BBC: we got our coverage wrong for the Labour leadership
At the weekend I blogged BBC, aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!, about the BBC’s decision to cutaway to a voice-over from Nick Robinson during the middle of the reading out of the Labour leadership election results.
I’ve now had a reply:
Complaints on this issue were forwarded to senior figures within the BBC Newsroom and BBC’s political team and they agree that on this occasion it was inappropriate to continue with the commentary and analysis whilst results were being read out. We would like to apologise for the interruption during the announcement.
Well done the BBC for acknowledging the mistake. Fingers crossed for next time.
Now, how will Ed Miliband do in his new job?
I’m glad you blogged about this as it’s an important issue. I was also very annoyed when it happened and I’m glad that they’ve admitted it was a mistake.
But nothing on the whole “not showing the results” thing. Not even pointing the camera at the screen above the stage, that would’ve at least let us see what the audience were seeing.
I watched the BBC coverage, it was absolutely incompetent, unprofessional and unintelligent. When the irrational voice-over started, with Nick Robinson confidently predicting that David Milliband was the new leader (!), I switched over to Sky, who had got it right. What an unbelievable shambles by the BBC. I was furious. I could have organised it better myself.
The person on stage was giving the results! Why interrupt what we had all tuned in to see? It was exciting, nail–biting even, and was building up the tension….so who thought ‘let’s ditch it and have lots of umms, errs, and waffling instead of genuine live news’?
As I said, it was a very unintelligent decision – for goodness sake, weed out those responsible. I can still scarcely believe it, I am still angry in retrospect! We deserve MUCH better.