:00:00. > :00:00.government-controlled West Aleppo. At 10pm Fiona Bruce will be her with
:00:00. > :00:15.a round-up of the day's news, first, Newswatch.
:00:16. > :00:21.Hello and welcome. The former Ukip leader Nigel Farage, is he giving
:00:22. > :00:24.too much air time on the BBC? And particularly on Question Time? The
:00:25. > :00:28.Brexit Supreme Court hearings. Is there too much coverage this week?
:00:29. > :00:34.We ask the BBC legal correspondent had to make sense of impenetrable
:00:35. > :00:41.legal jargon for viewers. Also, contradictory reporting. A BBC story
:00:42. > :00:46.says the cost of Christmas dinner has gone up, another, that it has
:00:47. > :00:50.gone down, which is right? First, Ukip's Nigel Farage, on the
:00:51. > :00:53.BBC, specifically Question Time, several viewers have been in touch
:00:54. > :00:57.about the frequency of his appearances, at the end of last
:00:58. > :01:01.week's programme the presenter, David Dimbleby, announced the
:01:02. > :01:04.following week's panel to the audience, and got the following
:01:05. > :01:11.reaction... On our panel next week we have got
:01:12. > :01:16.Nigel Farage... Are you groaning because he's not
:01:17. > :01:23.here? All right. Here's a flavour of the programme.
:01:24. > :01:27.I am surprised to see Nigel trumpeting Donald Trump so much. He
:01:28. > :01:32.has trumpeted him so much she's now in a situation where he has to
:01:33. > :01:37.decide his own future, whether to be a Conservative Lord, or Donald
:01:38. > :01:43.TrumpButler. Is that the choice you face?
:01:44. > :01:47.I don't think it is. I do know him and I did support him on his
:01:48. > :01:51.campaign and I spoke with him on a platform and I completely accept
:01:52. > :01:55.that he says things that shock everybody, but he also apologises.
:01:56. > :01:58.Which is interesting because very few people in politics apologise.
:01:59. > :02:00.Many people got in touch to say that Nigel Farage and Ukip are given too
:02:01. > :02:27.much coverage. And Rod Fraser recorded this video
:02:28. > :02:31.files. I was deeply disappointed to find out he was once again invited
:02:32. > :02:36.onto the panel for the Question Time programme. I understand that as an
:02:37. > :02:40.organisation the BBC must provide impartial and balanced coverage and
:02:41. > :02:43.give a voice to all, but to continue to give Nigel Farage a platform to
:02:44. > :02:54.air extremist and devise a is dangerous. -- divisive. Too many of
:02:55. > :02:56.my fellow Britons he embodies all that is wrong with the country.
:02:57. > :03:16.The producer told us... The long-running civil war in Yemen
:03:17. > :03:22.has concerned that many viewers. They felt it was being
:03:23. > :03:26.underreported. Fergal Keane's report on Monday's news at ten touched many
:03:27. > :03:30.in the audience. More than 7000 have been killed and 3 million forced to
:03:31. > :03:36.flee their homes. In rural areas they are furthest
:03:37. > :03:42.from aid. Waiting for the world. In this village, medics from Save the
:03:43. > :03:49.Children battle to help. In another, people have brought sick infants to
:03:50. > :03:58.others. The old man, and his hungry grandchildren. This nine-month old
:03:59. > :04:02.is sick with liver problems caused by malnutrition.
:04:03. > :04:04.Martin Rowe was one of many viewers who decided to get in touch with
:04:05. > :04:27.us... The future of Britain and whether
:04:28. > :04:30.the government or MPs have the final right to trigger the exit from the
:04:31. > :04:33.European Union is one of the biggest stories around, and it has been
:04:34. > :04:37.determined in the Supreme Court, which held a four-day hearing of the
:04:38. > :04:42.government appeal on the issue. While there was a bit of a circus
:04:43. > :04:47.with protesters outside the real drama was inside, with cameras
:04:48. > :04:50.enabling the news channel to run all day live coverage, the justices
:04:51. > :04:54.would announce their judgment in the New Year, but there was plenty of
:04:55. > :04:59.detail on the argument on whether the government can invoke Article 50
:05:00. > :05:02.of the Lisbon Treaty when it chooses or whether, as various campaigners
:05:03. > :05:06.are successfully argued in the High Court, it must seek the approval of
:05:07. > :05:11.MPs. The hearing was covered extensively on the BBC News Channel.
:05:12. > :05:34.Let's go over to our reporter who has watched
:05:35. > :05:37.proceedings all week, for the latest.
