I’ve often wondered why women who appear on TV a lot look so thin. Now I know. The camera makes you look absolutely AWFUL unless you’re reed thin.
This isn’t the first time I have warned my handful of readers that I’m somewhat inclined to be shallow so I hope it doesn’t come as a surprise to say that when I appeared on TV this morning, my only thought was: UGH! How fat am I!
Going on TV
I appeared on the BBC Newswatch programme to complain about the Corporation’s lack of coverage of the 50,000 people who marched against privatisation of the NHS last Sunday in Manchester. I’d like to have gone on the march. Manchester is quite close to where I live and I could’ve easily got there. Sounded like it was a great event, carnival atmosphere, nice weather and far more people taking part than were at the Tory Party conference, also taking place that day. I didn’t go because I don’t like large crowds – and turns out this was a VERY large crowd. Most people didn’t realise though that it had even taken place.
BBC told not to film
That’s because the BBC was told not to film the event – we still don’t know who by. So what did this excellent news organisation responsible for holding leaders to account do? It obeyed! Some jumped-up security guard said, oi mate, you can’t film the march – apparently for “security” reasons – and the BBC’s reporter Norman Smith replied, oh, all right then. Though he did tweet about it. Big deal.
Millions of people rely solely on the BBC for news coverage. Newspaper sales are sliding and many aren’t even read online. TV news is what matters. Someone told me they’d travelled 513 miles to get to the march last Sunday, leaving home at 5am. Imagine how galling it must’ve been to be ignored by the nation’s most trusted news channel.
I berate the BBC
So I went onto Newswatch – the BBC’s feedback programme – and had a go at them for this. I’ve no idea, truly, none, why they asked me to go on. I just sent an email complaining about lack of coverage. Apparently they had over 1,000 such complaints about lack of coverage though said this had been partly “orchestrated”. Unlike the Daily Mail’s anti-BBC campaigns eh? Not a chance they’re orchestrated is it.
Anyway I love the BBC. Always have. I like to think I’m a critical friend of the Corporation and I’m also a freelance contributor to it though I was not paid for the Newswatch broadcast. By sheer coincidence I was also on the Jeremy Vine BBC Radio 2 programme yesterday lunchtime asking why social workers don’t remove kids immediately if they’re found to be living in filth.
Says something for the Corporation that it’ll still use someone as a contributor if they’ve criticised it so openly. How many other media organisations do that?
Good for the diet
Anyway all this is very good for the diet. Anxiety over a TV appearance, a medium I’m not used to, saw me lose my appetite for a day; seeing myself on telly has made me lose it for life!
No blogs next week as working at a client’s and won’t have time but be back shortly after. Thanks for reading, have a good weekend and hope next week is good for you too.
