Re: Ongoing arctic fires/BBC editorial policy Archived Message Posted by scrabb on August 4, 2019, 10:14 pm, in reply to "Ongoing arctic fires/BBC editorial policy" I think you call this absolutely right, mack. There HAS been a major shift of tone and policy at the BBC which must have come from very high up -- obviously government and senior mandarins have given their orders to adopt a new more credible stance. Not long ago a story such as the arctic fires would have carried the caveat "no single event can be attributed to climate change" and the whole approach would have been equivocal and not as firm. Your two conclusions are also on the mark. But I also think maybe they (the ruling establishment, not the BBC solely) have finally, at long last come to realise how ludicrous and out of touch they appear when continually hedging and fudging their reports in the face of the daily barrage of dire news on the climate front. I can well imagine some very high up policy strategy meeting with senior mandarins and the board at the BBC and someone saying "It's time to bite the bullet" or something suitably lofty and patrician in tone but expressing the same sentiment. They must be sweating dustbin lids now trying to come up with an approach that seems in touch with reality and doesn't insult the intelligence while at the same time avoiding churning the public up into an almighty panic. To take another current story, they have buried the Paris riots as far down the news agenda as they can get away with (and with the same motive of not alarming the populace and giving them dangerous ideas) and they would do the same with climate change if it hadn't gone far beyond that point. As to your point that the buggers should have got off their arses 20 years ago and performed a proper and responsible public service, I return to the double-page spread that Radio Times did (at the time part of the BBC) over ten years ago. Regular readers will know what I mean.The illustration showed a smiling chap in a deckchair in a home counties garden with grape vines nearby while his wife pushed a wheelbarrow laden with semi-tropical fruits. The article put a rosy glow on the fact that in the near future the UK's climate would resemble that of Madeira thanks to rising temperatures. It said nothing of what the climate of Madeira would be like at that future date. Even then, I was astounded and in a rage that they should adopt such an irresponsible approach. And of course, that policy had been dictated from above. Don't spread panic and despondency. Put a positive spin on things. Make it light-hearted. Tropical fruits right off the tree! Message Thread: Ongoing arctic fires/BBC editorial policy - mack August 4, 2019, 7:55 pm Re: Ongoing arctic fires/BBC editorial policy - scrabb August 4, 2019, 10:14 pm Fair comment but for two things, and don't make it up with the BibiC yet!.. - David Macilwain August 5, 2019, 8:17 am Good points - Bluefool August 5, 2019, 9:53 am Re: Ongoing arctic fires/BBC editorial policy - Sergei Kirov August 5, 2019, 9:32 am Re: Ongoing arctic fires/BBC editorial policy - Mary August 5, 2019, 1:45 pm   Searching