The Soviet-style planning of news at the BBC is undergoing a slight change of direction. The money-saving move to concentrate on filling the shelves of its many outlets with staples, rather than fancies (more potatoes, fewer avocados, no heritage tomatoes) is run by a Central Commissioning Team.
From the top comes a new message: "In an antidote to the ongoing uncertainty and challenges of living during the pandemic, we are looking for high impact stories to lift people’s spirits during these difficult months. This is the latest step in our audience-focused commissioning work to produce fewer stories that travel further...... The Commissioning Team would like to hear specific pitches about heartwarming stories and positive headlines that will uplift our audiences during such difficult times. Your story doesn’t need to be about Covid-19."
We note also that the same encouraging email celebrates recent BBC News mood-lifting diversions from the pandemic diet: the execution in the USA of Lisa Montgomery; how a farmers’ protest turned violent on the India's Republic Day; and Assassins of Iraq, from BBC Arabic.
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