:00:03. > :00:05.Royal Bank of Scotland, all down. Now it is in for news what with the
:00:05. > :00:15.Raymond Snoddy, and this week coverage of the Olympics build up
:00:15. > :00:23.
:00:23. > :00:27.Welcome. On this week's programme... So many people have turned out here
:00:27. > :00:34.at Land's End. Many people really proud that Cornwall should be the
:00:34. > :00:39.place the talk starts. And they have loved it here, haven't you?
:00:39. > :00:44.Not everyone loves watching the progress of the Olympic torch
:00:45. > :00:50.around the UK. In a moment, we will be debating with the BBC News is or
:00:50. > :00:54.should be a cheerleader for London 2012. First, a look back at the
:00:54. > :00:59.arrival of some precious cargo. Safely delivered from Greece to
:00:59. > :01:03.Cornwall, the flame at the cauldron last Friday with the assistance of
:01:03. > :01:09.David Beckham. The following morning, the moment many but not
:01:09. > :01:17.everyone had been waiting for. health the flame. The start of the
:01:17. > :01:27.70 day journey dominated that day's breakfast, eliciting this response.
:01:27. > :02:01.
:02:01. > :02:07.That, though, was the minority. Everything fell by the wayside in
:02:08. > :02:17.favour of this torch relay on Saturday morning. Mike Hughes e-
:02:18. > :02:41.
:02:41. > :02:46.Linda Hughes was equally Despite those views, it is safe to
:02:46. > :02:50.assume the BBC has plenty more of that torch. We will hear plenty
:02:50. > :02:55.more about that taught and the ceremony before the opening of the
:02:55. > :02:58.Olympics. How much should any sporting event to displace the
:02:58. > :03:02.normal news agenda? And his BBC News effectively acting as a
:03:02. > :03:12.propaganda machine for the Olympics? To give me their views on
:03:12. > :03:18.that, I am joined by head of the BBC newsroom and by two viewers.
:03:18. > :03:24.First novel, Andy, what do you make of the Olympic coverage? -- first
:03:24. > :03:32.of all. I would like a more balanced view, and in not accepting
:03:32. > :03:36.view of everything the committee is and Seb Coe says as fact. I would
:03:36. > :03:40.also like to know from Mary that can she guarantee that at some
:03:40. > :03:44.point in the month during the Olympics and Paralympics, I would
:03:44. > :03:49.like some haven of sanity where those millions of us that do not
:03:49. > :03:53.like sport, who do not appreciate the Olympics coming to our cities
:03:53. > :04:00.to retire to and actually have some sanity in the world? I am worried
:04:00. > :04:06.and concerned and have been since January since we got the propaganda
:04:07. > :04:14.rammed down our throats that there is going to be no haven for us, for
:04:14. > :04:19.millions of us, who despise and absolutely do step -- that has the
:04:19. > :04:23.obscene amount of money spent on it. I would like to go to Andrew. I
:04:23. > :04:30.understand you are not so anti- Olympics per say, what is your
:04:30. > :04:35.concern about BBC coverage? It is the balance between the Olympic
:04:35. > :04:40.coverage, or the imbalance between the Olympic coverage and the news,
:04:40. > :04:43.like on Saturday morning. They covered the breakfast programme
:04:43. > :04:48.with the Olympic torch and very little else apart from some brief
:04:48. > :04:54.mention of the military parade in winds. I got so fed up watching
:04:54. > :04:57.that not knowing what was going on in the world, I swapped over to Sky
:04:57. > :05:05.News and it was almost the BBC is the broadcast of the Olympics so
:05:05. > :05:10.they see it as their job to promote it, which it clearly isn't. Plenty
:05:10. > :05:13.there for Mary. Propaganda, too much, neglecting proper news
:05:13. > :05:18.stories... The decision for breakfast on Saturday morning was
:05:18. > :05:22.to recognise that in terms of live events, the torch and the beginning
:05:22. > :05:27.of its journey was the live event of the morning with amazing
:05:27. > :05:32.pictures and, crucially, an amazing turnout by the public. One of the
:05:32. > :05:37.things I would like to focus on his you may be worried what we are
:05:37. > :05:44.somehow promoting something because of the Olympics Committee or
:05:44. > :05:49.whatever. We are responding to what has emerged as a big news event
