Bearing in mind the obviously serious nature of what has been deemed 'an imminent catastrophe to humanity', I have just decided to do a quick scope of the coverage.
BBC - Pictured. And as I write, they have gone live to have a reporter be told that there's nothing new on a old murder enquiry. In fact, at 9.08 they cut away from the IPCC reporter in Valencia to something more important. Bless.
Mind you, if the best thing they can come out with is 'the next step' is to have another meeting next month in Bali, then I guess that might not exactly perk up the ratings.
Times - Top of tree online on global. Kudos! UK... er. Front page... nope!
Telegraph - Online.. well hidden if it's there! Front page... tba.
Guardian - Online... sort of. Front page.... tba.
Indy - Online. Front page... um, no.
FT - Not obvious. Front page... tba.
Tabs - Don't ask
Newsnight -
Seems the world's about to collapse. And now, on a lighter note, remember that sketch... (at least this critical piece wasn't truncated by '... and that's all we have time for, because here's a skateboarding turtle'. Oh... but wait... there IS another).
I just woke up to the Breakfast News coverage of the IPCC report. So Climate Change IS down to man and we are on the verge of a catastrophe. And this time is for sure. Well, more than the last. Not as much as the next, maybe. Odd then that it was not top priority in the national newscaster's morning report (not figuring too high in the national papers either. Pity the Spice Girls reformed on the same day as Children in Need.... as the world goes down the tube).
Anyway, watching Newsnight's coverage of the next big thing I mainly discover the Green Elite and their media caravans are off from Valencia to Bali (will we getting the same selection of ladies and gents to stand in front of the same building to say the same thing? Nice use of money, not to mention footprint example) to doubtless issue yet another 'this is the one' (Couldn't they all stay in one place, and where most are already... say... New York?) .
Ironically in the same breakfast show there was a Newswatch about a piece where a hotel in Las Vegas was covered live as it was demolished by explosion. So we waited... and waited... and almost gave up. And then it exploded, but only as many had given up waiting despite being told it was coming. Not really the BBC's fault as they had been told the time and it didn't happen as and when advised. But that's the problem with relying on uncertainties to issue endless warnings.
I am just not sure how many such 'outings' can be engaged upon, at least in this manner, before people begin to 'drift'. And such is my weariness with the assault, and lack of faith in their commitment to balanced science, despite the fact that it is clearly stated that it IS, NOW, man-made, I simply am not able to believe it and will continue to concede only man-worsened. I also rather suspect there are others who feel the same, or are even more dubious. Which all distracts from just getting on a DOING tangible things to engage with the general public rather than wittering on, going on jollies ('because our job requires it even if we're saying yours shouldn't') and giving sceptics ever more ammo.
Then we go on to learn by way of major advances in mitigation that Coke is 'thinking' of popping its carbon footprint on its cans, as have Walkers on its packs. No one had a clue what it was all about. So at least the BBC had a slight sense that this aspect was a bandwagon that was out of control. Shame they can't make the connection with the main... er.. almost main... piece. It is not up to the consumer to wade through all this, with the endless proliferation of hugely funded 'awareness' campaigns from pointless quangos we are being bombarded with... to little effect, evidently (see above, below, sideways). Or our national media.
What's going on? A crisp maker puts a label that means nothing to anyone and can be compared with nothing, yet get a load of publicity.... again. Newsnight covered this a while ago! http://junkk.blogspot.com/2007/09/black-stuff.html And this on the day the IPCC report features second after an ongoing historical murder investigation. Shame the Spice Girls and Comic Relief got in on the act to distract from mankind's cat-astrophe, too. Or is that why we also got Sgt. Podge, the 4x4 hitching moggy? Is everything now totally driven by PR luvvies and their speed dial chums who only look at ratings before jumping?
No wonder no one is taking much seriously!
2 comments:
Interesting little snippet hidden away in the bottom of the piece in the Times........ "Government funding for recycling, energy saving, carbon emissions and nature protection is to be slashed by £300 million in emergency cuts, according to reports last night. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs needs to make the savings after unexpected spending on tackling the foot-and-mouth outbreak."
Robbing Peter to pay Paul?
I always wondered how the two expressions 'rats leaving the sinking ship' and 'looking like a drowned rat' arose, as they seem rather exclusive, mutually. Perhaps not:) Maybe it's a good metaphor. They know what's up, bail out and leaev us all to it, but cop it anyway. Sweet. (except the 'us copping it' bit):(
Anyway, at least all the livestock washed away in the great floods caused by MM/MWCC and worsened by qungo #576 - the Environment Agency's - equally ept handling of things will be free of foot and mouth and blue-tounge; a real issue to the starving hordes fighting over their bloated carcasses, I'm sure.
Speaking of which (bloated carcases), how is Mr. Brown and the BBC glee club doing? Found more to ban that has 0.0000001% impact yet?
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