General Chat

Is the deceased getting over-the-top coverage on this thread?

The news was that a truly great man had died, not that there were flags flying at half-mast in Washington,

Nobody cares enough about those flags to want to see them fifteen times, they are just bloody flags!

On a personal level, I would rather not see his walk to freedom too many times either.

You don't always want to keep filling up do you?

couldn't agree more Ann - he was undoubtedly a great man and deserved full coverage, but enough is enough

I was going to say that not everyone is online, and not all people have Sky. (We don't for instance.

I appreciate the importance and admire the man tremendously but the BBC do seem to have gone for overkill repeating things again and again. But I just turned over and didn't watch BBC at all.

*I have to add I would feel the same about any important people in this country or anywhere.

Of course you like everyone else has their own opinions just one point not everyone has access to a computer to go online and a lot of elderly rely on the BBC for their news, probably out of habit and I for one, don't need to see numerous shots of flags at half mast (I tend to grasp the idea after the first one)
;-)

Just because one aspect of the news is not a persons cup of tea, it shouldn't be shelved or shortened to involve longer aspects of other news which may suit.

There have been plenty of news updates online about the weather, and of Nelson Mandela's death.

The floods may be our news, but Mandela's death is global news & its reflected in the coverage. Had there been (God forbid) a terrorist attack in the uk, or something else on that scale, rest assured Nelson's story would have stepped down a rung to accommodate the wall to wall news.

Just my opinion, I'm interested in both issues spoken about today. :-)

In this mornings newspapers journalist Rod Liddle has blasted the BBC for Mandella overkill. The ex editor of Radio 4's Today programme says ''Look famous nice black man dies! Lets re-run the entire history of South Africa. That's better than watching the country we're in being flattened by a storm'' Right on Rod

Maybe they couldn't be bothered
:-(

I'm watching Sky news and they are giving significant coverage of the storm and the damage caused and were all day yesterday as well.

Maybe the BBC couldn't get news crews out.

It was still Mandela wall to wall on the BBC this morning at 5am - its getting ridiculous they are just repeating the same thing over and over again. I don't need to see yet another shot of the Stars and Stripes at half mast on the Whitehouse - I saw that picture umpteen times yesterday.
One thing I did notice this morning though is the tone of the reports have changed and one even described Nelson Mandela as ''an angry young man prepared to use violence''
I too am disappointed that the TV news has largely ignored the devastation that the storm caused in huge areas of the country and particularly in Hemsby were I understand 5 houses were lost to the sea, I cant comment on the other storm damage as the BBC chose to ignore it (shame about Cromer pier - I remember visiting it as a five year old)

Mandela was a great figurehead and deserves recognition but not to the extent it has been done on tv. Even Channel 4 changed programmes around so as to do a tribute prog last evening.

I was waiting to see knews of the storms but had to wait until last evening to see what had happened to the poor people in Hemsby, Norfolk, some of whom lost their coastal bungalows to the sea. One poor couple had friends passing out as much furniture and things as they could before it became too dangerous to enter the propery, the back had already gone and the rest went during the night. The couple are now living in a holiday chalet on a holiday park nearby, with their things in storage and only £6000 due to them from the government, they can't get insurance on these buildings as a lot of them are just wooden. Some have been there for years, I used to go on holiday with my family in similar bungalows in the 1950s and 60s. Many were lost to vandals setting fire to them but then owners started putting fireproof covering over the wood, so they were a bit safer. Now there will be gaping holes along the shoreline, the old lifeboat shed has gone and a lot of sand and landmarks were washed away a few months back.

Another chap lost his holiday bungalow, but the couple I mentioned above lived permanently in their place. So sad to lose it all.

Even Cromer Pier is badly damaged altho thanks to work done this past year the foundations stayed safe, just the boarding that went and part of the theatre floor etc so the Christmas shows and such will have to be performed elsewhere in the town if possible. They are a tradition for many folk so the company want to try and carry on if possible.


People also lost their lives in the storm, a lorry driver whose lorry tipped over onto a car, and other situations but little mention of those accidents and the places that were evacuated and damaged.

I expect there will be more coverage of Mandela's life and his funeral too over the coming weeks. Funeral is a week on Sunday I think.


Lizx

Of course there will be lots more coverage of Nelson Mandela,and why not ,though even for me it might get a bit much.But what a man !!!..So much to this man and so many young people know nothing about him and what he did for South Africa.
I don't want to get into the politics …but just to say I admired that man.
.The TV Channels always go OTT when something like this happens .We should be used to it by now :-D…..But we still like to have a good old moan lol

And there's more on R4 this evening at 9pm.

didnt they do the same world wide when Diana died,,,,,,bet some were sick and fed up of it every time they tuned in for news......

:-\

it's overkill now :-S

I quite agree, Ann!
We turned to the news last night, hoping to hear how things were going along the East coast, but gave up and went to bed by 11 o'clock! :-( :-\

it really is getting quite ridiculous now - how much more can be said - we all agree he was a wonderful human being and did great things in his life, but at the moment many residents of the UK are in extreme danger from being flooded out of their homes - right before Christmas - I would like to hear how they are faring

well Dermot,,,,,,,,poor Nigella is praying she doesnt get the sniffles..... ;-) :-D :-D :-D :-D.

Can anyone update me on the Lawson-Saatchi daily saga? The topic seems to have slipped down on the important news ratings gauge.

OH too was a bit put out last evening . He likes his programs like Question Time .This Week etc . He came to bed earlier than usual cos he was fed up with the Mandela coverage, Not that he didn't sympathize with his family but he wasn't enamored of the same thing being repeated over and over.