26/05/2012 Newswatch

Welcome to news watch. So many people have turned out here at

Land's end, many people really proud that Cornwall should be the

place that the torch starts this relay, they have loved it here. Not

everybody loves watching the progress of the Olympic torch

around the UK. All the rest of the build-up to the Games. Soon will --

we will do Beijing, whether the BBC News should be the cheerleader for

London 2012. -- BBC. Safely delivered from Greece to Cornwall,

the flame that the cauldron with the assistance of David Beckham.

The following morning, the moment many but not everyone had been

waiting for. The start of the 70- day journey dominated that day's

breakfast, eliciting this response from these two viewers. The only

story of the day was the Olympic torch relay. What incredibly

leafier coverage was delivered by That was very much a minority view.

Most other news items and programmes such as news watch fell

by the wayside in favour of this first leg of the torch relay. Mike

Hughes e-mailed : Linda Hughes was Despite those views, and you will

see plenty more of the torture and hear plenty more about the Olympics.

How much should any sports event even one as big as this displace

the normal news agenda? Is BBC News effectively acting as a propaganda

machine for the Olympics? To give me their views on that, I am joined

by the head of the BBC new rooms - by the head of the BBC new rooms -

a news room and two viewers. What do you make of the Olympic coverage

and the build-up to the Olympic Games as the BBC is telling it?

would like a more balanced view. A non- excepting view of everything

that the committees and Sebastian Coe says as fact. I would like to

know from Mary, can she guarantee, at some point in the month or so

during the Olympics, I would like some haven of sanity, where there

is millions of us who do not like sport, do not appreciate the

Olympics coming to our fair cities, to retire to and have some sanity.

I am worried and have been since January 1st, when we started

getting the propaganda rammed down our throat by the BBC and other

outlets, there is going to be no haven for us people who despise and

detest the obscene amount of money the Olympics makes. Before we go to

Mary, I would like to go to our other viewer. You are not so anti-

the Olympics, what is your concern about BBC coverage? Principally, it

is the balance between the Olympic coverage and the news. On Saturday,

for example, the Breakfast Programme was the Olympic torch and

nothing else except for a brief mention of the military parade in

winds are. I got so fed up watching that, not knowing what is going on

to the world, I swapped over to Sky news. The BBC is the host

broadcaster of the Olympics and see it as their job to promote it,

which hit is not. Plenty beer from our viewers. Propaganda, too much,

be collecting proper news stories? The decision for breakfast on

Saturday morning was to recognise that in terms of world events, the

torture and the beginning of its journey was the live event of the

morning, with amazing pictures. And the was an amazing turn out by the

public. That is one thing I would like to focus on. You may be

worried that we are promoting something because of the Olympics

Committee, we are responding to what has emerged as a big news

event where they have big palpitation by the British public.

One of our viewers is claiming that this is propaganda? We do you like

it or not, this is it a big news event happening in Britain this

summer. He raised an important point about the range of coverage

and voices in the proper scepticism. We have done a lot of reporting on

the Channel and the bulletins around issues of the ticketing

process, the cost, reappeared the issue of a Ukrainian Olympics

official being accused of ticket touting, we have looked at the

transport issues, the security issues, the possible destruction,

we will continue to look at those aspects. Has Mary gone any way to

convince you, and the? After a fashion. But you should stick to

news items. People can go and watch other sports channels. For us, who

do not like the Olympics or any form of sport, keep the news to the

news and keeps bought to its sections within the news spots.

What is your response, Andrew Taylor? It was a important to show

the departure of the torch from Land's end, but there was enough.

We did not have to have a presenter on the ground for an hour talking

about something that had already happened. The club level the same

criticism at the previous night, when a reporter was waiting for a

British Airways Airbus. As far as the Olympics are concerned, it is

important, it is a national event, but I think it comes to the fore at

the opening ceremony. Moving on, to the news coverage around the time

of the Olympics. Can you assure viewers that they will be half an

hour of news at one o'clock, six o'clock and ten o'clock and the

programmes like Newsnight will not disappear? I can assure you that

news will be a big part of the BBC's offered through the Olympics.

BBC One becomes an Olympics and a news channel. Most days, the news

will be at the time so you normally get it. One or two days, it will be

a different fires because of sporting events. Everybody will

know and see when the news will be. You point about a haven, I can

reassure you, up to a point. I'm not able to Tully that the news

will be an Olympics resign. They would not be the right thing to do

from a news point of view. If you want to complete haven you will

have to not read a paper, not to look at the television. Power, -- I

can assure you you will get a good dose of other news and there will

be plenty of scope for none Olympics programming across the

portfolio of BBC channels at the time. Thank you. And thanks to our

viewers. Let us look as some of the other issues that have been

concerning news Watch fears this weekend. The priority given to the

deaths of pop stars and others in the entertainment business is often

controversial. So it proved last Sunday, with the news that Robin

give from the BG's had died. This is our view. I was appalled that a

pop star was all over the news. That this was the main news of the

BBC. He plenty of reporting on the eurozone wallows. The tone of the

coverage ING has been bothering this viewer. He said he was

appalled by the sensationalist has been you put on the Greek euro

Eight trend that has been annoying Here is another viewer : Neil