大象传媒

The 大象传媒 policy is correct.

Many want to speak of and talk-up "confidence".

That is manipulation and propaganda.

Practically, people who are used to such manipulation assume the worst and act contrary to such assurances.

Northern Rock are withholding SVR reduction. This impacts most on mortgage customers stuck with them for various reasons. They are actively seeking new business with market leading rates for residential and buy to let products. This must be being funded in part by customers stuck on SVR, in addition they will not let any existing customers have a new deal with them - a double whammy and surely unfair business practice! It would be bad enough if a private bank did this but i think it is worse when done with the support of our taxpayers money!!

Whilst the "policy" may be correct I just wish the 大象传媒 would follow it to the letter particularly in terms of accuracy with regard to "news". The biggest criticism of any media outlet comes form "managing comment" as if it is "news".

One example, currently in the news, featured on Five Live's News today being the account of Mark Saunders death in Chelsea in May. It was stated in the bulletin that "he had shot at police and neighbours" and yet I recall the live bulletins at the time clearly stating that Mr Saunders was "shooting aimlessly but had not endangered anyone" and that the police were "very hopeful" of an "early solution without casualty".

Obviously, in this case, either Five LIve's earlier "live" broadcast was at odds with the truth, or the later news bulletin was. There were several examples of such errors in the bulletins relating to Georgia and the Russian "invasion".

In the case of the current financial situation we have all sorts of errors and omissions along with the facts. The 大象传媒, in my opinion, failed to deliver information about the sub-prime crisis in the USA in 2004/5 when it was front page news in the areas affected. The fact that it was largely "hidden" from our ears may be "arguably excused" by those who bleat about "damaging confidence", but in essence would our current crisis be as bad had the world sat up and taken notice?

The money markets are not driven by confidence in the manner of the average Jo in the street. Any gambler has more "confidence" when they are making loads of money as compared to when they are down to their last penny.

We are told that those who "play the markets" as professionals deserve their huge bonuses, but is that fair? If they have real expertise then mistakes would rarely happen and losses would be minimal, but even they have failed in the light of ALL the evidence to pick up on what is happening now. So what makes them so special that they need fantastic incomes?

Our "love of money" is the real killer behind this deep and painful crisis for humanity. When we judge everything and everybody on what they are worth in cash then we really do not deserve to continue as a species and our demise will be welcomed by the rest of our natural world. And, in a very profound way, programmes that encourage this "love" are dangerous unless there is some moral argument push forward of the alternatives of our present systems. Up until Thatcher there did seem to be a clear political divide, but now that could not be further from the truth. That is really the point at which we lost ourselves to the few who would want control of us all. That is really the point at which we were corralled into the pen and told "there is no alternative". Money only brings a kind of freedom when you have so much it seems it'll never run down, but for 99.999% of us we will never touch that freedom. And now we do not even have an alternative life style on offer.

So when the 大象传媒 reports news it should be accurate. But when it comments on news it should at least try to view as many sides of the same coin as it can. In my opinion the 大象传媒 shows pitifully little diversity in doing this.

I'm afraid I'm unconvinced by what you say, Mr Hillman.
You say that the view has been expressed in 'a number of e-mails' that some of Robert Peston's contributions to the 大象传媒 have been 'irresponsible, scaremongering and ... inflaming the situation'.
This is my view too. I am increasingly turning to sources of information and comment other than the 大象传媒 in consequence.
It would be interesting to know the precise percentage of the e-mails received falling into the category you describe but I suspect you will choose not to reveal this information on the 大象传媒 website.
I am increasingly unhappy about being compelled as a licence- and taxpayer to contribute financially towards Mr Peston's present reporting and other activities.
The 大象传媒 has an obvious (and indeed, if my understanding is correct, statutory) duty in spending the licence- and taxpayer's money on which it primarily relies for funding to to ensure that no member of staff is allowed to behave irresponsibly, or scaremonger, or inflame any situation.
The necessity is clearly all the greater in the case of grave economic and financial circumstances affecting major public or private institutions. It is overwhelming when it comes to issues of national finance.
The very fact that the behaviour of the 大象传媒, and of a particular member of its staff is being questioned in the way you describe by a number of listeners, viewers and website users suggests this need is not being adequately met.
It is not enough just to dismiss criticism on the grounds that you do not agree with it. It is clearly not for you to act as judge in your own cause.
In my view policy needs to be further reviewed to ensure that you take due account of all reactions received, not just those that support you own judgement of the way in which you and your colleagues fulfil their duties.

no your reporting has been just that reporting and i for one am gratefull for it.
i may see the damage done from people reacting to the reports but having it there in black and white helps put it into view.
if the reporting stops then i can only assume a government order to try and shut up the news in to only reporting what they want is in affect.

Chill out, Mr Hillman - We all need reminding occasionally that the tradition of 'shooting the messenger' bringing the bad news, or deriding the boy pointing out the Emperor's 'birthday suit' is alive and well...

Or as that latter-day philosopher Madonna Ciccione might have put it - "The biggest dare is to tell the truth.."

While Robert Peston and the 大象传媒 generally do of courwse have a duty to report the news and not hide it for political, military or social reasons, you also have a duty not to make the news.

You have been driven just like all the rest of the media to seek scoops and controversial stories in recent years, and have at time led the news agenda not reported it.

