Someone Gets Their Point Of View In Print
I posted yesterday about BBC News using comments from the Points of View messageboard in an article. Well this evening The London Evening Standard picked up the story and used one of the same quotes in an article on page 3.
BBC brought to heel over 'sexist' show
The BBC has apologised over the programme Bring Your Husband To Heel after complaints it was sexist towards men. The BBC 2 show featured dog trainer Annie Clayton teaching women how to modify their husbands' behaviour
The BBC said it was "sorry if any upset has been caused" after the complaints. One viewer said it was "sexist, degrading drivel"
So the route from POV to print can be done in a couple of days - provided you write something damning and pithy - and there is no shortage of that on the board.
I'm pleased to see the content getting a second lease of life in this way and being more widely reported. Although it can be a difficult community at times - after all most people sign-up because they are annoyed with the BBC about something - I think it is a really valuable resource in allowing us at the BBC to engage directly in a conversation with our audience in public. No other facility at the BBC allows us to do that.
It was recently announced on the board that contributions may be used in the television show when it returns on September 4th. For years, although sharing the same brand name, the message board and the television programme have been produced by different teams. Now I'm hopeful there will be more of a cross-reference, and posters may get to see their contributions read out on air. I'm not sure that the accents they use on the show will be the same as the ones I hear in my heard for certain regular posters though!
I like this, made by a host in reference to the T&Cs: "Our h2g2 site (www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2) wanted to launch their content on a mobile platform (i.e. so that people could read some h2g2 directly from their mobile phone!) The original idea was only to have the content on bbc.co.uk and no-one could have foreseen that the content would also be available on mobiles one day!"
Hmm, try telling that to Douglas Adams...
Why is it that whenever any programme wishes to add an atmosphere of drama and suspense loud drumming noise accompanies the shots which so many people find utterly futile and annoying because it diminishes the impact and reveals the paucity of other dramatic effects.