Of course, nobody should try to edit tv news from the outside. But..
The BBC's main bulletins remain light on facts, other than those supplied by the Government. They are shimmering mirrors of empathy and caring, but enter the New Year with too many things we KNOW through endless repetition. We know it's hard for small cafes, pubs, hairdressers and more to shut, open, re-open and shut again. We know that the owners think the Government's support is piffling. We know it's hard for working parents to organise childcare at short notice; we know home-schooling is difficult. We know the regimes are different in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but it now seems to be a compulsory feature of all bulletins.
Let's divert some effort to things that the BBC itself has mentioned merely en passant. Is it true that in Northern Ireland, with a large proportion of over-80s vaccinated, there is already measurable impact ? Is it true that those who make money by sending British fish, now fished in 'our waters' by 'our fishermen', are finding it too difficult to reach their normal European markets ? Is track and trace dead in the water, with pharmacists, teachers and hospital workers now formally told to turn the app off at work ? Are Government ministers still being 'pinged' ?
What are the stats on those vulnerable to the new variant ? Age ? Deprivation ? BMI ? Ethnicity ? Is now different to the first wave ? What's the outcome for those who go into intensive care in 2021 compared with 2020 ?
And when we get to reporting of the politics, can we have more in this style, from Ros Atkins, rather than endless two-ways ?
From schools are safe to schools are closed. We've looked at the rapid evolution of the UK government's position on schools in England. #COVID19 https://t.co/zfC507Ovwj pic.twitter.com/oEHCOKi0uZ
— Ros Atkins (@BBCRosAtkins) January 5, 2021
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