04/01/2013 Newswatch

Now on BBC News it is time for Newswatch. Samira Ahmed hears your

reactions to BBC News viewing over Christmas and the New Year.

Happy New Year. Welcome to the first Newswatch of 2013, with me

Samira Ahmed. Since we were last on air not everyone is gripped by

financial Armageddon in the United States. Some were concerned about

hearing the Queen's Christmas Message before Christmas. Others

have complained there were endless reviews of the year. First, much of

the news coverage focus odden the need to stop a crisis in the United

States. The fiscal cliff was a cliff as far as the media were

concerned. One last session of Congress. One last day of

negotiations and America is staring into the economic unknown. The deal

was, as we know done, cue sighs of relief from the financial market,

which some believed this mattered hugely to the world economy and

therefore to Britain. Several Newswatch viewers were less than

gripped, including Guy Foster, who James Kay e-mailed on New Year's

More complaints came in the later part of the week about this story.

Jim Davidson is the tenth person to be questioned as part of Operation

Yewtree. While he was being interviewed at a police station in

London, officers were taking away items from his home in Hampshire. A

second man was arrested at another address in the county, also on

suspicion of sexual offences. Nash contacted us, asking why

should you be able to identify one person and yet leave the other

One staple of news bulletins elicited reaction. Judith Moritz at

the White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds. Whilst some shops started

their sales some time ago and some websites saw massive activity on

Christmas Day, there is affection for the national Boxing Day

Now, talking of regular TV festive features none comes more so than

the Queen's Christmas Message. Started by her uncle in 1932, they

have been on television since 1957, reaching an audience peak of 27

million. The latest had nine million viewers. Here is Nicholas

Witchell in a report shown on Christmas Eve.

At the end of a memorable year for Britain and the Royal Family, the

Queen's Christmas broadcast this year is expected to look back at

the highlights, from her Diamond Jubilee, when crowds celebrated her

60 years on the throne and to the London Olympics. The report showed

some from the Queen's Christmas After the broadcast had gone out,

several viewers made a point, articulated here in a Boxing Day e-

We asked BBC News to respond to those points and no-one was

available to in person. They gave Well, one viewer who contacted us

about the Queen's message was Susan Sommerville and she joins me from

our Edinburgh studio. Thank you for speaking to us. Can you sum up your

key concern? Yes, it was the fact that we were being told what she

was going to say and there was an extract of the actual speech. I

really like to watch it on the day and hear what she says fresh rather

than have it preamleed the day before. The BBC has explained the

palace release these clips in advance, in a way they want us to

use them in the way the Prime Minister's speeches are released in

advanced. Isn't it the BBC's job to give this as news. Now I know that,

that is very interesting. Obviously it would be the BBC's job to report

that. I think it is rather sad though that we are told what is

going to happen. It is like news is news before it is news. I would

prefer to hear it on the day. It is a shame the palace are doing this.

Is this a trend then? Do you think, as a viewer, it is not helpful?

me, it was the icing on the cake, this particular broadcast on

Christmas Eve. I have been worried for a while, that we are constantly

hearing what will happen. It has been irritating me and my husband

for some time. This, for me, was the last straw, which is why I

wrote in. Another question may be how far the Queen's speech is

relevant now. Not everyone sits down to watch television at 3pm and

there is a question of whether it should get news coverage it does?

For me and my family it is an important part of Christmas Day. We

spent it with friends. Our plan was to listen to the Queen at 3pm and

then we sat down for our lunch. That is a pattern we follow every

year. For me it is the only time we hear the Queen say what she wants

to say. So aefpb she says nothing or is speaking the words of our

Government. I like to hear what she has to say from her personal point

of view. You will hear some complaints was the concern that the

summary ignored the Chris yas message. Is that a concern --

Christmas message. Is that a concern for you? For me it is

important that I hear it in her speech and that perhaps whether the

BBC needs to report that beforehand, I think most of us that know the

Queen, know that is important for her. Certainly, it is a difficult

balance because there are so many different multi-faiths in our

country. For the Queen it is a very important thing. Therefore, for me

it is important. What if anything would you change about BBC coverage

of the Queen's speech, knowing that the palace encourages an tis pay

Tory coverage of it? If they are encouraging you, that puts you in a

dilemma. I think perhaps say report, the content -- say report the

context of the speech. If you know it is about to happen... A look

away now thing? Like the sports results. Susan Sommerville. Thank

you very much. Thank you. Just time for a couple more of your comments

on BBC News. Although having watched programmes

like this over the holiday period, some viewers were left asking, what

Finally, one story that was covered just before Christmas was the end

of the world, or at least the non- arrival of the apobg ka lis as

predicted, according to some in the mayon calendar, as as marked in a

series of ceremonies in Central America. It is relief that we are

all here, of course. David Johnson was not happy with the coverage, e-