Re~Stirred Forum

Anybody else wonder why we can't have any actual news on the British media while the Olympics are in progress? The 'sun rising over the Olympic village' is NOT news. Of course it was the same for the Jubilee.

Once again the only place to find out what is going on outside of London is Al Jazeera.

The BBC is dreadful. Is Al-Jazeera on freeview?

Yes

...and whilst the Olympics are going on it will be the ideal time to bury bad news or not pay attention to stories that will have long term impacts, like...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jul/24/terence-stephenson-doctors-nhs

...it is a debate that should be had as there are some sound arguments for what Professor Stephenson is saying as well as criticism, but am I being too cynical in thinking this statement has been timed delibrately for olympic fortnight so discussion is airbrushed out of the mainstream media?

I found Al-Jazeera. It's 89. I turned over to it and someone was talking about the Olympics.

I don't mind the Olympics being included. It's when it's incessant and out of all proportion, like on BBC. Al Jazeera can be an interesting watch from time to time as it covers stories that you never see reported here. When I tuned in last night they were covering a standoff between the Iraqi army and Kurdish peshmerga near a checkpoint on the Syrian border.

oh just get a life everyone, this is a once in a life time event, relax and enjoy it. The opening ceremony in a multi media age got 27 million watching it so relax. If you want to watch something different most people can access it.

Good God he does have a point, just watched the 1pm news on BBC 1 leading with desperate comments/hopes for our first medal dominated the first part of the news the Beeb are becoming more and more obsessive with their reports and ramblings on such events, its all the more galling when you think they have just left the Olympic studio etc to go to the news...reports on Syria came a poor second.

They have even geared the whole weather reports around the games....I think 12-15 days in even the most fanatical sports fan will be a little weary.

not sure as this is just the prologue to the major event of the Olympics.

How many will watch the 100M final for example ?

for two weeks it is good to do this and not as if events in Syria are being ignored. However what can we do if we just stand aside and say nothing we can do, for sure the other arab states dont give a jot about it.

I have posted many a comment on here in the past around the lack of real TV news and how the wrong items headline the days broadcasts. And whilst I appreciate the historic lead that the Olympics gives I still feel so uncomfortable when the important news for example the suffering in Syria now at a major tipping point before it decends into a full civil war with the genuine risk of drawin in Turkey, Iran and of course Israel. Once again Iraq has had a week of sensless bombings and murders but you will have to wait at least 15 minutes into a TV newscast before you find a reference to these items. The news channels should give us the real news at least at the opening of the broadcast and they can then spend the secong half of the bulletins engaged in Gold Medals etc allowing the rest of us to move on.
It imbalance is really annoying and the BBC being the biggest culprits should recognise this major failingin the delivery of a News Service !!

I do agree these events should get a wider showing and will do I suspect after the first weekend. However it is difficult to report on events that no one actually knows the truth of what is going but we can guess.

lets see who moans when the world cup starts ?

Not me

An Olympic Games has not been hosted in the UK for nearly 70 years. In 1948, there was no television, so very little media coverage.

The BBC normally provides first class coverage of the games wherever they take place, but arguably a home-hosted games is such an exceptional event that you might reasonably expect our national broadcaster to provide more comprehensive coverage than ever before, and the corporation is well up to the task.

Can't see any problem in that at all.

Not complaining about the coverage, Gaston, I'm complaining about the absence of news in news bulletins.

Giles Fraser in the Guardian (online now, print edition tomorrow):

Or maybe some people just enjoy moaning,and being out of step with everyone else, these people will be happy when everyone else, walk the "black dog".
no-one can force anyone with "black dog" to smile. Even Churchill who coined the phrase knew, the way to get the best from people was to fill them full of optimistic hope. "we shall fight them on the beaches ...etc".
By the by I saw plenty of news today. then watched olympics to escape from it. just for a while.
for goodness sake most of us will never see the olympics hosted in London again. also it's 2 weeks every 4 years, but for the athletes it's what they have trained for and given up so much for, it's a shame people can't just accept that and wish them all the best.

Sally, I think most people do wish them all the best - so sit back, let the 'moaners' have their moan - and enjoy.....

Oh alright wonderingwhy, but only 'cause you say so , I am enjoying it, and your right

Let's hope not

Oh bless the Express - they pictured the Dutch Dressage Team on their front page...

Just watching one of the multi-channels the Beeb are supplying, there is no commentary just the crowd noise...its weird but it is wonderful to not have the usual inane commentary...

They've actually got Mr Mad (ex Steve Wright) doing the beach volleyball commentary.

Quite right, though we have found the best coverage on Eurosport, which shows the other sports taking place, especially the field events, rather than ignoring them for endless wittering on why a British competitor never expected to win didn't.

Will have a look at that. The 5000 metres annoyed me the other day: the latest obsession Mo Farrah, when he'd ran his heat, he watched the second heat, fair enough, but the camera seemingly focussed as much on him watching as much as the second heat race itself!

I think the hysteria afflicting the BBC has really gone beyond the bounds with respect to their news coverage.

The main evening news has just started, already delayed by fifteen minutes, to lead on the same stories just covered ad infinitum in the Olympics programme. Surely developments in the matter of Tia Sharp should have lead?