Just a gentle word to Robert Peston, the BBC's business editor.
You're very good at your job. It's excellent that you did so very well breaking a big news story in Northern Rock.
But do you really need an advert all of your own on News 24 announcing how great it was to break that story?
Putting aside the fact that the BBC really shouldn't be making adverts which announced that a reporter has done his job properly (as opposed to sitting in the studio announcing what they've "learnt" from reading the first edition of the next day's papers), is it really right for Peston to be publicly, and repeatedly, celebrating his scoop?
This scoop revealed a chain of events which has subsequently led to tens of thousands fearing for their savings, will probably put thousands out of work, and has led to the Government taking over the country's largest mortgage book.
The Northern Rock saga will also result in tens of thousands who enjoyed good-rate mortgages with the lender being forced out onto the open market, to higher interest rate mortgages, as the Government refuses to offer them new competitive deals.
In short, it's bloody bad news for all concerned. And while you, Mr Peston, are not to blame for all of that, do you really want to be known as the reporter who boasts about bringing advance notice of bad news?
If I was you, Mr Peston, I'd save it for the newsroom, where it's understood in context, rather than doing it on national TV, where people might rather think you are basking in their misery.
PS: That cheeky reference BBC reporters use to pretend they've uncovered a story "the BBC has learnt" appears to have made its way to regional news, too. In the few minutes it actually gives to news during its half-hourly bulletin of which most is filled with pictures from viewers, links to regional radio stations and inane banter between the former presenter of the Krypton Factor and the ex-editor of the Daily Sport, North West Tonight has started "learning."
Case in point. On Tuesday morning, the Liverpool Daily Post revealed how the Paul McCartney concert planned for next month had almost gone t*ts up. At 6.30pm, North West Tonight was telling viewers it had learnt that the Paul McCartney concert had almost gone t*ts up. At least when breathless reporters charge into the 10pm news on BBC 1, it's having learnt something from the first editions, which most of us won't have seen. The Daily Post, by the time North West Tonight was learning things to us, had been out for everyone to see for at least 12 hours.
This might be a wacky idea, but given we pay you to bring us the news, how about the BBC actually tries to break some stories of its own, rather like Granada Reports is getting much better at doing? Who knows, the prize for doing so might be a 30-second commercial on News 24.
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