PAY ATTENTION

A new version of the BBC's Editorial Guidelines is wending its way to public consultation, and like many things at the Corporation, it's not as big as it used to be.

Board members have been told the new document is "30% shorter" than the previous version. We are not told whether this is because it's less verbose, or there are fewer guidelines, or they've used a smaller font, or bigger pages.

There are LIKELY TO BE MORE CAPITAL LETTERS. Non-executive members asked for MANDATORY REFERRALS to Editorial Policy to be LIFTED OUT OF THE TEXT. This should help producers and editors with tricky issues like HELICOPTERS, talking to POLICEMEN, giving people time to respond to news of POLICE SEARCHES, and generally chasing SCOOPS AND AWARDS.

• BBC executives have, inadvertently, been supplied with some fake news by their Executive Complaints Unit. They were told the ECU was meeting a target of dealing with 80% of complaints with a response within 20 days in most cases. Unfortunately, this was because a computer programme was adding things up wrong during most of the past twelve months -"seriously so towards the end of the reporting year."  The ECU now has to count up on its fingers on a monthly basis until someone sorts out the technology.