Competition

"My investigations are better than yours". It's a game that's been played within BBC News for years. From Newsnight to Panorama, File on 4 to Today, Newsbeat to 5Live Investigates, and latterly the BBC9 and 10 O'Clock News to BBC Eye, teams beavered away, arms wrapped round their workings, until the moment of broadcast. 

Deborah Turness, CEO of BBC News, sort of joined in this morning, listing the achievements of her centralised team against Amol Rajan's role call of recent Newsnight hits. The internal battle goes on this morning under her co-ordinating role. She thought Today hadn't mentioned Joe Pike's Newsnight line on whistleblowers at hospitals in Brighton; they had carried a two-way with Pike earlier in the programme, and there was a piece in the bulletins. 

Meanwhile, over at BBC Investigations Central, a lead story dumped online on the BBC News website at 0300, told of footballer players still selected to play whilst under investigation for various abuses. Didn't hear it on Radio 4, can't find it on BBC Breakfast.  Can't find the Joe Pike story on the front page of BBC News, nor on the England page, the Health Page, or the Sussex page. 

Good investigations are about good editorial judgement, strong nerves and patience. Plus the ability to down tools if you don't find a story to match your original premise. Good investigative reporters are rare and need support, encouragement and thoughtful guidance - it would have been happier if Debs had found time to talk about looking after those currently working at Newsnight.