:05:49. > :05:53.with a really big participation by the British public. What about you
:05:53. > :05:59.are providing propaganda and the BBC is setting about its proper
:05:59. > :06:05.sense of scepticism? Whether you like it or not, and I accept you do
:06:05. > :06:10.not like it, this is a big news event happening in Britain this
:06:10. > :06:13.summer. You raise an important point about the range of coverage
:06:13. > :06:19.and voices and the proper scepticism. We have done a lot of
:06:19. > :06:23.reporting both on the Channel and on the bulletins around issues like
:06:23. > :06:29.the cost and ticketing process. We have had an issue about the
:06:29. > :06:33.Ukrainian Olympics official about ticket touting. We have looked up
:06:33. > :06:38.security, transport, the possible destruction. We will continue to
:06:38. > :06:46.air and look at those aspects. Let's get some reaction. Has Mary
:06:46. > :06:51.convinced you? After -- I suppose, but you should stick to news. The
:06:51. > :06:55.people want to watch sport, they can go and what other sports
:06:55. > :07:00.channels available. For us to do not like the Olympics or any form
:07:00. > :07:05.of sport, please keep the news to the news and keep sport to its
:07:05. > :07:10.sections within the new spot. Andrew Taylor, what do you make of
:07:10. > :07:15.Mary's answer? Why asked it was important to show the departure of
:07:15. > :07:19.the torch from Land's End, that was probably enough. We didn't need a
:07:20. > :07:29.present on the ground for an hour more talking about something that
:07:30. > :07:32.
:07:32. > :07:35.had happened already. You could level the same argument at the
:07:35. > :07:40.presenter at the airport the night before waiting for the plane to
:07:40. > :07:45.touch down. But it is important, it is a national event. But that
:07:45. > :07:49.national event comes to four at the opening ceremony. I would like to
:07:49. > :07:55.move on to the news coverage around the time of the Olympics itself.
:07:55. > :07:59.Can you assure viewers there will be half an hour of News at One
:07:59. > :08:03.o'clock, 6 o'clock and 10 o'clock, and that programmes like Newsnight
:08:03. > :08:09.will not disappear? I can absolutely assure you that news
:08:09. > :08:14.will be a big part of the BBC's offer through the Olympics. BBC One
:08:15. > :08:18.becomes, essentially, an Olympics and news channel, and most days the
:08:18. > :08:22.news will be at the times you normally get it. There will be some
:08:22. > :08:27.days it will be at different times because of a particular sporting
:08:27. > :08:33.event, but everyone will know when the news will be. To your point
:08:33. > :08:37.about a haven, I can reassure you up to a point, I think. I'm afraid
:08:37. > :08:42.I am not able to tell you the news will be an Olympics reserve and,
:08:42. > :08:46.because that would not be the right thing to do for a news point of
:08:46. > :08:51.view. If you want an utter haven, you will not have to read a paper,
:08:51. > :08:56.not put the radio on and not look at the television. I can assure you,
:08:56. > :09:04.you will get a good dose of other news as well as Olympics news, and
:09:04. > :09:13.they will be plenty of scope for mum Olympics programming -- thorn
:09:13. > :09:17.on Olympics programming. Thank you took all of you.
:09:17. > :09:21.-- thank you to all of you. Let's have some of the other issues.
:09:21. > :09:25.The priority given to the deaths of pop stars and others and the
:09:25. > :09:29.entertainment business is often controversial and so with the news
:09:29. > :09:34.that Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees had died. These were the thoughts of
:09:34. > :09:40.Patricia Latham. Absolutely appalled this morning.
:09:40. > :09:47.In view of everything that is going on this morning. Somebody, a Bee
:09:47. > :09:52.Gees had died at 61. A pop star. Most of us are appalled. This is
:09:52. > :09:59.the main news the BBC is showing? . The reporting it be on the
:09:59. > :10:09.ongoing saga of the eurozone's woes. The tone of that coverage has been
:10:09. > :10:09.
:10:09. > :11:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 66 seconds
:11:15. > :11:19.A trend that has been annoying a Well, rather than saying have a