While recent reporting has been more restainined and cool-headed, Mr Peston was positively gleeful in his reporting of the Northern Rock Crisis and the 大象传媒 stressed repeatedly the "scoop" nature of the reports. They played up the risk and contributed to frightening depositors into queueing for their money when there was no objective reason for them to do so.

It's not just in the financial rporting that the competitive news agenda is driving you to more lurid reporting - take the case of the young women murdered in Iswich a couple of years ago, where many people had to complain that the 大象传媒 crepeatedly stressed that the victims were prostitutes rather than reflecting the tragedy of their murders. See

/blogs/theeditors/2006/12/emotive_words.html

A bit of more critical self-analysis is needed here, not just trotting out the line that "we're the 大象传媒, were the best and the most moral news origanisation in the world". Generally you are among the best of a bad bunch, but your complaceny over this is very worrying.

Come on Jeremy, you've enough experience surely to know that there is never "one conclusion"

I don鈥檛 normally shout on the web or any where else but please STOP STOP STOP

We are criticising every one else for the current problems any one but ourselves when you point a finger just look at how many on your own hand are pointing back but who should be criticising who is right who is wrong we are all working within our inbred understanding of how society, social economics work.

But we all vote we all have a voice and we all sit back inactive to trouble and get on wih making our bit out of the pile until it goes wrong problem is it goes wrong all the time we have been wrong since the 1400's antiquated concepts of the worlds shape, inherited feudal techniques for law and order, adversarial country management and autocratic community management have all so imbedded themselves into the way we run and organise society community and even markets in fact it invades everything look at the sheer amount of conflict in religion in courts in schools in government.

Problem is we need a total re think now we know the size shape and resources of the world and have a reasonable understanding of how nature controls its finite resources we need to re-establish the way mankind inhabits it. In short if we are not to go the way of the dinosaur and become the fossil interest of some future life form we have to create a way of inhabiting this world by cooperation with it and with each other.

Every type of conflict system is circular boom - bust, morality - immorality, law 鈥� anarchy. Remember gangs of kids fighting with the knives in the street are what Shakespeare wrote about in R& J. We have to do things differently than it was done historically if we want things to be different otherwise any change is temporary.

Every recovery leads to the next collapse unless we change radically.

We have to redefine these little words value price worth and wealth and we have to cooperate in doing it or many, not all, will once again be doomed. Please don鈥檛 think you鈥檒l be the lucky family remember rag to riches and back again in three generations is part of this cycle so please stop calling each other and trying to blame each other and lets cooperate in creating a solution
for all mankind.

Can it be done - yes?
Will it be done - up to you.
Difficult 鈥搚es
Optional 鈥� you tell me but I think not.

It is not the comments that get to me but the manner in which Preston presents them.
Am I alone in finding him to stutter, loose the thread and stare at the side screen in a demented fashion. In the end I fail to understand what the hell he is talking about in a frantic wish that he would finish. In the last few days I have found the answer, ITV or the Mute button on the remote, a very satisfactory feeling.

Curious that you opted not to mention that MPs are now calling for a formal investigation into the identity of Peston's source nor that an official report named his reports on Norther Rock as one of the problems they had to contend with.

I have taken an interest in most of the 大象传媒 blogs and of course listened and watched various reporters including Peston and I would say THANK GOODNESS that we have a press and a quality broadcaster (大象传媒) with good reporters.

Peston tells it has it is and whilst other reporters pander to the Government's recorded message, "We Will Do Whatever"
and the claim that it has "Nothing to do with us" The 大象传媒, Peston in paricular at least offer a good reasoned argument and dont take the propaganda on face value.

Keep up the good work for the sanity of the decent British people.

If there is one lesson that really did come out of the 30s it must be that removing political and press freedoms as a response to tough economic times is not the answer.

If the censorship lobby get their way, will the last person to leave the UK please remember to turn the lights out - as electricity is getting expensive.

Keep up the good work Robert.

If the 大象传媒 has one primary responsibility, which is to its audience, then why did Robert Peston leak information which has lead to it being saddled with up to 拢500 billion in debt? His desire for journalistic scoops could impoverish us for decades.

One week you're criticised for not publishing information and you are called "an arm of the government" and Stalinist.

The next you publish and people say you "are the cause of the crisis".

It seems, sir, that you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.

It is not so much the accuracy of the Peston blog - which is reasonable, given the febrile and constantly shifting nature of the issues - but the language.

Words like 'meltdown' and 'armageddon' are over-used hype. It is bad enough that gazillions of our money is being thrown around by a bunch of overgrown schoolboys in the City, who seem incapable of rational analysis of the economic situation. We do not need hysterical, misleading headlines about the situation. Other correspondents manage to present their subject without the use of hyperbole. Mr Peston should be able to do the same.

It seems that business correspondents see this as their once-in-a-lifetime chance for broadcasting immortality. Reign yourself in, report the facts, and present a balanced and nuanced analysis. If you don't know something (i.e. you'd be guessing if you commented) then just say so. There's no shame in it.

Oh, and we don't need endless photos of traders to accompany the story, either. We already know what a witless, braying idiot shouting down a phone looks like.

Having created the monster of 'rolling news' the consequences must be endured.

