BBC's Breakfast claims to have broken a new story...
This morning's Breakfast has enjoyed itself claiming to have broken a new story on the the use of special traffic cameras to monitor moving vehicles. It reports on the existence of a secret Government working group, how the proposed enforcement will raise millions in revenue for local authorities and how the evidence from the pilot testing schemes only show a marginal benefit. The BBC seems to have a problem in containing itself - it seems to be saying that all revenue proceeds will be used to fill the coffers of the local authorities.
Well, it is not a new story. The tests have been going on for at least one year when a number of authorities were selected for testing. Several local authorities also self-nominated themselves. Secondly, there are over 25 offences which are to be included in the scheme - the BBC is overemphasising box junctions and 'u turns'.
What the BBC is not telling us is how much the cameras will cost, how long will it take for the investment to be recovered and how the public needs to be aware of a range of offences that the cameras may or may not cover depending on the area and its traffic flows. What the BBC also does not realise that cameras can be requisitioned by the Police at short notice to monitor crime or carry out any urgent investigations into developing incidents.
Is this yet another case of excitement leading to willful misreporting? Or is it just that BBC journalists have not carried out enough research to acquire a balanced view. Only the BBC can answer these questions. The outcome of repeated misreporting this morning is that many viewers will be getting unnecessarily angry and reinforcing their prejudices, to say the least.
Comments