The surrender that wasn't
| 13:53 UK time, Wednesday, 6 April 2011
I wouldn't have minded being a fly on the Reuters wall as the inquest began into why the news agency flashed that Laurent Gbagbo had surrendered (according to a 'UN internal document') at just before 18GMT yesterday. A few minutes later, a second flash appeared on our screens saying that Mr Gbagbo was considering surrender. As my colleagues on the bbcnews.com Live page memorably put it: 'it's row back time'.
I mention this not to enjoy the Reuters change of tack but to explain why I read it on air at the end of our 17GMT edition. There was a time when the ´óÏó´«Ã½ would not broadcast anything without it being confirmed by two sources. In terms of our news bulletins that rule is still in place - and anything you hear our newsreaders say to you will have followed the 'two source rule'. But for programmes things have changed a little in recent years.
When a newswire puts out a report, that information immediately starts being shared online. And in the case of a newswire which says that Laurent Gbagbo has surrendered that is particularly true. So we know that many of you know that a story is being reported. Rather than not acknowledge that, increasingly we will say on air what a news agency is reporting, but will name the news agency (or whatever the source is) and add that we're not able to confirm the report. That feels like a more transparent way of doing things and is the reason I read out a news wire that turned out not to be true.
I thought you might be interested.