Repeating the same bad news 24/7 promotes hysteria in the reporter and the listener.

And to say I can always turn off is really not in your remit.

Otherwise, what's the point of 大象传媒 News?

I don't have a problem with Robert Peston's recent reporting of the bursting bubble.

But I wish he would have been just as active during the bubble building period.

Whatever the role of journalists under any circumstances, analysts are starting to say we have talked ourselves into this recession. I'm afraid Mr.Peston has to take his share of the blame for what has happened, but he's an intelligent man; I'm sure this has already occurred to him.

When all this has calmed down, there does need to be some form of reckoning. That should cover the banks but it should also cover members of the media who have not made anyone's job any easier. If the 大象传媒 has contributed to sentiment in this country and the world, it needs to take its share of the blame, and carry out the kind of soul searching and structural change that followed the sexed up dossier scandal.

The people criticizing Mr Peston for "scare mongering" really don't understand the gravity of the situation. It really is very grave and certainly our lives and world will change forever.

Robert Peston has shown himself to be probably the best informed mainstream journalist throughout this crisis. Many people don't want to just know the news, they want to have informed comment as to what might be upcoming. Mr Peston provides excellent analysis of where it might be heading.

If there is any criticism it should be directed at the 大象传媒 and other news media who reported our booming housing market and other symptoms of the debt binge as "good news". Falling house prices or rising interest rates were labelled "bad news" even though they gave savers more interest and cheered those hoping to get on the housing ladder.

The 大象传媒 and other broadcasters jumped on the house price boom making countless derivative TV shows where people made lots of money from property. There was a big bubble and the 大象传媒 played its part in encouraging the gullible to join the party when it should have been cautioning against it.

I was one of many who saw this coming - I refused to buy a house, and piled into gold as I could see the entire system was likely to collapse when the bubble imploded. Its a shame the 大象传媒 hyped the bubble rather than trying to report the risks these people faced by piling on debt to blow it on property. Many people will pay dearly.

Robert Peston appears to be more interested in creating headlines for himself by scaremongering, rather than in clear and concise reporting. He expresses opinions as if they are facts, and for the ordinary viewer gives the impression that we are undoubtedly financially doomed. A more measured reporting of the situation, which gives an alternative to the doomsday scenario he is propounding, (such as Alan Sugar's purchase of a 4% holding in Woolworths which one would assume means that he thinks there is a future), would be appropriate. Confidence is key - Alan Sugar undoubtedly has it - and a little more from Robert Peston would be appreciated.

"Fear grips global smarkets" and "volatile trading on fears that the financial crisis will tip the global economy into a recession."


So Who is or what is causing these Fears ? Who is making these speculations ?

i also believe that irresponsible reporting and scaremongering must be stopped now !

There is far too much SCAREMONGERING in the media which only serve to compound the further problems.............!

I am firmly on the side of Robert Peston.

Are we not entitled to some truth ?
The fruits of modern technology have been applied to banking and finance. That has changed some boundaries - for good and bad.
But it is only fair that private citizens have speedy information too - along with some handle on the truth rather than the patronising claptrap spat out by arrogant bankers and politicians ?

Here we are, footing the bill for both of those classes, and we're not meant to know the facts and true motivations of the moving parts.

I saw and heard RP on Tuesday morning. His statements were correct.
Some clownish stockbrokers appeared later and said he'd influenced the market when they had placed their own convenient gloss on events and had failed to listen to what he had said. No wonder the financial system is a bloody mess cluttered with near corpses grasping for my cash.

The politicians had dithered without understanding how they were sapping confidence. RP saved the day.
Everyone in the City knew NRock was the obvious victim of its own policies long before it fell.
Thank God some of the messages got through then. Otherwise UK politicians would have been even further behind in their understanding of a mess heavily of their own making.

The approach to our obviously serious bank problems, may connect to the financial drain of our cash and assets as they leave our country by differing means ever faster as the years ago by.

The latest being the sale of our Yorkshire coal mines to the Russians, and this is the cleanest, hottest, highest valued coal in the world.

The countries that have recovered from bankruptcy have used very similar tactics, they have produced every possible item they could themselves, bought as little as possible from other countries, and in addition they have prevented cash and valuables from leaving their countries.

Our treatment seems to be very much like the doctors who treat the symptoms but never the real problem.

Jeremy,

Robert Peston has single-handedly been responsible for me, for the first time in my life, favouring ITV's news coverage over the 大象传媒's.

I see from this blog that I'm not the only one.

Are you folks discussing those subprime military industrial services? It surly looks like you do.

In a strange way though.

Well, I'm interested in this embargo thingy; do we have an embargo on 9/11 facts?

There wouldn鈥檛 be economic 9/11 without 9/11 as there wouldn鈥檛 be a 911 without economic 911.

You pumpkins should take that primary responsibility a bit more seriously, yes?

11: "Curious that you opted not to mention that MPs are now calling for a formal investigation into the identity of Peston's source nor that an official report named his reports on Norther Rock as one of the problems they had to contend with."

Thats not fair. Binging on the international money markets was the problem that Northern Rock had to deal with. Can a criminal blame the witness that he's in prison?

I think Preston is great. His blog has filled something of a vacuum left when Evan Davis' blog stopped.

