Does Newsnight Know What Day It Is?
Last week Andrew Marr had a go at Sky News for being less accurate than BBC News and Current Affairs. So two days of misreporting from Newsnight gives us a good laugh.On Thursday, BBC Newsnight reported that the "Dow Jones was substantially down amidst more credit crunch fears". That inaccurate insight and analysis was based on what? Based on bollocks.
It was made up. There were no credit crunch fears spooking the markets. The market was closed for the Thanksgiving day holiday. The economics editor Stephanie Flanders has 'fessed up that it was "unforgivable and embarrassing". Peter Barron contritely said on the Newsnight blog on Friday afternoon that it won't happen again because they will check the U.S. market is trading. So Emily Maitlis was much more careful with Friday night's market report:
"...the FTSE 100 share index closed up, sadly we can't show the exact figures, um, holiday season as you know in the US, so the Dow Jones remains unchanged. Against the Euro, the currencies here, the pound up, against the dollar the pound was down. You'll just have to take my word for it. We'll get you some figures by Monday."The market was actually open and up 181 points closing at 12,981 (according to Sky News). So did they actually check the market was trading? Doh! Can they get it right tonight or will it be three days in a row?
Hat-tip : Biased BBC
UPDATE : Newsnight editor Peter Barron responds "I despair! We are having a complete revision of the way we collect and check the markets information." The producer of that piece protests (anonymously) that s/he didn't make it up. S/he just copied it wrongly from the BBC's business wire. Guido's advice : first check what they say on Sky News.
35 comments:
Was Kirsty Wark pissed?
Newsnight is largely interesting for the mess they make of putting newspapers on screen, guessing what Emily Maitless has come as tonight (my favourite was the Star Trek suit with the three foot heels so when she missed her cue and had to hobble across the studio she nearly fell over), and what Richard Watson has found to wear from the Oxfam shop. Pity they can't leave it all to Paxo.
Shocking stuff. The world has been thrown off its axis and no mistake. Glad you're here to tell us these things.
Armageddon can only be seconds away. Time to get into shotgun and canned food futures.
Tittle / tattle, it is what Guido do.
Why are you here?
@11:01 hold the front page said:
"Glad you're here to tell us these things."
To which sentiment I heartily concur. Not exactly front page news on the BBC website is it? 'BBC news department shows total incompetence' wasn't a storyline I found anywhere. I did find a self congratulatory puff piece on accurate reporting though.
This isn't tittle / tattle, it's pedantry.
Why are you here?
My mummy and daddy loved each other very much and did a special cuddle.
They are all too busy squeezing the word "editor" into their job titles and promoting their own domestic situation to worry about Newsnight and its content.
You are missing the point - Newsnight made up a reason for the market being down. It wasn't news reporting, it was total fiction drawn from imagination based on incorrect data.
Not quite on topic but why does Robert Peston talk like that?
Peston's speech patterns are due to him being a giggling, self regarding imbecile. As to how he got like that, who knows? Generations of inbreeding by his ancestors perhaps.
Isn't a better question - why was Robert Peston given the job in the first place? He has improved (slightly) but he's a rubbish broadcaster. The Business Editor used to be Jeff Randall, who not only knew how to broadcast but knew his stuff, as well.........
Ivan Dobski said...
Morning Ivan, well I trust.
Morning Guido, you've waited a long time, and this is the best you could muster ?
The BBC are usually right I have to say - it's just their synchronisation with events is sometimes a bit awry.
For example, they correctly reported the collapse of WTC7 on 9/11; they just reported it 23 minutes early - an easy mistake to make on such a hectic day, and therefore hardly requiring an explanation as conspiracy theorist nutters are demanding.
2008 is set to be the darkest ever year in financial history according to Goldman Sachs – a new report claims.
The BBC just goes down and down.
It has lacked leadership and the rot set in with Burt. a labour place man.
Johnny Norfolk said...
The BBC just goes down and down.
It has lacked leadership and the rot set in with Burt. a labour place man.
Burt who ?
Peston's speech patterns...how he got like that, who knows?
For the clue, anagram the name
ROBOT PRETENS(E)
Should anyone be shocked that Stephanie Flanders does not know when the USA markets are open or shut?
Just as long as she can ask the question about what is wrong with not marrying the father of her child.
" Does Newsnight know what day it is ?"
It's Labour day 24/7!
blame gordon said...
2008 is set to be the darkest ever year in financial history according to Goldman Sachs – a new report claims.
Gordon will state today, at the CBI conference,that he will concentrate on financial matters in future. In other words he will confirm what everybody has known from the start of his 'reign of terror', that, not satisfied with being Prime Minister (second-hand), and First Lord of the Treasury, he is also the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Each of these jobs has a weighty brief and I am sure that these positions should not be placed in the hands of such a disfunctional person as Brown.
Can we therefore all appeal to her Majesty, the Queen, to remove from office this major threat to her Constitution.
There are plenty of precedents from the past, and not only during my reign. He won't be the first to swap his kingdom for a horse!
I see Mrs Andrew Marr has penned an article (see links on the right-hand side of Guido's site) that reminds me of Chemical Ali's utterances as American tanks rolled into Baghdad.
She has been a long-time Brown supporter and she is doing her best to plug the old nose-picker. She will have a tough job.
We don't really need self-important metropolitan hacks like Ashley to try and persuade us that black is white. Brown is a walking catastrophe; he is fucking useless and a deeply unlikable man to boot. End of story.
Hardly a surprise. Why would the state funded future pensioners of Newsnight care two hoots whether the Dow was up or down, or even what it was? They're all right, Jack, whatever way the wind blows. Nice work if you can get it.
I am the guilty producer in question who wrote 'those' markets. Sorry Guido but I didn't make up a reason for the Dow being down. I took the market info from the BBC business website tickertape, which is programmed to show the most recent figures in a stupid computer-ish way, even if they're 2 days old. I then did a wires search for "Dow down" which naturally also threw up the analyis from the previous day's trading. Cock up, not make up.
We've found a different source for market info now so it shouldn't happen again.
How many billions do you lot fleece the public for again?
And how did you cock up it up again on Friday?
Nothing. We're fabulous value at twice the price. And Friday was someone else. SEP
By the way I'm not the producer of the show as you claim on your blog. Just the producer of that item. Please don't make things up, however tempting it might seem.
Too many producers spoil the show?
Amended.
Now get back to work instead of monging about on a gossip blog. We pay your wages. Well if we actually bought a telly tax licence we would.
yes sir sorry sir
Christ on a crutch...
I think there was too much thanksgiving wine flowing perhaps...
Robert Preston is Kirsty Wark's lovechild from a liaison with a Dalek!
Lets all hope the time is coming for his 'Extermination'
"We've found a different source for market info now so it shouldn't happen again."
Is it Sky News?
Andrew Marr jug ears will be the fountain of knowledge he doesn't trust Sky News
One of the Beeb's many producers wrote this...
Nothing. We're fabulous value at twice the price. And Friday was someone else. SEP
Why not put that to the test and go subscription? Then we'll see how many mugs cough up for your incompetent services. Can't place much trust in Newsnight's reporting of financial issues like Northern Rock if you can't even tell if a market is trading or not.
What a blunder, but these things happen (they shouldn't though).
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