There's an iridescent immaturity shining through John Whittingdale's understanding of the world's media. Apparently, at last night's Media Show debate on the future of the BBC, he said Auntie shouldn't do "news content that looks like newspapers".
"They have expressed the view that the fact that you can access content which looks like long-form journalism on the BBC website is clearly something they are unhappy about, and raises this question as to whether or not the BBC should be essentially entering the printed news market and that, I think, is a legitimate concern for them to express.
“I think there is a strong case for the BBC to look at online provision and say, 'Is this simply making available the kind of provision we have traditionally done on broadcast media – following the viewers online and providing them with the same service?’ That seems to me entirely sensible.
"But if they are going to go beyond that and provide news content that looks like newspapers’ – that’s where I think newspapers are entitled to express concern.”
A quick whizz round some of the world's news websites in English this morning shows CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, France 24, Fox News, Russia Today, CCTV (China), New Delhi TV, NHK (Japan) have written word versions accompanying all their lead stories, quite as long as many UK newspapers are running online. Whittingdale presumably imagines a BBC News online future with video, audio, and a maximum, say, of 200 words per piece ? Or is that too close to tabloid coverage, John ?
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