:05:38. > :05:39.It has been for Mike days of hearings of this historic Brexit
:05:40. > :05:41.legal case, four days of argument that has sometimes been impassioned,
:05:42. > :05:43.sometimes, frankly, pretty impenetrable, although today one of
:05:44. > :05:45.the barristers said that the arguments against the government
:05:46. > :05:47.were so clear they could be understood by a six-year-old child,
:05:48. > :05:47.which I somehow doubt. Were you gripped?
:05:48. > :06:10.One reviewer said... But there were those who were keen
:06:11. > :06:11.to stick with the unfolding arguments and felt let down for a
:06:12. > :06:33.different reason, like David... I am joined by the BBC legal
:06:34. > :06:38.correspondent, Clive Coleman, who had been at the Supreme Court all
:06:39. > :06:41.week. Although cameras have been in the Supreme Court for a while this
:06:42. > :06:45.felt like the first big chance for rolling news to go with a story that
:06:46. > :06:48.is clearly of major importance, but some viewers felt it was overloaded,
:06:49. > :06:53.and they did not really understand what was going on, because of the
:06:54. > :06:55.nature of proceedings, did you get the balance right?
:06:56. > :07:27.Some correspondence and lawyers felt overloaded. Look, proceedings in
:07:28. > :07:30.the Supreme Court have been televised since 2009. Why have we
:07:31. > :07:33.not televise a whole case? The reason being that they have become a
:07:34. > :07:35.sort of academic seminar, that is the sort of flavour, the texture,
:07:36. > :07:38.and often they are very, very complicated, and very difficult to
:07:39. > :07:40.follow, the decision was taken on this occasion that this was such a
:07:41. > :07:42.massive case, perhaps the biggest case in generations, about where
:07:43. > :07:44.power lies in our Constitution, between ministers and Parliament,
:07:45. > :07:46.and because the political ramifications are to give it a lot
:07:47. > :07:49.more coverage than we would normally do with a Supreme Court case the
:07:50. > :07:52.decision was taken to give it a lot more coverage than we would normally
:07:53. > :07:54.do with a Supreme Court reports for a general audience, how do you
:07:55. > :07:57.manage a situation like this, when it is all kind of unfolding live?
:07:58. > :07:58.This was a fantastically complicated case generating 24,000 pages of
:07:59. > :08:01.written argument, legal authorities, how do you convince that down, when
:08:02. > :08:04.you are doing hips and the news channel, which are lasting one
:08:05. > :08:15.minute, two minutes, three minutes? It is really
:08:16. > :08:19.difficult, I approach it in this clearly in your day to day job you
:08:20. > :08:21.are used to complicated court proceedings and turning them into
:08:22. > :08:23.understandable news reports for a general audience, how do you manage
:08:24. > :08:26.a situation like this, when it is all kind of unfolding live? This was
:08:27. > :08:28.a fantastically complicated case generating 24,000 pages of written
:08:29. > :08:30.argument, of the authorities, how do you convince that down, when you are
:08:31. > :08:33.doing hips and the news channel, which are lasting one minute, two
:08:34. > :08:36.minutes, three minutes? It is really difficult, I approach it in this
:08:37. > :08:39.way, you are trying to be like a good jury advocate. You are trying
:08:40. > :08:39.to find an image, or a way through a complicated thicket of legal
:08:40. > :08:57.argument, the way that you might do...