I do, however agree that the 大象传媒 has jumped on the band wagon (like everyone else) on both the up and the down. Sensational commentary is part of Preston's style but I'm beginning to think that a more balanced and impartial view would be desirable.


If I've got one request of the 大象传媒 following the onset of the credit crunch, is that we have a Panorama or something that looks at monetary policy, because I have an A level in Economics and I didn't know what Fractional Reserve Banking was in much detail before last week.

I think its about time that people were given an informed critique about how the financial system operates. Educated viewers are interested viewers after all, and the 大象传媒 does have *some* responsibility to educate us with the amount we pay in licence (tax) to it.

it might help to End financial crisis if media stop the over-reporting.

The MEDIA creates the panic ! If the media stops terrorizing the public, maybe The markets will find a stability again the average consumer may continue with his normal life without fear.

But Unfortunately doom mongering everywhere...

bawheid (and others) - Why are you switching to ITV? Do you actually not want to know the truth? Would you not know major banks (including, maybe, your bank) are meeting with the Treasury to ask for help? How does keeping yourself in the dark help?

As you all know, while we were busy watching the 'Paulson's (bailout) plan' US Congress quietly passed a landmark $615 billion defense spending bill.

It must have been on ITV, or was it on 大象传媒?

The 大象传媒 is biased in favour of a Labour Government:
"The 大象传媒 is not impartial or neutral. It's a publicly funded, urban organisation with an abnormally large number of young people, ethnic minorities and gay people. It has a liberal bias not so much a party-political bias. It is better expressed as a cultural liberal bias", Andrew Marr, the Daily Mail, Oct 21st, 2006.

Well, DontCallMeDarling has it about right; if you can afford to stay out of the housing market then gold is probably a good investment - especially if you are lucky enough to buy at the bottom of the market. But most of us would like somewhere to call home and the myth that house prices would rise forever was very tempting. After all, no-one in their right mind would lend more than the property is worth unless it was guaranteed to increase. And no-one in their right mind would borrow more either...
So the bubble grows and no-one dare say stop.
And even if I put thousands of pounds into a property that's not worth what I paid for it, at least I still have SOME residual value, better than paying rent?
At least the estate agents got rich and, so long as they didn't believe their own spin and invest in property, they should keep some of the proceeds of our gullibility.

Some countries have more, some less, America has some 30 percent of population addicted to war, they depend on it and it is really bad addiction.

Perhaps we could just turn the war into peace, so those who envisioned new ways to kill people, can work on improving people lives.

Needless to say, we will not get there if you folks will talk about housing.

Eisenhower actually called it military-industrial-congressional complex, that's how it was.

..The financial health of our banks do not fall into that category..

so you would happily publish something that caused an unnecessary run on a bank trashing peoples savings and jobs?
only someone with the security of a licence fee mindset thinks like that? People can be financial casualties just as if a bomb had dropped on their house?

apparently rumours can bring down banks shares and cause runs but not if the bbc do it? How arrogant and marie antionette is that? its the same attitude that did announce the dawn raid on goose green the night before.

to say finance does not fall into that is to deliberately ignore and in the face of the facts that are reported about how markets move?

Pestons problem is the overblown end of the world language. The drama queen style that adds nothing to the facts. Makes the copy unreadable. With stronger editorial control to remove such self indulgence we all might get along? No one with knowledge in the markets can impressed/fooled with such language which means the aim is to fool and scare the ignorant ie the public? some public service.
The socialist workers have already tried to storm the Royal exchange.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Jeremy, "Our decision to run a story is based on simple criteria. Is it accurate and would it be of significant interest and relevance to our audience?" "Me doth think you protest too much" If that is to be a true statement then the 大象传媒 should be currently sinking a lot of time and effort investigating the real cause of the current crisis - Fractional Reserve Banking. This is a system whereby the quantity of money in the world expands at an exponential rate. That is the mathematical model behind our current monetary system. If you don't believe that money, debt, population, energy consumption, raw materials consumption, production of waste, production of pollution destruction of the biosphere can expand exponentially and indefinitely then you should be investigating and reporting on the mathematical model behind that very system which we are trying to operate. Is it accurate? Here's the instruction manual published by the Federal Reserve for the operation of a Fractional Reserve Banking System. IN it it describes how to go about facilitating the exponential expansion of fiat money. [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator] Is it of significant interest? If the entier world financial system is based on this model and the model is fundamentally flawed then, yes, I'd say that it was of interest to every person on the planet. This is the biggest story on the planet right now and the 大象传媒 is ignoring it. I have written to Mr Peston many times on the subject and he steadfastly refuses to acknowledge or even speak about the subject. Could it be that your opening statement is in fact a misdirection designed to promote the openness of the 大象传媒 whilst in the background censoring all talk on the subject? Time to put up or shut up.

#4.

I would turn this argument on its head and suggest that much of the 大象传媒 reporting is not so much about individual passion but about a collective responsibility that echoes the political colour of our tabloids and broadsheets.

I am more concerned about what is omitted from press coverage or receives a few lines in a bulletin in the middle of the night. This tends to present the 大象传媒 in an ill light with its audience. As an example I remember the 大象传媒 being criticised for not reporting a failed suicide bomber in Israel by senior Jewish figures in the UK. The incident had been covered in an overnight bulletin as described above - I know because I heard it whilst doing a 24 hour work stint - but that was the only time it was mentioned.

