. What this "experienced" reporter didn't know was that there was a car in a parking lot, windows down, with people inside with two guns the police recovered after arresting the criminals in the car. The "amateur hour" police officers may have saved this advocate's life. He's not a reporter, experienced or not because reporters do not offer such subjective and ill-informed commentary in their reporting, unless they are biased.
DeleteCoverage I can watch......this is way beyond coverage and well into obsession. Blowing up every tidbit because they are starving for ratings.
DeleteHey Rich...I work at KPIX and heard a rumor that they're hiring Amy G. to replace Dennis O'Donnell as sports director. I guess with her multiple Emmy awards, she's got more gravitas than Denny!
ReplyDeleteI'd imagine Amy G's knowledge of sports doesn't go very far beyond the team she works for. Her husband does cover the Raiders, though.
DeleteIf some local station decided to hire her for a weekly anchor position, there would surely be many Giants fans glad to see her go.
anon at 9:41...interesting...but remember Larry Baer has ties to KPIX...his last stop before going to New York as a CBS employee..he could be greasing the wheels for her there.
DeleteWell-said, Rich. Both you and 9:14 are correct in observing that BBC has actual journalists intelligently presenting the news rather than the glossy, one-note lackeys found in abundance on both local and national networks.
ReplyDeleteListening to this boob, Tapper,on CNN right now. Have heard better in Modesto or Tulare. The problem with being a big shot when doing news in a town of 20,000 like Ferguson, MO.
DeleteI agree. When you send pampered news anchors and reporters to small towns, you often get biased coverage, partly because they have no way to understand the nuances of the local community. It took them nearly two weeks to interview local residents (African-American residents) to find out how the riots affected them personally. They were sick of it, but given CNN's coverage, you would have thought all of Ferguson was out there. Facts are even in yet, but CNN has guaranteed there will be worse riots if this officer is not prosecuted and then if he is not convicted, if he is prosecuted. These experienced CNN hosts are so pampered with their elite beats that they didn't even recognize tactical movements necessitated by an approaching mass of peeved people as they approached the command center or the fact that a curfew can be instituted whenever the police say the situation has become dangerous. Local reporters would have done a better job, if there are any around the area.
DeleteAnother good alternative news channel is France24 on 60.2. More in depth international reporting that US channels do not cover.
DeleteI rarely watch CNN. I happened to watch it a few nights ago when Tapper and Lemon were in Ferguson, and was reminded of why I rarely watch CNN. Lemon was sniping about how the media weren't allowed to go wherever they wanted, and Tapper was going ape-shyte because there were a bunch of cops in riot gear there. The cops were just standing around and weren't actually engaging the protesters, but Tapper was absolutely hysterical about their presence. Incredibly unprofessional.
DeleteFor a few years BBC had an afternoon, hour-long news report out of Washington with Matt Frye. It put any American network news broadcast to shame.
It was interesting to me that the protesters were throwing rocks and bottles at reporters while the police were arresting a few of them. At least the whole town knows who the real troublemakers are.
DeleteI've also been watching Sky News. Its reporting is more engaging, for me, than the BBC, but the BBC is far better than obsessive CNN. We need a media critic outfit that is not ideological like Media Matters and Newsbusters (I really liked Noel at NB. He recently passed away and was a really nice guy. He allowed me to use NB graphics on occasion.) As a professional journalist not presently working in the industry, I find the ideological biases in news coverage disturbing. But, that's the bait needed to get viewers. Thanks for pointing it out, Rich. While war wages in Israel, and while Hamas carries out extrajudicial war crimes in summarily executing whomever it wants, CNN sleeps (although it did note it) and the UN has once again proven it is nothing but hypocritical, anti-Semitic, not to mention feeble and impotent.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama has been kidnapped by aliens. CNN is still doing live remotes from the streets of Ferguson.
ReplyDelete...and Anderson Cooper is wearing the same shirt and tie for three days in a row. I bet he's ripe. Jake Tapper doesn't know if he's in Ferguson, MO or in Syria look for ISIS, ISIL or the AFL-CIO. Nice, professional blue golf shirt, Jake Tapper. And Don Lemon, sweat is showing through yours. Morons. Not even a CNN shirt. Can you imagine? Geesh.
DeleteCan you effing imagine? Don Lemon is opining on CNN / Erin Burnett's "Out Front." The music on the street that Lemon is playing in front of is "Happy" by Pharelle Williams. Is CNN on strike or something? This is horrendous. Are they trying to start a Friday night riot by broadcasting this -- whether they are doing it or not? A producer should step in and tell the boom-boxer to cool it or more the hell out of the way during the live shot.
DeleteUPDATE: The aliens threw him back.
DeleteThe BBC is extremely Anti-Israel, so you go ahead and enjoy yourself watching.
ReplyDeleteI think you meant 'objective'.
DeleteRich, why did it take you so long? Ever since the decapitation of KGO radio by the Dickies I've been screaming from the roof tops that BBC is my personal savior. Their "Outlook" program has great stories from all walks of life. Check it out. I've been a fan of Lemon but he seems to be losing his mind. It is as if there's no riot he's disappointed sort of like when kron was disappointed a few years back when "Occupy" didn't burn down downtown. Btw, kudos on your Rich Lieberman Live 2.0 (RLL2.0) show. Much improved interviews with less interruptions.
ReplyDeleteRich, I'm the UK caller who called your show about six months ago (the lesbian). You're on point with the BeeB, its about news/reporting not glam/pretentious d-bags. You should check out lbc.co.uk its our talk radio station. It reminds me so much of the old KGO. I think you would enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteAl Jazeera America also has very good coverage, similar to the BBC, with virtually no noticeable spin or agenda. The corporate U.S. "news" media has sucked for many years now, and continually pushing the envelope in the race to the bottom.
ReplyDeleteI started to watch BBC more after the Malaysian airline bombing, trying to get another view or opinion, then started looking at Aljazeera with great trepidation, strange thing is that I was surprised... the quality and most part pretty well balanced albeit there was one middle eastern reporter lady asking misinformed questions about the tunnels in gaza to an Israeli official, claiming that that they were only used for economic and humanitarian reasons???? but this station reminds me of an expansion baseball team, an assembly of various news staffers from all over, IMO a pretty good mix, not what I thought it would be, a mouthpiece for the terrorists
ReplyDelete