07/01/2012 Newswatch

Happy New Year and welcome to the first Newswatch of 2012. First,

it's hard to predict what you'll be watching and commenting on in the

news this year but one said we'll be hear aglot about the

presidential e-- hearing a lot about the presidential election in

the US. There's a series of contests before November to decide

who the Republican Party will be putting up against President Obama.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 42 seconds

The BBC's north American editor is leading its coverage of the US

elections this year. We asked him to take a break from the campaign

trail to respond to those points. was very interested in the e-mails

and you might be surprised I sympathise quite a lot. I used to

be Europe editor. Whenitor. Whenre, I remember saying to somebody, "It

seems to be easier to get a profile on the television of somebody who

is not going to be President of the US." and now I would agree it's

more important to look at others who will probably be the next

President of France, rather than Ron Paul who will probably not be

the President of the USA if we believe the opinion polls. There

are not quite so good reasons why we focus a lot on American politics,

not just the BBC, but the whole of the media. It's relatively easy.

People speak English and speak in sound bytes and say lots of

colourful things. And although I don't think this is actually true

American politics is simple, it has a certain clarity that appeals to

people. Game on! There were some very good reasons for the way we

cover American politics. It is still the most powerful, arguably

the most important country in the world, economically, militarily, in

some ways culturally. So it does matter. It matters who is president

and it matters the clash of ideas here in this great democracy, this

very open democracy where people have very strong views and they're

expressing them the whole time. It's important to look at what

people are saying. We're going to change the kwhous and get America

back on track -- White House and get America back on track. It has a

big resonance on the rest of the world. In Britain, we want to see

one vision of America which depends on cutting back the state, cutting

taxes, getting rid of red tape, allowing capitalism and a lot more

like social democracy from Obama's side. Those are very important

visions. It's important we look at that. I'm determined we try and use

not only the Republican race, but the whole of the election cycle to

look at some very big questions about America and its direction.

I've been determined to do that for a while and it probably doesn't

always come off. I've come back from Iowa and about to go off to

New Hampshire. People think the Iowa coverage was too detailed.

That presents a real problem. If you're going to cover a news events,

you have to tell people what happened. So you have to explain a

little bit about what that means and why those things have happened.

And maybe that's too much detail for some people. I know others will

be lapping it up. One thing we have at the BBC which is useful, we

don't have to say everything that's the same on television and on radio.

And very much in the social media now. My blog, I can go in to the

detail that I wouldn't want to and wouldn't on the 10 o'clock news. So

that's one advantage. Now for some of the other points you've been

making to us, starting with the big news on Tuesday. Good evening, it's

taken 18 years but today two men have been found guilty of the

murder of the black teenager, Stephen Lawrence. The sentencing of

Dobson and Norris continued throughout the week and there were

several background pieces of racial tensions. Waves of immigration have

shaped highly diverse neighbourhoods in some of Britain's

inner cities, communities which have become used to racial

difference. I still found tension, even prejudice, just below the

surface. Do you think there was a stitch-up then or what? I think

there was a stitch-up. One little spec. That interview went on to

An on the street reporter trying to prove his point by making the major

interview with the most racist person he could find. And this

Over the Christmas holiday, there was widespread coverage of Prince

Philip's treatment for blocked coronary artery. There was a moment

of real anxiety when he was admitted to hospital with chest

pains. The Duke left hospital with a wave and feeling very cheerful,

according to palace officials who were with him. This story featured

far too prom minutely for people. - Some complaints related not to the

content of news broadcasts over the holiday period, but to their

And David Quarterman made a point John Smith spotted a certain lack

Now, remember the all-male shortlist for the BBC's Sports

Personality of the Year? The BBC News website produced another list

which led to cries of sexism. The website ran two selections of faces

which had been in the news last year, one for men, one for women.

It showed photographs of each category of one face per month.

Step forward Tian Tian. Karen Jones In a blog responding to what he

described as pandagate, the editor Please tell us your highs and lows