19/11/2011 Newswatch

is spreading further across the Continent. We know that something

is amiss but what is it? How did it come about? How might it be

resolved? Difficult questions and in a moment, I will be asking if

the BBC is doing enough to answer them. But first, a taste of the

coverage. Although it hanging coverage...

Does this coverage succeeded in informing and enlightening viewers?

A new study has found that the British public are as confused

about the economic crisis in Europe and that people do not believe the

media in general have helped them enough to understand it. There are

three main concerns. One is that the coverage does not really

explain how it perfect -- personally affects them. That is,

it is too much about shareholders and businessman. Secondly, there is

too much jargon that they do not understand. And thirdly, they do

not believe the recording -- reporting is fair and balanced.

Sometimes they believe people are too much on the side of business or

in the pocket of business and I'm not recording the views of ordinary

families in their coverage. Some of From next week, the BBC is running

a season of documentaries on BBC Two on the theme of money. And this

way, it has been pointing viewers towards the information available

on its website, which appears to be increasingly where people want it.

This shows that there has been a shift to the use of online news as

a force of financial information. It has become the second largest

source of business and financial news after television. It has

overtaken the print media. Television news faces a particular

challenge. Stories about economics tend not to be very exciting,

visually, resulting in the use of metaphors and analogies. It is not

yet clear if they help understanding.

Some difficult questions. Do you know where the trillions come from?

I might have to refer you to Robert Preston on that one. Is the BBC

doing enough to explain what inevitably is a complex situation?

We are aware that our audiences have a massive interest in this

story and they understand the relevance of the eurozone crisis to

their own lives. Whenever we cover the eurozone, we try to connect it

back to the UK so that people feel a connection with it. Having said

that, we know that these are complex issues and we cannot often

explained and in enough time. We are happy to go over that ground

once or twice to repeat it so that people understand the answers.

there too much jargon? That is a fair criticism. As far as we can,

we try to avoid the jargon. We know that it does not help people

understand in a very short bulletin. In our recent coverage of the GDP

figures, Stephanie Flanders went out of her way to explain exactly

what we were talking about, the total product of all the goods and

services produced in the UK. In that sense, we do our best. When we

talk about bond yields, we do not use that term. Instead, we talk

about how much it costs a government to borrow. In that sense,

we are conscious of the dangers of using jargon too much. We are also

carrying out research into exactly what our understand -- our audience

and stands as the terminology. you extend these visual metaphors

too much? Is their problem that you are actually distracting people

from the words? It is in danger but it is a balance that we must strike

in terms of conveying immediately to people the sense of gravity that

attaches to the story on a given day. And the image of the shredded

euro notes was an interesting example. We were talking about the

fragmentation of the eurozone and whether or not Greece would have to

leave. The idea of the fragmentation was vividly conveyed

in that way. What about those who think that you are seeing this

entire crisis from the few of businessmen and investors and not

the public? What we are trying to do is provide as much context and

clarity as we can in as much of an impartial way as possible. We

understand that there are at different points of view but we are

interested in explaining to audiences what it means for their

own. We have got to be mindful of information we are giving them but

I would reject the criticism that we are too close to one particular

group or another. Thank you. One of the more recognisable and

entertaining players in the eurozone crisis has now departed

the political stage to the regret of journalists everywhere.

Prime Minister unseasonally optimistic, almost incapable, it

seemed, of telling his people how dire it had all become. Tonight, as

Silvio Berlusconi arrived at the presidential palace to tender his

resignation, there was no member -- no longer room for optimism. The

boos and heckles were telling. Italy had had enough. Not all

Italians actually had enough, This week also saw the start of the

Leveson Inquiry into press standards set up in response to the

phone hacking scandal. On Wednesday, a barrister accused tabloid

newspapers of a wide range of misdemeanours. The inquiry was told

that the whole of the British press is in the dock. There was Kate and

Gerry McCann. Her private diary was published after Portuguese police

leak it. Then there was Christopher Jefferies. The lawyer said there

had been a frenzied campaign of senior and innuendo to blacken his

name. The inquiry is expected to last up to one year and its

findings may have implications for the BBC. Should the BBC have played

more of a role in investigating the hacking story? No, according to the

chairman of the BBC Trust. He has said that there are some areas we

should decline to follow even when other organisations have

investigated. Some of you have disagreed with

Saturday saw extensive broadcasting of the Lord Mayor's Show, an annual

parade in central London that dates back 800 years. There was paying --

there was a 1.5 our special on the BBC. We have been asking for your

ideas on how the BBC might save Finally, our earlier discussion

about whether more should be done in order to explain the crisis in

the eurozone followed a more general point made on last week's

programme. When I watch the news, although why understand most of it,

there are things that I still do not get and if I want to find out

things, I think it is important that the news gives us this kind of

information. That provoked something of a debate among of the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds

Ideas were other news programmes and comments on existing ones can

be made by telephone or e-mail. You can also find us on Twitter. Thank

you full watching. You could be you full watching. You could be

November continues to advance and one of the most common questions at

the moment is how long can eat steak this mild for? -- how long

can it remain this mild for a? The slight risk of frost across parts

of England and Wales Saturday to Sunday but Saturday begins frost-

free across the UK. Chilly in a few areas with the clear skies

overnight. Also the chance of patchy fog first thing. In Wales, a

fine start with temperatures already in double figures. A fine

start for Northern Ireland as well but there is the chance of some

rain towards the west throughout the day. A similar situation for

Scotland. In the east, plenty of sunshine around the Moray Firth and

here, temperatures already up at about nine degrees. Plenty of

sunshine as we make our way down into eastern England as well. In

the south-east, that sunshine may be marked by patches of mist and

fog. That will gradually break up into low cloud. In a few areas, it

will remain, however. That will lead to some contrast in the way

temperatures for the afternoon develop. Most places will have

temperatures in the double figures in the sunshine. Some of the

murkier spots could see temperatures hovering at eight or

nine degrees. In Northern Ireland and western Scotland, there is more

cloud around and the chance of some light rain on and off. That will be

persistent and somewhat heavier across western Scotland this

evening and into the small hours of Sunday. Many areas will continue

with clear spells and the slight chance of frost, especially around

eastern areas, as we move into Sunday morning. But in the west,

temperatures in double figures. Sunday looks like it will bring

some drier weather, at least briefly, to Northern Ireland and