I heard last night that Michael Jackson had died.
And by this morning it was old news - certainly in the absence of any further meaningful developments.
But that hasn’t stopped BBC and Sky News showing blanket coverage of the event all day so far.
Now, I’m not sure if it was the constant on-screen reference to Michael Jackson’s death as ‘Breaking News’ a whole day after it happened. Or if it was the fact they interviewed a pair of dancers who were runners up in Britain’s Got Talent 2008, or the cast of 'Thriller' the musical, or the Commodores (currently touring the UK). Or perhaps it was the rolling tributes from the likes of Gordon Brown and Corey Feldman along the bottom of the screen. Or the fact you’d be forgiven for not knowing more important things were happening all around the world.
Or perhaps it was a combination of all of the above - and more - that meant the rolling news coverage of Michael Jackson’s death will serve as a permanent reminder in years to come that this era laid the foundations for an end to quality journalism and news reporting in the UK.
Such is the need to fill space on rolling news channels such as BBC News 24, and so debilitating the disinclination, or inability to find worthwhile content, that Jackson’s death enabled editors to switch off their brains for 24 hours and let anybody onto the television providing they met the strict criteria of having heard at least one Michael Jackson song.
Editorial integrity? What’s that you say? Quality programming? Not on our watch.
I assume while I was out getting a sandwich Friday lunchtime I missed my Mum and Dad talking about the time they bought me Bad for my birthday. But I'll catch up on iPlayer.
Other media outlets have also been guilty of letting the lazy inclination to fill space with any old Jackson-related toot undermine their reputations.
That need to fill space with the minimum of effort or qualification has also given rise to some wonderfully trite and entirely meaningless comment, from: “Michael Jackson’s death has been described by many as life-changing” to “Michael Jackson's greatest fear was that one day he would wake up and he'd be dead...”
Move along now people, there's nothing to see here.
Friday, 26 June 2009
Day 2: Michael Jackson "still dead" the BBC can reveal
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6 comments:
Hear hear.
Watching Alistair Yates fumbling through trying to ask new questions last night was both impressive and sad.
"Now we return live to Peter Bowes. Peter, what more can you tell us - have there been any developments?"
"Well, he's still dead..."
Not sure this signifies end of quality journalism. I'm sure if there were a story, there are journalists out there who'd find it and deliver it - accurately and with valuable, intelligent insight.
I think this is more an indicator that mainstream news channels have lost touch with value and, even, integrity. Instead, pandering to dumb, one-track audiences. Hence why viewers who want more are frustrated by this rubbish.
It is a big(ish) story - and not just in this day and age of celebrity - but the misuse of the 'breaking news' tag is annoying and the presentation of the whole thing makes me want to label it as trivial.
So, more a problem with the reporting of the news than an inherent problem with journalism. Perhaps.
It must come as a lovely holiday for broadcast and print editors the world over.
Really there's no change there though, just cast your mind back to when the last pope popped it, a certain People's Princess passed on or thousands of civilians were trapped and died in the last Tamil strong hold. Oh no wait, that last one wasn't a celebrity. My bad
You're absolutely right Howard, quality journalists may never go away but if the major media outlets realise they can get away with producing hours and hours of this kind of paint by numbers / open mic news programming then there may no longer be a platform from which those journalists can broadcast and publish.
After all, their run rate of quality content would be too slow and costly, compared to a live phone chat with Craig David talking about his favourite Michael Jackson album, as those quality journos would want to waste time checking sources and investigating their stories.
"The rolling news coverage of Michael Jackson’s death will serve as a permanent reminder in years to come that this era laid the foundations for an end to quality journalism and news reporting in the UK."
Let's not forget the Big Brother racism row, 'Sachsgate' and Jade Goody's death. These are all sign posts on the same downward-sloping road.
The lack of quality journalists is largely caused by the fact they cost money.
The cost-squeeze at the Beeb combined with the rapid decline of spending on offline advertising means that the news organisations are trying to fill all that space at minimum cost. Witness BBC News channel last night rebroadcasting TMZ.com home page in the absence of anything else useful or relevant.
Sigh!
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