THERE is always an orderly queue of people waiting to kick our beloved public service broadcaster – the BBC.
Controversy is again courting the Corporation, with critics rounding on matters as diverse as the return to the airwaves of Jonathan Ross to the decision not to show the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal on behalf of Gaza.
Two very different issues that have polarised public opinion and provided further examples of one of the world’s most respected news organisations making the news.
It’s happened before, of course.
Each time it does, more and more of us start to pay more attention to the daily diet of news purveyed by the BBC.
It came to my mind on Monday morning when the early bulletins painted a very bleak picture of Liverpool as a city ill-prepared to ride out the worst of the economic downturn.
The doom and gloom arose from a report by an organisation called Centre for Cities – www.centreforcities.org.uk
It identified Liverpool, together with Hull and Belfast, as being on “red” alert for the impacts of the recession.
It cited a range of official economic data sources, such as claimant levels for Job Seeker’s Allowance and existing deprivation levels across local authorities.
There is no doubt that some of this research does present a pretty depressing picture.
But I wonder if the report’s authors, or any of the other self-styled Think Tanks who peddle similar material, ever consider how much of their work – especially their work to engage the media – becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy? As an attempt to gain publicity and profile for Centre for Cities, it has done its job.
Beyond that?
Well, who knows?
The BBC’s coverage with a graphic reading “Liverpool – Worst Social Deprivation” appearing in the wake of a Mersey Ferry, may be seen to take the shine off some of the more positive footage beamed from these parts recently.
A browse across their rival channels and websites confirmed that the BBC’s Armageddon approach to the story was being shared by other news organisations.
I’m not for a minute advocating any sort of censorship or heavyweight news management . But a little more consideration of the real value of some of these stories would not go amiss.
When you have a bad headache, it’s often a good idea to stop banging your head against the wall.
For Liverpool, Hull and Belfast, the least painful way through this phase of the economic cycle will be found by identifying the very local challenges and the very local solutions that can bolster this region’s economy. Promises of a Whitehall-prepared one-cure fix-all should be treated with caution.
MATT JOHNSON is chairman of Mando Group.
