- Tim Bailey
- 1 Sep 06, 04:05 PM
The case of the Stornaway schoolgirl Molly Campbell highlighted discussion about "arranged marriages" and "forced marriages". There are very important differences between the two; they are not alternatives.
Arranged marriages have a long and successful history in this country and elsewhere. I am sure I read figures that suggested the divorce rate among couples whose marriage had been arranged by a third party (usually their families) was lower than those of couples who fended for themselves, so to speak.
Forced marriages are completely different. By their very nature they involve compulsion of at least one - if not both - of the people involved as well physical threats and intimidation. They could well be the subject of serious criminal charges, such as rape.
It is no minor matter to confuse the two.
Tim Bailey is editor of the Radio 4 Six O'Clock News
- Kevin Bakhurst
- 1 Sep 06, 03:58 PM
The with her father to go to Pakistan has raised a number of difficult issues about the way we have covered it - and led to a number of discussions at our editorial meetings.
Initially, the story seemed pretty clear: a schoolgirl abducted by her father in defiance of a court order. Her emotional mother and grandmother - and the police - asking for her return and some of her family raising the fear of an arranged marriage. This latter line was picked up heavily by many parts of the media. It became apparent the next day that the story was quite different and more complicated than that.
I think we now feel that we probably didn't show enough sophistication in covering the story on the first day. We accepted on face value the words of Molly's mother and her grandmother. However, I don't think in hindsight that we should necessarily have accepted this so readily and we should have tried to find out more about the father and the family as the day went on. I also think that is particularly the case in that some of the suggestions reinforced some stereotypes.
As more facts came out over the next couple of days, we have strived to be as fair and accurate as we can in reflecting all sides. We carried the press conference by Molly and her father - indicating that it was Molly's wish to go to Pakistan. We have interviewed friends of the father before that to put his point of view. Hopefully we have now given the best all-round picture we can of a complicated and sad story.
One other point that has arisen is the personal nature of some of the comments made at the press conference today by Molly's brother about members of his family. As the story was unfolding, we carried this press conference live on News 24. As sometimes happens, live events can turn up unexpected and unfortunate comments. His words underlined how difficult it is for us to tread the line of reporting stories of wide public interest when they could trespass on private family emotions. It is something we try to avoid as far as is possible - and we won't be repeating the personal comments or re-running those parts of the press conference on News 24.
Kevin Bakhurst is controller of 大象传媒 News
- Adrian Brown
- 1 Sep 06, 02:21 PM
Putting Israel on trial for war crimes is not something one does lightly. But that's what The World Tonight decided to do last week. Not Israel alone, mind you. Hezbollah was in the dock too - both of them for allegedly committing war crimes during the recent Lebanon conflict. And I should clarify, we were simply hosting the trial.
This was not the 大象传媒 putting either side on trial. We left that to Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch whose organisation had recently released a detailed report accusing both sides of committing war crimes. Defending Israel was Daniel Reisner, a former legal advisor to the Israeli army. International Law Professor John Quigley took the Hezbollah brief. Friday's presenter Paul Moss was judge. Our listeners were the jury. (You can hear the debate here.)
To keep order in court we allowed Roth two minutes to make the case against each defendant who then had two minutes each to offer a defence against the "charges". Roth then cross-examined both defendants.
To end we gave each of the participants a final say. It was a fascinating contest which thanks to Ken Roth's surgical cross examination really cut to the core issues of what is, and is not, legally permissible in times of war.
A stunt or useful contribution to the 大象传媒's coverage of the conflict? Judging by the torrent of e-mails we received, I'd say this was a resounding success. Here's a typical response:
"Thank-you for the concise and objective debate to-night on the war in Lebanon. It was refreshing to see both points argued sensibly and logically. In my opinion, both sides are guilty of war crimes."
Using the device of the court hearing opened up the debate in ways that a straightforward interview wouldn't. Thanks also to the time constraints imposed there was real drama as Roth's prosecution demolished in large parts both defendants' cases.
And the verdict? The jury is still out as the e-mails continue to come in, though there are currently marginally more who think Israel is guilty than Hezbollah. Our listeners' final verdict will be announced on tonight's programme.
Adrian Brown is deputy editor of the World Tonight
A guide to names and words in the news from Martha Figueroa-Clark of the 大象传媒 Pronunciation Unit.
"Today's pronunciation is Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora (variously spelt). Our recommendation is based on the advice of the 大象传媒 Arabic Service: foo-AD uh-suhn-YOO-ruh (-oo as in boot; -uh as in the). The L in the article 'al' turns into an S before the first letter of the surname which is a so-called sun letter."
- Peter Barron
- 1 Sep 06, 12:15 PM
Which item on Newsnight over the past week has generated the most press enquiries?
Was it Susan Watts' ? Many anxious viewers suffering from MS and other incurable conditions contacted us after that one, but there were just a couple of press calls. Was it our series on the , which this week featured the revolution in education in Qatar, where the female teachers wear the full veil? No, although you can read about the series in this week's and next Monday in the .
What really got the press going this week was last Friday's encounter between Emily Maitlis and the Health Minister Caroline Flint. The interview was about the parlous state of the NHS's computer systems involving the troubled company iSoft.
It was a good story, but it wasn't that which interested the press pack. Ms Flint was doing her interview down the line from a camera in the 大象传媒 Sheffield newsroom. As she spoke a woman wove casually past in the background, as people often do in newsroom shots. She was carrying a full tray of teas. Not unusual. Balanced on her head. (Watch it here.)
The press office phones went mad. Who was the mysterious woman with the deft tea-tray skills? I rang our colleagues at Radio Sheffield who told me she's the lady who tidies up the office in the evenings. She's been getting the teas in like this for years. No-one there bats an eyelid.
"Did I want a word?" You bet. So, for all those inquisitive hacks out there I can reveal that our head-carrying heroine is Nana Amoatin, originally from Ghana. "It's not that difficult", says Nana, "anyone could do it".
Peter Barron is editor of Newsnight
Daily Mirror: C大象传媒 programme Lazy Town credited with persuading children to eat healthily. ()
Daily Telegraph: 大象传媒 and Five might be priced out of showing Ashes highlights by Sky. ()
The Guardian: Another diary item on the 'Newsnight tray carrier'. ()