So my criticism of the 大象传媒 would be that it must be clearer about having a collective "colour" in its coverage so that the public are not mislead into believing that the 大象传媒 is somehow neutral.

As for the coverage of the actions of our politicians in trying to cauterize the wounds then I also believe that 大象传媒's comments have been sadly lacking in expert analysis of their affect. The coverage of the US fiasco of "will it won't it get through" gave the whole thing a surreal "last resort rescue" appearance whereas it was really nothing of the sort. The 大象传媒 may have concentrated on a "will it, won't it" help.

I think their are far too many fragile egos at work in the 大象传媒 and that suggests that they are not up to the task they take on (unless, of course, Jeremy confirms that they do have a political flavour).

Ah, I see censorship is at play already. Well that didn't last long. So much for the

"Allow me to make the case for the defence. We have one primary responsibility and that is to you, our audience. Our decision to run a story is based on simple criteria. Is it accurate and would it be of significant interest and relevance to our audience? If the answer is yes then our presumption is to be publish unless there is a huge overriding interest not to."

So I guess my post falls into the category of "unless there is a huge overriding interest not to". then?

#29 - why am I switching to ITV ?

To avoid having to listen to Peston of course. Sometimes I just press the mute button, or switch off altogether.

Of course I don't switch to the ITV to hear the facts. For the facts I read the FT.

The problem with Peston's delivery of the "facts" is that they're so drowned out by the hyperbole and the schoolboy over-excitement and the self-aggrandising "as I revealed earlier"s and the "my sources tell me"s and the tortured delivery that the truth of the situation is completely lost.

All that is left behind by his reports (especially his live interviews) is a sense of panic, which isn't helpful for a nervous public trying to understand what this all means for them.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

The trouble with Preston quite simply is that he gets very very excited.

He is simply not able to report the facts in a straight forward manner.

Much of the current turmoil is about confidence - and lack thereof. I would suggest you would do a lot better for the UK by being restrained in your language than going for the tabloid style headlines.

I am not suggesting for one minute that you don't report the same factual content, its more the style that is important.

Unfortunately the 大象传媒 and pretty much all other news outlets whether on the TV, radio or online seems to be obsessed by news as entertainment as opposed to news as information.

I laughed out loud at the childish graphics being played across the reports on the lunchtime news on Friday. Finance? Not exciting enough? Stick some graphs on!

How about treating the public as grown ups for once?

Picked this up on the web PR buzz, good news for Belfast! at least.




More Companies Eyeing European Search Market For Takeover Targets

More Companies Eyeing European Search Market For Takeover Targets

I am unable to confirm the information I have just received, but rumor has named two of the companies interested in the European Search Engine Network that I have posted about before. The first is Infosys.com whose name many not mean much to many in the US, but they are a huge player located in 23 countries and based in India. An IT services company, this deal could vault them into the search industry and they have extensive technology resources to pull it off and pull it off well. I have to admit I don't know much about the Indian search industry, but Infosys would become a major player overnight given the assets of the company they are thinking about buying.

The other name mentioned is also not one I have heard of, mobile and ISP Orange. This also makes perfect sense to me, since any mobile and Internet provider would be nuts to pass up on a deal like this. Orange is based in France so I'm sure that is the first place they would expand the Search Network to. It will be interesting to see what other players come to the table. I'm surprised no US companies have shown interest, but it may be just that word has not leaked out yet...

About Infosys
Infosys Technologies Limited (BSE: 500209, NASDAQ: INFY) is an information technology services company headquartered in Bengaluru, India. Infosys is one of India's largest Information Technology companies with over 94,379 professionals. Infosys has nine development centers in India and over 30 offices worldwide. Infosys's annual revenues for the fiscal year 2007-2008 exceeded US$4 billion with a market capitalization of over US$30 billion.

About Orange
Orange UK is a mobile telecommunications network operator and internet service provider in the United Kingdom which is owned by France Telecom. Orange was founded in 1994 by Hutchison Telecom which was later bought by Mannesmann AG and then in May 2000 sold to France T茅l茅com. Orange UK has over 17 million customers who subscribe to its mobile and broadband services.

Could it be that those who raise comment about RP's presentations, actually object not to the lanuguage of RP, but to the language as used by the Market ?

Possibly they may not like reading Shakespeare either as the Bard was wont to use a colourful description or two.

However, RP is not alone in using colourful language and colourful metaphor as can be seen from a small selection extracted from today's Times and Daily Mail.

..frenzied...panic selling...market fears...shore up...full scale meltdown...record breaking falls...colossal challenge...crisis...terrifyingly slugishness...fears grow...worst day...borrowings worth only 8 cents in the dollar...prospect of global recession...mayhem...stress...this is a killer...overwhelmed...death by a thousand cuts...stared wide-eyed...catastrophic...took breath way...total capitulation...neurotic trader...Armageddon...imploded...everyone running scared...frozen money markets...slashed prices...etc

And that is how it is described at the front line when such situations unfold.

Of course, if some prefer to listen to the language of the Chairmen, the Politicians and the Advertising handouts, then a different and possibly inaccurate picture might emerge, such as

'We have a minor short term funding issue which is containable' or
'Your money is safe with us' or
'No more Boom and Bust'
plus of course
'Crisis, what crisis'.

