A few weeks ago Owen, a contributor to this blog, criticised the BBC news as being superficial and lacking substance. This got me looking more often and more critically at it in its broadcast and web page forms. I have to conclude that Owen is absolutely right. For instance, yesterday the BBC carried a story about an American teenager who blackened her face and apparently said or implied something derogatory about Black Lives Matter. This woman was crass and insensitive. Her taste was appalling but in the end she is just one young stupid ditz misbehaving. The item has “gone viral”. Good gracious! Loads of teenagers do stupid things and display crass judgment, but how does a story like this count as “news”?
In years gone by the BBC was the news provider of record. Some say that honour goes to the New York Times. Well, maybe now, but a generation ago it was the BBC. How the mighty have fallen. Why? Because they were accused of “elitism’, that is, they provided researched and thoughtful international news. They were encouraged to cover the interests of the whole population, not just the interests of those who liked to be reliably informed. Now they provide third rate stuff because that is what they think the public want. Actually the public gets its news from Facebook, and that “news” is mostly about personalities and sport. The BBC cannot compete, and shouldn’t try. We desperately need a thoughtful and intelligent source of information.
You’re absolutely right. The BBC is increasingly relying on ‘clickbait’ articles- articles with a dramatic but misleading headline designed to entice internet users into reading low information news. I agree with you about the teenager: a terrible thing to do, but hardly worth the attention of the international press.
For intelligent news analysis, I’m increasingly a fan of Project Syndicate, but it’s probably too academic for your average person. Prospect magazine is also good for in depth coverage. Any readers here who are American, socialist, or simply like very opinionated yet intelligent articles, should read Jacobin Magazine online. If you’re more of a standard Democrat, read Vox. The best conservative news sources in America are the Wall Street Journal, National Review or the American Conservative. That’s all the advice I have to offer I’m afraid.