I have always been extremely proud of the British media, especially print journalism and the BBC. So, imagine my surprise and dismay to arrive in the UK and find that David Blunkett’s affair and minor misuse of office, the BBC’s restructuring, the MRSA superbug, and a raft of parochial stories take precendence over the world-changing events currently taking place in Iraq.
In New York,. I sigh and struggle my way through the dense New York Times every day, complaining about overly-complicated sentences and confusing reporting, boring intros, long-winded intros, sloppy sentences and discombobulating paragraphs. You name it, I complain about it. But at least the New York Times, along with other US newspapers and television, is sticking with the story.
I have spent the past week in the UK and asked friends who are interested to varying degrees about what is going on in the world and all of them have said the same thing — it’s boring. Iraq has been pushed to the second page of the international section (which is already far enough back) of the national newspapers because everybody has had enough.
That’s a pretty depressing analysis for a country which prides itself on a news industry which is supposed to be the best in the world.
It is great to be back here. And it is wonderful to read short, sharp sentences which get straight to the heart of the story. But I have to admit that I am already looking forward to returning to America and keeping tabs on some of the more important things that are happening in the world.
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