Others may prefer to not know what the Market vibes are and what the current thinking is.

But personally, I want to know if the Market thinks the bailout might not work, if a Bank might be underfunded, if inflation might be a serious factor, if my savings are safe, and if the pension fund might be taking a hit, etc etc etc

However if Robert tells me the story and the market views, I am quite capable of making my own summation of the situation.

I consider that RP gets a complex message across extremely well and he shows me that he is touch with the Market by using the language of the Market.

As for his 'quirky' speaking style, I am in favour.
It is interesting and demands attention and in doing so focuses one towards the main points.
Thus following the process as practised by most good information distributors ie
Interesting Style- accurate content-informed substance.

So I am an RP supporter in both descriptive language and in quirk-factor.

I find his TV presentations to be informative and interesting viewing

Knowledge and Quirk will always win over the 'reading aloud' presentations by those who through no fault of their own, may not be expected to have deep insight into what they are presenting.
As in
'Market went down 500 points today, now here is your local weather'...snooze...

Keep at it Robert - Plenty more colourful descriptions out there in the Market to plough through; and plenty more interesting situations arising to comment on.

Up Guards and At 'em

(ps ' Hounds of Hades' and 'Wolves on the Fold' haven't been used this week yet)

鈥淲e have one primary responsibility ...........it is based on simple criteria. Is it accurate and would it be of significant interest and relevance to our audience? 鈥�
Most people would probably agree with you that the above is "one" of your responsibilities. Another is that the item should not be excluded despite being of significant interest and relevance.
Furthermore most people would probably find it unrealistic to expect an editor not to do whatever is necessary to attract a minimum audience.

Well said, Mr. Hillman but frankly the Western Media are too kind and gentle in the treatment of your leaders when they allowed a stupid USA problem to become a global nightmare.

In the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the Asian Press were more vocal and definitive in pointing out who among their leadership were to be the "sacrificial goats" as "atonement for the sins of bad management and profligacy". In Indonesia, President Suharto resigned. In Malaysia Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Anwar was sacked. And so on.

But in the West, some very obvious candidates like Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors and some CEOs of troubled banks are still in the spotlight managing the crisis.

Obviously, the West lack alternative intellectual talent to replace the deficient incumbents. Take the USA for example, a Fed Chairman who was an economics professor and a Treasury Secretary who was an investment bank CEO were in the "see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing" mode in the build-up to this crisis. These same uninformed leaders are in the spot-light to bring us out of this mess. Talk of the blind leading the blind.

You are justified in bring out as much information as you could. Deficient, uninformed and self-serving authorities make poor informers. That is why we have 大象传媒.

peston has history

...Back in 1997, while working for the Financial Times, he wrote that the newly elected Labour government was contemplating joining the euro within that parliament.

His story appeared well-sourced and immediately led to a 160-point jump in the FTSE and a plunge in the pound against the deutschmark.

However, he was entirely wrong.

Mr Peston admitted: 'In my naivety, I had thought I was merely doing an impartial reporter's job'..

which sums up the bbc- a bloody minded naivety?




however one has to say in the last couple of days the blogs and reports have become a bit more context aware.

I see my previous post on this subject has been stuck into 大象传媒 censorship limbo, they cant reject it because it doesnt breach the house rules. It is merely "referred to moderators" for over 24 hours now.

It is however critical of RP and of the 大象传媒 policy of publish or be damned and a lack of contextual awareness.

So be it, as others have commented RP blog has become slightly more sensitive to the damage it is causing which has made complaining worthwhile in my opinion.

The present activities of the Financial World remind one of the two
ladies of legend who earned a precarious living by taking in each
other鈥檚 washing or the Oozelum Bird, which flies in ever decreasing
circles until with a cry of Oozelum and a cloud of feathers it vanishes
up it鈥檚 own fundament.

We have all confused Money with Real Wealth, especially the tax
gatherers who have enthusiastically backed the Oozelum, collecting taxes
each time it went round.

The result of all this for the UK is that it is 鈥淏roke鈥�,
The Office of National Statistics has UK assets, as of 2006 (the latest
stats available, and no doubt it'll be less now) as 拢6.5trillion. Less
residential property (拢3.8trillion) leaves 拢2.7trillion.

Net debt stands at 拢600billion, but to include public sector pensions,
PFI, Northern Rock etc takes that figure to 拢1.8trillion.

Add the 拢500billion figure that has been bandied around this week as a
guarantee to the banking sector and we get 拢2.3trillion.

The Burning Our Money blog on the website estimates this to rise to
拢6.5trillion if all commericial bank debt is guaranteed. i.e Credit Card
Debt etc.

It's a depressing picture, do take a look at this:
鈥�

Real Wealth comes from harvesting or mining, plus human effort.
Harvesting areas include the Land, The Oceans, and the Sky. Mining can
be by Land or Sea.

So to start collecting Real Wealth we must rapidly set on the Energy
Harvest. Those who advocate Nuclear should remember that it, central
fossil power stations, and large wind farms are preferred by Politicians
as they can tax the output. Large wind farms are probably uneconomic in
principle as compared to many other Renewable Engineering Projects

Trouble is that the UK Government has done little or nothing to set on
this Harvest other than form a new department for Climate Change and
Energy headed by someone who has no apparent knowledge or connection
with Energy or Harvesting, and may well be himself 鈥� and presiding over-
one of a tream of scientific analphabets.

