Not That Interesting

[bcholmes]

The following day [after Gustav fizzled out in New Orleans], a senior BBC journalist leaked an email from his editor to media analyst David Miller at Strathclyde University. The whistleblower's editor had listed several stories which he described as "not that interesting", followed by the comment: "Dull stories - every one of them, don't you think?" These were the stories:

• "The leading anti-drugs judge in Afghanistan has been assassinated.
• "There's been an angry reaction in France following the magazine publication of photos of Taleban fighters displaying trophies they'd stripped from French soldiers killed in an ambush.
• "The authorities in Haiti say the number of those killed in the wake of Tropical Storm Hanna has risen to more than sixty.
• "A United Nations report says the world's wealthiest countries are failing to deliver on their promises to boost development aid."

The anonymous BBC journalist expressed his feelings:

"I'm sure once that Hurricane gets to Florida we'll have live coverage of the telephone polls falling over, but sixty dead people in Haiti. Not that interesting."

— "Not Very Interesting" - Haiti, New Orleans And Media Hypocrisy