Cat stories

News values:  An indoor cat from the Salt Lake City suburb of Lehi found its way undiscovered into a cardboard box of boots and shoes its owners were sending back to Amazon. It was discovered by an Amazon depot worker in Los Angeles, California, who handed it to cat-loving nightworker Brandy Hunter, who took it to a vet, who in turn read the microchip.

The cat went missing April 10th. The cat was found on April 17th

The story was first covered by KSLTV5, an NBC subsidiary in Utah, on April 24th, five days ago.   

It ran on the Mail Online in the States site five days ago. 

It ran on MSNBC three days ago. 

Fox News ran the Amazon employee who found the cat, and the reunion, two days ago. 

There's no sign of it on ABC News, or CNN

It's in today's New York Times website, where it's headline 28. It first appeared on the BBC News website 13 hours ago, and was in the top twenty headlines until the resignation of Humza Yousaf.

Conceit

Another mangled job ad from BBC News

"As our Creative Director - Storytelling & formats, you will report to our Design Director and will be responsible for concepting and creating best in class scalable editorial storytelling experiences and cross platform visual journalism."

Concept is a noun. The verb is conceive. In the advertising world, there's been an attempt to have 'to concept' defined as 'to generate new ideas', since around 2013. It's not really made a breakthrough in serious dictionaries.

Not for us

The two-speed BBC News. If you live outside the BBC, you can subscribe to these newsletters

In History. "Explore stories from this week in history, brought to life with the BBC’s unique video archive and a treasure trove of radio scripts"

US Election Unspun "calm, compelling and authoritative – and in your inbox every Wednesday"

Essential List "Our most essential weekly dispatch. Every Friday, get the best of the site, news you missed, and documentary and pod clips you'll love all in one place"

News Briefing "The BBC's global news email, twice-daily."

Football Extra, daily "full of news, analysis and gossip from BBC Sport, the home of football."

Royal Watch "insider stories and expert analysis every week"

Tech Decoded  "The twice-weekly email  decodes the biggest developments in global technology, with analysis from BBC News correspondents around the world. 

Future Earth "Essential climate news and hopeful developments. Every Tuesday from climate correspondent Carl Nasman, direct to your inbox."

If you live in the UK you can subscribe to Royal Watch "insider stories and expert analysis every week", and "BBC News Daily". Odd that you can't get the rest, given their reliance on content produced with licence-fees. 

Premium News

The half-baked idea in BBC News that there's money to be had from 'extra-leg room' continues apace. They're hiring more people for their  "In-Depth news analysis editorial team", who will be "responsible for commissioning, editing and curating the sharpest analysis and insights from BBC correspondents and editors in the UK and around the world."

"The senior journalists will work on the planning, editing and production of outstanding content on the stories and issues that matter most to audiences"

There's also to be improved 'design': "As a Senior Digital Designer  - Premium News analysis, you will work closely with the newly formed In-Depth news analysis editorial team, and will be responsible for creating beautiful, distinctive digital article content that brings clarity and depth to the burning issues of our time."

And, of course, the design will have to allow ads when readers come via bbc.com. Presumably the licence-fee payer will get all this free.  Or have to make do with "Economy".

Global questions

The Commons International Development Committee has decided to take a look at future funding of the World Service; the BBC is letting it be known that there's no guarantee of similar levels of licence fee contributions beyond 2025. 

There may well be readers qualified to submit written evidence. The Committee is inviting submissions, which may be anonymous or confidential if required, by 20th May, taking a stab at these questions: 

• What contribution does the BBC World Service make to the development goals around the world and in ODA eligible countries in-particular?
• What soft power advantages does the World Service provide for the UK and the projection of its values?
• What trends are there in the funding and support for internationally focussed broadcasters in countries such as China, the US, France and Russia?
• What are the likely financial needs of the World Service in the coming years and the likely damage to its offering in the short-term if funds are not forthcoming?
• What are the merits and concerns surrounding the possible funding models for the BBC World Service?

News algorithm

 

At No 3 in this morning's 'Most Watched' on BBC News, a man who cleans trainers, first published on 26th January. 

Transparency issues

The ground floor Media Cafe in New Broadcasting House becomes home to the BBC Club today, with an opening party hosted by the DG, Tim Davie, no less. It's moved from the ground floor of Wogan/Western House, where the lease was surrendered to save licence fees. Passers-by to the old Club along Great Portland Street couldn't see members relaxing with liquid refreshment - but there's as yet no of sign of frosted glass along the windows new home open to Portland Place pedestrians.

In other transparency matters, it's not clear what rent the BBC Club Ltd is paying for the new space. And it's even less clear how much the BBC Club drinkers will have to budge up when the Media Cafe is open to audiences in the BBC Radio Theatre. 

Not News round-up

Today's BBC News clicking-chasing headlines include "Cushion covers 'saved my mum's life'"; "Surgery for Indian woman who inhaled nose pin", "Namibia condems tourists posing naked on Big Daddy dune" and, still hanging around, "The fate of Korea's 'first and biggest' sex festival". 

This latter story was given full online treatment by a BBC correspondent two days ago, and was carried in the local South Korean press on the 19th April, a full week ago. The festival was cancelled. It didn't happen. Yet you have to click the headline to find that out. 

The BBC wants more of this tosh. They're recruiting a "Senior Journalist, BBC News Social - Weekend Lead"

You’ll be commissioning bespoke content for TikTok, telling stories on the world’s biggest news Instagram account and breaking news across WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube and X as well as driving audiences to our website. 

 

Katty

Gary Lineker's Goalhanger podcast boys have 'borrowed' former BBC News correspondent Katty Kay for their bid to conquer the USA. 

Katty's current BBC deal is just with the commercial wing, which she acknowledges in the intro with co-host Anthony Scaramucci.  “And I'm Katty Kay. I'm a US special correspondent for BBC Studios. I've been covering American politics for 25 years.”

And I'm sure the American audience will completely understand the nuanced difference between a  BBC News correspondent and a BBC Studios correspondent. Won't they ?

Not quite giving up

In theory, TalkTV stops being part of the linear tv world from 30th April. In fact, if you have a reasonably recent version of Freeview or a Smart TV, TalkTV is simply moving from 237 (next to GB News) to 294 (just after Purpose Media, delivering "Christian Television Programming from well-known Global TV Networks and leading Christian Ministries").