Now it is time for the turn of newswatch with samira ahmed looking at the role of language in news headlines. Hello and welcome to the first newswatch of 2017 with me, samira ahmed, where well be rounding up some of the comments youve made about bbc news since we went off air before christmas. Coming up jill saward died this week, but should the bbc news website have described her in its headline as a campaigner rather than as a victim . And the year of Celebrity Deaths ended with several more, including that of George Michael. Did the bbc lose perspective over the extent of its coverage . First, the new year has brought no respite from the Terrorist Attacks that have become a regular feature of news broadcasts. On sunday came the latest atrocity, targeting those enjoying a night out at the reina nightclub in istanbul. News reader less than two hours into the new year, a gunman opened fire outside, Bullets Ricocheting as he shot a policeman and a civilian. Another camera showed people cowering as the attacker struck, before he stormed the club. Inside, his Killing Spree continued turks and foreigners murdered, others jumping into the freezing bosphorus to escape. 39 people have died in the attack and the coverage of it raised questions we have heard before from newswatch viewers over similar incidents. William boyes had this to say. Now, how much tv News Coverage did you want from the bbc over the holiday period 7 some may have appreciated a break from what can be a fairly grim diet of stories, but with many normal bulletins dropped or shortened, others feel they were underserved, including on the bbcs 24 hour news channel. Ellen rossiter put it like this. One annual staple of News Coverage which did appear was the new years honours list. Much of the focus was on sports stars, as described by andy swiss, and pop stars and actors, reported on by lizo mzimba. At the end of a glittering yearfor british sport, for five of its greatest stars the greatest of honours. Patricia routledge has been made a dame. Kinks frontman ray davis said he felt humility and joy to become sir ray. Victoria beckham becomes an obe for services to the fashion industry. Anthony hainsworth took exception to the balance of the reporting, writing on new years eve. And Celebrity Culture was at the heart of another series of complaints on whats sadly become a very familiar theme in 2016. Heres the start of bbc ones late bulletin on christmas day. Hello, good evening. In the last hour the death has been announced of the singer George Michael. He was 53. George michael shot to fame in the 1980s as half of the band wham and went on to have a hugely successful solo career. He sold more than 80 million records worldwide. What followed annoyed this viewer. The whole News Bulletin tonight, apart from ten minutes, has been taken up with George Michael dying. Where are the bbc coming from . Its time you reported the real news. George michaels was of course not the only death to be reported on the bbc over the past couple of weeks, as the viewers of weeks, as other viewers pointed out to us. Its the 27th Of December and today, the bbc news and channel 130 has four obituaries. An enormously long one for carrie fisher, theres still contributions on George Michael, the author Richard Adams and about the royle family actress liz smith. Theres so many important things happening in this world. Its absolutely ridiculous. Good morning, every time i switch on the news to find out whats happening in the world, all i see is an endless film of yet another pop star who has taken himself to an early grave. Sad for Friends And Family but, please, could you please give us some news. Thank you. Thursday saw the death ofjill saward, a long term campaigner for the rights of survivors and victims of sexual violence, having herself been raped at the age of 21. The news was widely and prominently reported at the bbc. And with George Alagiah tweeting that he was proud that tvs six oclock bulletin led on her life and influence. But when the story broke the bbc news alert and the website headlined its report of her death like this using the word victim. Prompting many complaints, like this one from becky stevens, on twitter. Surelyjill was so much more than a rape victim. She was a survivor and Successful Campaign for the rights of others. Christopher oxford called it a shamefully reductionist headline. Ms saward was not defined by once being a victim, she was a campaigner forjustice. And eleanor hill thought it was an appalling headline. What were you thinking . Disgraceful. We put this to bbc news, and they referred to a 2004 bbc interview in Whichjill Saward said that she had no complaint about being described as the Ealing Vicarage rape victim, as it enabled her to challenge politicians and work for change. A bbc spokesman added, we are always very careful to report sensitively on the news of someones death and we covered in detail ms sawards extensive work as a Sexual Assault campaigner. Ms saward was the first person in the uk to