THEY MOAN ABOUT A FORTHCOMING DEPRESSION.
BUT WITH MOST UK DWELLINGS LACKING SOLAR WATER HEATING, SOLAR PANELS,
AND HEAT PUMPS. TIDAL POWER UNDEVELOPED. WIND POWER TOO COSTLY. BIOFUELS
FROM CO2 UNDEVELOPED ETC. HOW CAN WE HAVE A DEPRESSION - OTHER THAN
THROUGH FAILURE OF POLITICAL AND PRIVATE WILL TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE
VAST MANUFACTURING, INSTALLATION AND OPERATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ON OFFER
FROM RENEWABLE ENGINEERING ????
IT IS COUNTER INFLATIONARY TOO !! AND CAN HANDLE CLIMATE CHANGE AND FUEL POVERTY
Regards
Ferrand [Personal details removed by Moderator]

#44

Totally agree with you - RP's lanuage and presentation make it all the more interesting and easier for me to understand, and I've yet to fall aleep whilst listening to him commenting on the news about the present crisis.

In some strange and weird way I can't wait for the next day to arrive with some other intricate and financial twist so he can give us his 'take' and what is gong on.

Keep at it Robert!

This comment has been referred for further consideration. Explain.

Dear Sirs
All your presenters sound like experts in the world of finance, but I wonder how many of them can answer the questions below?
What is the 'Dow'?
How is the 'Dow' calculated?
I hope all the presenters know the right answers. I can tell you that the majority of people out here in the real world cannot answer these questions, including many who make their living in the world of finance.
The famous man-in-the-street is bombarded with these very technical terms and gets worried, a) because they don't understand them (although they wouldn't admit it), and b) because an 鈥榚xpert' on the small screen tells them that downward movement is bad news.
So, how about performing a service for your viewers, with a series of programmes explaining some of the fundamentals of this aspect of our world which seems to affect so much of our lives?
In addition to the questions above, other topics could include:
- showing the calculation of the 'Dow' each day
- what is the meaning of 'the volume of shares traded'
- how many of the shares traded changed hands more than one time in a day?
- how many of which shares were traded?
- discussing what is meant by 'the market'
- examining the real affect of 'the market' on business (what does it mean that 拢25billion has been wiped off the values of British companies?)
- explaining how the stock market works e.g. everytime someone sells, someone buys, and the trading partners are making opposite decisions
- why the supposed experts hardly ever agree on what is going to happen in
the future, and almost always get it wrong
With this knowledge, perhaps people (including your presenters) will realise
`the market' is not an entity in itself, but just the means by which people buy
and sell in order to try to make a profit for themselves.

Just wondering when you were going to re-brand this website

The Robert Preston Corporation.

Just seen the stock market graphs on the Finance crisis: in graphics page. Typically it shows where we are now at the bottom of the graph compared to where we were and using the difference to scale the graph. It therefore shows a massive decline and appears, if you don't look at the scale, to be 100% down to 0%. As the old cliche states, lies, damn lies and statistics.
If you showed the graphs in the correct scale the figures would not seem anyway near as bad.
This may seem petty BUT news reporting of a financial meltdown needs careful consideration as your portrayal of huge changes with misleading graphs destroys confidence in your readers and in effect creates a self fulfilling propecy where the man and woman in the street panics. You, and the press in general, have a responsibility to be as honest as you can and not try and make the situation look worse for the sake of news headlines. We have all become far too sensationalist and common sense seems to go out of the window in the face of sheep like panic and tales of gloom. For once I actually feel sorry for politicans trying to bring some calm, and despair as the press talk about the worst this since that. Perhaps you should run a "the end is nigh" placade competition to see who can make the best one.

Going back to the heart of this thread, I do think that the 大象传媒's reporting is inaccurate and appears seriously tilted in its aim to show a point of view rather than just reporting in a wholesome manner. And its not just the banks issue. Take the Hamilton Formula 1 reporting, its appallingly inaccurate showing what seems an attempt to deride him time and again.

Going back to the banks matter, while working from home, I have 大象传媒 News 24 running all day, so, I get a continuous flavour of what 大象传媒 says compared to news from other sources, and comparing what is said in clips of the news source with what your commentators, newsdesk and outside broadcasters say. Enough has been said about the financial market reporting which I agree with, so, I add other comment.

Take this morning for instance, and an issue which makes me annoyed anyway. I have lost count this morning of the number of times news presenters have said "Britain's plan" and "Britain takes the lead" etc. This is a point of view, its a dangerous attempt to portray Britain as a leader in a world situation, it is a flag waving point scoring idiocy. It is not reporting.

If you are to report accurately, its the USA (who I don't particularly like) that took the lead in starting to find a solution for the banks and a financial defusing. Not Britain. But you do not say this. Gordon Pompous Brown followed their lead with his own ideas after being hammered for sitting tight to see what would happen. Other countries have their own ideas which as the speaker from the London School of Economics said this morning on 大象传媒24, is much better than Gordon Pompous Brown's "bullying" approach to the Banks, and in his view, Brown's "leading" plan will damage our banking sector seriously in the long run, whereas the European's plan is aimed to strengthen the Banks.

