Pieces to camera
Posted by: Richard in BBC, Media, Politics, tags: BBC, journalists, newsJust watched the BBC News at 10. Absolutely baffled by Nick Robinson doing a hurried summation piece, to camera, as Gordon Brown left after delivering his conference speech.
I’ve a lot of respect for Nick Robinson, but he seems to be riding the crest of a new wave for journalists. It seems to be rapidly become de rigueur for journalists at the BBC. It’s almost as if you’re falling short if you don’t have the subject of your piece doing something (meeting/greeting/leaving) behind you as you frantically sum up something profound during their approach. No matter how burly the security guards, or enthusiastic the supporters, and particularly with disregard to how little time you have to do it; if you don’t do it this way the journalist in question may not really have been there.
Please. Stop doing it. All of you.
It doesn’t do any of you (or your reputations) any good, it doesn’t make you any more relevant, and it doesn’t make it any more hard hitting.
I, however (and, I suspect a large proportion of people watching you) are only going to laugh increasingly loudly at you as you do it. We might even point at you.
You should consider slapping the director who’s telling you to do this, and seriously consider a move to radio (like that nice Evan Davis). I suspect they won’t ask you to do much of that sort of thing there.
ps. Is it just me, or is Nick Robinson starting(!?) to sound. A little bit like. Jeremy Clarkson?
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September 24th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I agree wholeheartedly!
I first noticed this during the Olympics when the sports reporter was seemed intent on talking about the winner of the 100m, for example, just as he/she crossed the line – which of course meant half of what he was saying was either mumbo jumbo or padding as there was no way he could have prepared anything.
The only thing I can assume this is meant to be showing is that each reporter in question has such vast knowledge on whatever subject it is, that he is able to talk at length to the camera immediately something has happened rather than taking time to prepare.
Obviously, taking time to prepare must be seen as a weakness in journalist’s circles whereas for viewers we really don’t care as long as we hear the right things no matter how long it took to come up with the words!