Alan Johnston is Free

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6 thoughts on “Alan Johnston is Free

  1. Alan JohnsTon.

    Alan Johnson is the new English health secretary. Whether he is free or not is a matter for debate, lol.

  2. Well, it’s something to be reasonably pleased about. However I really do have major reservations about the huge hype emanating from the BBC. I’m sorry, but I do not think that the BBC itself has come out of this with much dignity.

    As an employer it has used every means at its disposal to ensure its employee’s safe return, and that is exactly as it should be, but I do not regard this happy event as a cause for national rejoicing.

    The fact that the BBC has chosen to make this its lead story, despite there being many other far more important stories, is bad (if unsurprising) judgement. This approach has been a clear demonstration of the BBC’s priorities. The question is, are they the same as those of everyone else? Does the BBC provide a reflection of national opinion or does it seek to shape national opinion?

  3. Left Field – Ta, just not at my best in the morning.

    Chuck – I don’t see that the Beeb are making any more of this than, say, ITN did the death of Terry Lloyd – although the tone is naturally very different.

    I’m inclined to see this less as the Beeb making statements and more a reflection of journalistic solidarity, which will be reflected right across the news media today.

  4. Unity, I certainly take your point about journalistic solidarity. However I think you might agree that the BBC is not quite the same – in terms of function or funding – as ITN.

    What I find unfortunate is the disproportionate coverage of journalists by journalists. That strikes me as being slightly incestuous, certainly it is introspective. It’s beginning to look as if there’s a general degradation of quality and breadth of vision – a sort of Big Brother does The News approach. That’s not good enough. We should expect more than that.

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