be raped and waive her right to anonymity, and hers was one of the most high profile criminal cases of the decade, the reason why she is so well known and which led to her campaigning work. Well, another issue of language cropped up at the end of last year in relation to the death of another woman. Georgina symonds was killed a year ago by peter morgan, who was sentenced four days before christmas to life in prison for her murder. This was the headline on the news at six that night. Life for the Property Developer millionaire who murdered his escort girlfriend. He told the police what happened. Once id sort of attempted to murder her, id be in a hell of a lot of trouble for that, and she could have still gone on and blackmailed me. So no mention of Georgina Symonds name there, but the one word was used there and online which worried a number of viewers. Here is patrick and rm shreeve put it like this in response, bbc news told us this well, its clear that the language used in reporting a death and especially the shorthand of a headline can give great offence to an audience, and that especially applies to suicide. Since we were last on air, we have had two examples of that. One following a story on breakfast about a rowing trip across the atlantic raising money for a Crisis Centre in memory of one of the rowers who took his own life. We wish you all the best, stay safe, and hopefully we will pick up with you when you reach antigua at the end of january, or the start of february. That is sam, toby, rory and harry, who are rowing the atlantic to try and raise money for harrys brother who committed suicide ten years ago. Rosalind allen was watching that and e mailed us with her response. A couple of days earlier, the phrase had also been used on the news ticker, scrolling across the bottom as of the screen during an overnight bulletin and then, for this caller to our phone line, it all got worse. The ribbons running across the bottom has an item, news story, chief resigns after overworked employee commits suicide. 20 or so news items after that, the next statement standing alone reads i tried to kill myself several times. Stop. In the early hours of the morning, when Vulnerable People might be watching this, it reads i tried to kill myself several times. I object strongly to this, this is sickening. Again, we asked bbc news for a statement on issues of language about suicide and they told us well, thank you for all of your comments this week. As a new year gets under way on newswatch, we would like you to tell us what topics you would like us to cover, which news figures we should be interviewing. You can give us your opinion on bbc News Current Affairs and you can be quoted, or even appear on the programme. You can call us on. Or do e mail newswatch. You can find us on twitter and do have a look at our Website Address that. Website address. Thats all from us, we will be back to hear what you thought of the bbc News Coverage again next week. Bye bye. Coming up in the next few minutes, a detailed look at the weather ahead, the headlines in the news at ten, then a detailed look at the papers. Coming up in sportsday, a look at the days sports stories, including andy murray, looking in fine form ahead of this months australian open, and we will also have tonights fa cup action. But at 10 45pm on bbc news, it is now time for the film review. Hello, and a very warm welcome to the film review on bbc news. Taking us through this weeks Cinema Releases is antonia quirke. Antonia, what have we got this week . Well, we are actually going to look at some of the releases that were over christmas and the new year. We are going to start with silence, Martin Scorseses new film liam neeson, andrew garfield, adam driver, and they are playing Jesuit Priests In I7th century japan. Also passengers, starring chris pratt, jennifer lawrence, about two passengers sleeping in Suspended Animation for 120 years on their way to a new colony on a far away planet and they wake too early. And also assassins creed Michael Fassbenders big movie, based on the computer game. Right, so lets kick off then with silence. This is scorseses great passion hes been trying for years and years to get this film made. Yeah, i think there was first talk of it in 1990 with daniel day lewis, gael Garcia Bernal and Benicia Del Toro attached to it, and as is the way of these things that idea kind of disappeared and came back, with a different cast. He was famously brought up a devout catholic, had a great and genuine interest in the priesthood himself i think at one point he was going to join the priesthood, so catholicism has been a real thing for him. And religion in his films, The Last Temptation Of Christ obviously and kundun, but it is always there, even Something Like mean streets, it is marvellously there. But what is the religious scorsese like . This is an incredibly difficult film to watch it is about the persecution and torture of priests and their flock
vimarsana.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.