Friday, October 27, 2006
Media Intrusion
Found something to rant about (and with good reason):
Family Tragedy in Corfu
I was watching this on BBC News 24 this morning on the 6am bulletin (yes - another early start) and noticed how this family tragedy is being turned into a media circus. The BBC alone have reporters at the Corfu hotel where the incident occurred, the hospital where the parents still lie comatose, the coroners where the dead children await their post-mortem and in West Yorkshire where a TV crew and reporter are able to tell us the effect all this is having on the extended family.
This is an average family who have suddenly been thrust into the media spotlight for the whole of Britain because of their children dying and their parents fighting for their lives. Is it not too much to ask that we remove these smarmy and pretentious reporters and let the family grieve in peace. The last thing anyone wants is for their loss to be broadcast to the four corners of the nation, particularly when the parents themselves don't even know heir children are dead. It serves no purpose.
I can understand a need for it to be reported. Something awful like this can't be kept from the media, but do we really need to swamp these people with cameras and microphones everywhere they turn?
Leave them alone. They'll talk to you when they're ready. If the British media showed some respect and empathy every now and then they might find they are treated with less disdain than they are currently.
Looked out of the day job office window just before 7am and saw a glorious red sky filtering through the darkened windows. Shepherd's warning apparently, but surely it won't be as bad as yesterday's weather. We had torrential rain for the first half of the day and from then on gail force winds battered the country. The north of Scotland was declared a state of emergency after severe flooding.
Read a Rankin short story from one of his collections. Took the edge off work over lunch seeing as I never made it to Clark's.
Reworked On A Monday Morning, totally turning it on its head. Came as a good idea not only to continue editing practice but also as a fresh story not touched for a while, but it also provided a good way to let go of NaNo for a few of hours.
Family Tragedy in Corfu
I was watching this on BBC News 24 this morning on the 6am bulletin (yes - another early start) and noticed how this family tragedy is being turned into a media circus. The BBC alone have reporters at the Corfu hotel where the incident occurred, the hospital where the parents still lie comatose, the coroners where the dead children await their post-mortem and in West Yorkshire where a TV crew and reporter are able to tell us the effect all this is having on the extended family.
This is an average family who have suddenly been thrust into the media spotlight for the whole of Britain because of their children dying and their parents fighting for their lives. Is it not too much to ask that we remove these smarmy and pretentious reporters and let the family grieve in peace. The last thing anyone wants is for their loss to be broadcast to the four corners of the nation, particularly when the parents themselves don't even know heir children are dead. It serves no purpose.
I can understand a need for it to be reported. Something awful like this can't be kept from the media, but do we really need to swamp these people with cameras and microphones everywhere they turn?
Leave them alone. They'll talk to you when they're ready. If the British media showed some respect and empathy every now and then they might find they are treated with less disdain than they are currently.
Looked out of the day job office window just before 7am and saw a glorious red sky filtering through the darkened windows. Shepherd's warning apparently, but surely it won't be as bad as yesterday's weather. We had torrential rain for the first half of the day and from then on gail force winds battered the country. The north of Scotland was declared a state of emergency after severe flooding.
Read a Rankin short story from one of his collections. Took the edge off work over lunch seeing as I never made it to Clark's.
Reworked On A Monday Morning, totally turning it on its head. Came as a good idea not only to continue editing practice but also as a fresh story not touched for a while, but it also provided a good way to let go of NaNo for a few of hours.
Colin 10:47 pm