As a Guardian article had the common sense to say on Sunday, this parading by Brown of Britain as the leader of the financial solution, and his saying that Brown and Darling's non-stop repeating of how the world must take, "and is taking" Britain's lead, is so damaging. Its turning what is just one good alternative to the USA plan into one where other countries do not want to feel belittled by Brown and be seen to be meekly following his lead. It could stop them taking similar actions just because of him. I feel embarrassed for Britain every time I hear him banging on about "Britain's lead". And, every time 大象传媒 says it themselves.

And what if it did not work? On Brown's account, every other country could turn around and in retrospect blame Britain for an ill thought through plan.

It's the 大象传媒's job to report what Brown says, but not for the NewsDesk and others to continue flavouring the reporting by adopting Brown's (or any other's) words to make it part of the way a news item is presented. Now we have the 大象传媒 adopting the stance and stating its own view that the Britain is leading the world with the Banks. While writing this, I have heard various news presenters continue this distortion.

That is NOT reporting, it is using the power given to the 大象传媒 in presenting news to add a particular distortion to the news, especially as it is watched by most of the World.

And it was as bad when 大象传媒 reported Brown's appalling public threat to take legal action against Iceland. To create a precedent for countries to sue each other during such a tinderbox of financial crisis was crazy. It could have lead to other countries resorting to that "lead" and it was bound to cause Iceland to make public legal counter measures. Brown's legal reasoning may be correct, but, please, not in public. He made himself look a buffoon having to defuse and placate Iceland afterwards to stop it getting out of hand.

And the 大象传媒 added to Brown's idiotic statement by reporting it as if the 大象传媒 (acting for Britian) was supporting the Brown statements. Look back at what your news announcers said introducing the actual reporting.

For God's sake stop it, just report the news. The presenters must not add comment. they must not even say anything which is adding their personal view. They have the privilege of presenting news watched by the world and thus have the power of tilting what is watched and heard towards a distortion that can influence the audience one way or another. Currently, its an abuse of that power.

Regards Jonathan

Brown: We'll be rock of stability

Northern Rock?

I'm one of those who has persistently posted comments on RPs blog about the nature of his reporting. Whilst his blogs are often informative, the language and way he goes about his reporting simply drive unnecessary panic. How many exclusives has RP had since the fall of Northern Rock, which I think the 大象传媒 would find it hard not to admit it helped bring about? RP should, as you rightly say, be reporting relevant news stories but he shouldn't be making them. My infuriation with him means like bawheid my search for responsible informative news content has moved elsewhere.

The problem is, that the 大象传媒 were willing to significantly delay coverage of Prince Harry's deployment in a war zone. You could have reported this without giving any further information as to where he might be or what unit he might be with (or even which country he was in). So this kind of undermines the position of 'we must report the truth, even though it can affect the situation'.

I do not have any problem with the factual News presented on the current crisis. However, I do take issue with the emphasis that is placed on the negative aspect of the news, for example if the Jobless figure jumps by a large amount say 90000 this point is pressed however if the figure is lower than expected it is hardly covered in fact it is reported in the form of a three month figure. If retail sales have not dipped by as much as expected then it is mentioned in passing to government borrowing as this figure is large and uncomfortable.

We also forget that although the downturn is disasterous for some it will not be the ones who lose their jobs whose sentiment will pulls us out of this. It will be down to the 90% or so of people who keep their jobs and benefit from lower mortgage payments, lower fuel and heating bills, massive competitions in cars and consumer goods with lower prices. These facts need to be covered to balance the negative news around.

People who are in jobs and stay in them may do well out of this. Why not have some good news stories, on lower rents or people buying the house they couldnt have afforded before the downturn. Even pensioners are benefiting from lower prices and it will only improve as they have a reasonable uplift for the first time in years as inflation was high when calculated and may drop to zero during the year. Car buyers have never had so much choice or so many bargains a few guides on these and other large purchases even just showing where and what deals can be had. All this would add to a balanced viewpoint.

I am not asking the 大象传媒 to put on rose tinted spectacles but I really would be hard pressed to point out one instance where the benifits of the downturn have been covered.

A con merchants trick demonstrated quite often on TV is actually happening every day in Bury Lancs, and it is doubtful if anyone will ever be prosecuted for it.

The trend of giving powers to issue penalty tickets for traffic offences to civilians ad lib will no doubt result in quite a lot of similar completely illegal practices emerging in the very near future.

A regular Argus customer drove onto their car park, bought a ticket from a machine only two metres away from her parked car, stuck it on the windscreen and returned a few minute later to see one of those officious attendants sticking a ticket on her car.

Asked for an explanation the attendant said, That is not our machine, ours is farther up the car park, this one belongs to someone else.

She refused flatly to cancel the penalty ticket and so did the person who answered the phone, each one insisting that the car owner must apply in writing, needless to say that when the pressure was applied higher up the chain of authority the ticket was cancelled.

It is possible that there is a criminal offence being committed here, hundred of pounds may have been illegally obtained that can be claimed back.

Most certainly Argus will receive some well deserved bad publicity for allowing such practices on their property if indeed it is theirs.