:08:58. > :09:00.Dining, for instance, let's take the act at the centre of this case, the
:09:01. > :09:03.European communities act of 1972, the act which took us into the EU, I
:09:04. > :09:06.described that as sort of a huge oak tree of an act, it is a
:09:07. > :09:08.constitutional statute, it is not a little sapling, you know, there were
:09:09. > :09:10.other acts mentioned like the Dangerous Dogs Act, this is a
:09:11. > :09:13.massive constitutional statute, people may think it is a cheap
:09:14. > :09:15.trick, but something like that, it at least once the image in the head
:09:16. > :09:18.of the viewer, it makes it more understandable, and that is my would
:09:19. > :09:21.you say to people who felt it was complicated that the importance of
:09:22. > :09:23.the story meant it was worth trying to stick the most important thing
:09:24. > :09:26.for me is that politics and personal threats against the woman at its
:09:27. > :09:28.centre and some very personal criticism of the judges, enemies of
:09:29. > :09:30.the people being the headline, exactly, and it is such an important
:09:31. > :09:33.case, that, you know, I really took the view that actually this is a
:09:34. > :09:36.case arrived at the Supreme Court in a blizzard of politics and personal
:09:37. > :09:38.threats against the woman at its centre and some very personal
:09:39. > :09:40.criticism of the judges, enemies of the people being the headline,
:09:41. > :09:43.exactly, and it is such an important case, that, you know, I really took
:09:44. > :09:45.the view that actually this is opportunity to see our Constitution
:09:46. > :09:48.and the rule of law in action, because this was a judicial review,
:09:49. > :09:51.it was triggered by two citizens who have the right to ask a court to get
:09:52. > :09:53.you know, they don't really teach the constitution in school, but
:09:54. > :09:55.these are incredibly important things, and this did provide the BBC
:09:56. > :09:58.and others with a great opportunity to see the tectonic plates of the
:09:59. > :10:01.Constitution in action, and these were independent judges, dealing
:10:02. > :10:08.with decisions that ministers were wanting to take, and actually the
:10:09. > :10:10.thing that came being taken by ministers and rule on whether it is
:10:11. > :10:13.lawful or not. We all have the right to do that. It
:10:14. > :10:15.is interesting, a lot of lawyers have said to me, you know, they
:10:16. > :10:17.don't really teach the constitution in school, but these are incredibly
:10:18. > :10:20.important things, and this did provide the BBC and others with a
:10:21. > :10:22.great opportunity to see the tectonic plates of the Constitution
:10:23. > :10:24.in action, and these were independent judges, dealing with
:10:25. > :10:26.decisions that ministers were wanting to take, and actually the
:10:27. > :10:29.thing that came across is that a lot of people did not quite realised
:10:30. > :10:30.that judges had that when will we get the decision?
:10:31. > :10:33.In the middle of. Let us know your thoughts on that or
:10:34. > :10:36.any aspect of BBC News. Details on how to contact us at the end of the
:10:37. > :10:39.programme. Has the cost of Christmas dinner gone up or down? The BBC News
:10:40. > :10:42.website was thank you so much. Let us know your thoughts on that or any
:10:43. > :10:45.aspect of BBC News. Details on how to contact us at the end of the
:10:46. > :10:47.programme. Has the cost of Christmas dinner gone up or down? The BBC News
:10:48. > :10:50.website conflicting stories. One story used to research by good
:10:51. > :10:52.housekeeping and said Christmas 2016 may be the cheapest ever. Another
:10:53. > :10:54.piece used figures from my supermarket to save costs and ridden
:10:55. > :10:57.by 14%. Janice Moffat is confused. An item on the website Christmas
:10:58. > :10:59.would be the cheapest ever. A contributing factor was the fact
:11:00. > :11:04.that the price of Christmas dinner with the lowest since 2009. 10%
:11:05. > :11:08.lower. Imagine my surprise when days later I read another headline on the
:11:09. > :11:14.same website claiming the Christmas dinner costs were to rise 14% this
:11:15. > :11:18.year. What is it to be? Is my Christmas dinner going to cost me
:11:19. > :11:22.more less? I am really disappointed in the BBC News editorial team for
:11:23. > :11:26.allowing this clearly contradictory reports to be posted an item on the
:11:27. > :11:28.website Christmas would be the cheapest ever. A contributing factor
:11:29. > :11:30.was the fact that the price Christmas dinner with the lowest
:11:31. > :11:33.since 2009. 10% lower. Imagine my surprise when days later I read
:11:34. > :11:35.another headline on the same website claiming the Christmas dinner costs
:11:36. > :11:39.were to rise 14% this year. What is it to be? Is my Christmas dinner
:11:40. > :11:41.going to cost me more less? I am really disappointed in the BBC News
:11:42. > :11:47.editorial team for allowing this clearly contradictory reports to be
:11:48. > :11:49.posted has anybody in this team even read their own news?
:11:50. > :11:51.The BBC's reality check has looked at these two reports and concluded
:11:52. > :11:54.that food in general is slightly cheaper, what you end up paying for
:11:55. > :11:57.Christmas dinner will depend on how you shop and how much time you have
:11:58. > :12:00.to do it. That is all from us. Thank you for your comments this week. If
:12:01. > :12:02.you want to see appear on the programme you can call appear on the
:12:03. > :12:05.programme you can or e-mail Newswatch. Do have a look at our
:12:06. > :12:10.website for previous do have a look at our website for previous back to
:12:11. > :12:15.hear your thoughts about BBC News coverage again next week.