Lack of Perspective
I was watching the BBC Six O'Clock news today and their main story was understanderbly the devastation caused by yesterday's high winds.
However I was left feeling disgusted when one of their main reports was about a middle-aged woman in Kidderminster who'd been without power for 24 hours.
Woop-dee-doo
The woman was complaining that it wasn't good enough 'considering all the money I pay for my electricity'. She had gas heaters and cooking hobs and still had running water. Her primary concern seemed to be that she was worried her milk might go off because the fridge didn't work.
Just before this item they were showing repair crews who had admitted they were 'stretched' as there were problems all over the country.
People died yesterday, others have lost their children/parents etc. Have some fucking perspective.
I've 'suffered' worse myself:
In 1990 we lost our power and water supply for 48 hours. It was due to a blizzard so it was a damn site colder than it is right now and we had no heating because we needed electricity to work the boiler and pump. But we didn't grumble (much) and just got on with coping. Everyone else around us was in the same boat and we certainly weren't blaming the electricity companies - we'd had freak weather, shit happens. The most bizarre aspect of the weekend was having a barbecue in six inches of snow.
It's one thing to have some whinging old cow moaning that she's got no power when others have got bigger problems but which stupid twat decided to put her on the national news?
posted by Phill @ 7:42 pm
7 comments
7 Comments:
Oh and she still had a telephone service so she could contact people for help in the event of an emergency... a REAL emergency.
It makes you wonder, doesn't it!
Those kind of people make my blood boil!
Having spoken to my parents who also watched the six o'clock news and were equally offended I decided to make a formal complaint to the BBC.
This is the first formal complaint about a TV channel I have ever lodged, I usually feel you can voice your complaint better by changing the channel... As I have done with Celebrity Big Brother.
However on this occasion I feel that the BBC has failed its license fee payers by not accurately reporting the news. The high winds were a massive story and they could have reported far more important effects of it rather than covering a power cut.
We've all had power cuts before, it isn't exactly something we can't understand.
Good for you, phill.
Will you let us know what the outcome is please?
You're an angry man phill
"Dear Phill
Thank you for your e-mail.
I note your concerns regarding the 'Six O'Clock News' on 19 January and that you feel the item regarding the recent storms and the loss of power to tens of thousands of homes. The choice of news stories to report in our programmes is frequently very difficult. Editorial staff are always aware that no matter what decisions are made, some people may disagree with them.
Please be assured that your comments have been fully registered on our daily audience log. This internal document will be made available to the 'Six O'Clock News' production team and Senior BBC Management.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact us.
Regards
Damian Whyte
BBC Information"
Oh and this was what I sent them:
"I was appalled that your editors chose to make a woman whose been without power for 24 hours as their key item for the report on the devastation caused by the high winds on 18th January.
People died (no-one I'm related to), others have suffered damage to personal property and yet you gave national news airtime to an unsympathetic woman that cannot grasp the extent of the damage suffered across the country.
Whilst you are not responsible for the fact that people like this exist you should not be putting them on the national news to feed their selfishness.
My family were without electricity, heating and water for 48 hours after a blizzard in 1990 but we did not even entertain the idea that the power company was responsible for freak weather.
This nation is becoming more selfish and less community driven and your report and live feed of someone who's primary concern was her milk going off is not helping to buck the trend.
This is the first time I have ever felt the need to complain about your otherwise excellent news service."
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