Katrina - Bloggers Improve BBC Reporting

Well at least one reporter in at least one report seems to have taken heed of bloggers concerns as regards the BBC's hitherto all out assualt on President Bush.

Reporters Matt Wells, reporting from his luxury hotel in Los Angles and Washington reporter, Justin Webb should be fired for their total lack of journalistic integrity. Both resorted to sheer speculation, blaming and smearing of President Bush. These two did a great disservice to the people of Britain and owe both them and the American public an apology.

Further the BBC should fire the editors involved and issue and apology to the citizens of both countries.

Research my blog, The American Expat and Biased BBC for more and be sure to read the comments on each for more links and critiques.

All of this combined serves to make BBC world affairs reporter Paul Reynold's story stand out the more. Paul did what the other reporters, and indeed what all reporters should be doing, listening to the public - those they serve. They should especially listen to the bloggers as Paul seems to have done in this case.

In fact, while not acknowledging my contributions in his article, Paul does acknowledge them in a comment left at Biased BBC.

To Susan:

I think it was on USS Neverdock that I first saw the picture of the buses and I checked it out with AP which took it.

I therefore acknowledge the blog contribution which is one of the points of reading them.

Reporters are now looking to them for additional information.


with regards

Paul Reynolds
BBC Online
paul reynolds | 05.09.05 - 7:48 pm | #

Let's hope there are more reporters "now looking to them for additional information".

[An aside here to Paul. We've had our differences in the past and I hope this signals a welcome change in at least some of the reporting from the BBC. Embracing bloggers is the way forward and can be a tremendous ally and source of information to reporters.

That being said Paul, it is important to acknowledge bloggers in your story where you can. Those acknowledgements can mean a lot to a blogger, both in a sense of pride way and even in a monetary sense. I know the BBC doesn't want to get into endorsing any blogger, but acknowledging a source, blogger or otherwise, should be acceptable.]

I don't know why they haven't embraced bloggers sooner. After all, they have legions of researchers at their disposal - for free! What's more, unlike a lot of reporters, bloggers provide links to prove what they say. Again, free research for the reporters. If they were smart, reporters working on a story could ask bloggers to research part of their story for them. Can you imagine how fast and how accurate a story a reporter could put out harnessing the legions of bloggers and their readers? That's precisely what we did in regards to Paul's story, except he didn't ask.

Here's a question for Paul. Why doesn't the BBC use hyperlinks in their stories? I know they use external links with a warning that they are not responsible for content off their site, in sidebars. Why not hyperlinks in the story itself?

For example, Paul asks this question in his story:

And how much city transport was actually used? There is a photo showing city school buses still lined up, in waterlogged parking lots, after the hurricane.

How much more informative it would have been to point out the state's disaster plan called for the use of those school buses to evacuate those without transport and that the mayor was granted the authority to do just that and insert a hpyer link to the states disaster plan which says:

"The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating."

This disproves what other BBC reporters are saying, namely that there was no plan for these people. There was and the mayor failed to follow the plan while the governor failed to ensure he did so.

Scott has praise for Paul as well.

On that note, let me encourage all who agree that Paul's article is the best you've seen from the BBC so far in the coverage of Katrina, to email the BBC your praise of Paul with the same fervor that you did when you criticized Wells and Webb.

It's the fair thing and the right thing to do.

We still have a lot of work to do as Paul is but one reporter at the BBC.
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