Media Ignorance When It Comes To The Weather

[flagpole]

You have such a powerful and compelling debating style. It's good to see we have such well-informed debate on this board.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I like to think I increase the intellectual level on this board, I'm not quite sure what your role is. Chief sh*t stirrer maybe?

[Osbourne One-Nil]

If you're going to insult someone, please don't forget the smiley immediately afterwards to make it seem like a joke.

Many thanks

[londonsnow]

well done itv weather. they did a barometer check tonight. something the beeb used to do. but now that the beeb have decided that we dont need to know what the synoptic situation is, they dont bother with this sort of thing.

[J10]

They frequently give barometer checks on local BBC weather forecasts

[londonsnow]

They frequently give barometer checks on local BBC weather forecasts

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

do they? i dont listen to bbc london

[londonsnow]

Is it the "majority of newsworthy events occur there" or "the majority of newsreaders/journalists live there".

Nothing like a blinkered soft southerner to say it like he wishes it is!!!

If you and your south-eastern friends are so important you should have the UK's nuclear arsenal stored beside you, you should have the oil rigs in your region, you should have all the cows/sheep/crops where all your food is produced or the ports where all your cheap imports are offloaded from in your region.

The wealth of London which you allude to would not have been possible without the coal mines of the north during the last 150 years, ot the shipbuilding capabilities of "Northern" areas like Clydeside or Tyneside.

The "majority" of news worthy events do not occur in London or the surrounding area. News is proportional to the effect it has on one particular area, combined with the proximity of those who decide to report it. In that respect it is so obvious that London news gets over reported, obvious to anyone who isn't so introverted that (to quote Jade Goody) they think that "East Angular is abroad".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i work for the media, and in london, and believe you me it is so depressing how the "if it doesnt happen on my back door, it hasnt happend" mentality prevails. the classic for me was jan 28 2004 when london had a freakish thundersnowstorm at 5ish pm. this represents deadline for many national papers, and it created mayhem on many newsdesks. v amusing

[su rui ke]

I really don't know what some of you expect.

Any country's media will always be biased to the capital of that country and the surrounding region, as by implication (in fact you could say something stronger - by definition) the majority of newsworthy events occur there, e.g. politics.

You might expect more political stories to originate in the capital but that's not the point. It's a question of who the organisation considers it is broadcasting to, not where its reports come from. If an organisation promotes itself as being 'national' then it has a duty not to regard a large proportion - and sometimes the majority - of its audience as being somewhere 'other'.

I cannot agree with your comments about other countries either - at least as far as reporting on the weather goes. I have lived in Germany and the Netherlands and the national TV stations, at least, took care to avoid that sort of bias. Much less lazy and more professional!

Come to think of it, I would say the same is true here in China.

So, 'any country' - I don't think so.

[Shiny_Bottom_1]

Although I agree with many comments on this, how about turning the thread the other way around.

How would we feel if a quality newspaper, lets say the Sun, came out with the headline "London faces heatwave", or "Highlands to get blizzards".

We could potentially then be in a boat of well what about the rest of the country.

As TM said, its complex for the media (those which are not dedicated to the weather), to give detailed forecasts/information.

Its much easier to give a simplistic point of view on one scenario.

[Rollo]

Although I agree with many comments on this, how about turning the thread the other way around.

How would we feel if a quality newspaper, lets say the Sun, came out with the headline "London faces heatwave", or "Highlands to get blizzards".

We could potentially then be in a boat of well what about the rest of the country.

As TM said, its complex for the media (those which are not dedicated to the weather), to give detailed forecasts/information.

Its much easier to give a simplistic point of view on one scenario.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Morning Snowman, Let's face it the majority of papers cater for the masses and the masses don't give a damn about the weather really, as long as they are told when to carry a brolly or a take a coat. The top papers like the Times etc do give a fair amount of space and at least do include a synoptic chart-but how many folk understand what the pressure lines mean.

[Shiny_Bottom_1]

Morning Rollo

Totally agree with what your saying.

The papers are giving forecasts/stories for the masses. People dont buy papers because of their interest in the weather. To a high proportion of their readers, its just another story.

[WBSH]

I've got a couple of points to make. First is that the media interpretation is at best abysmal. I can remember the 2/3 day toppler at the end of Jan 2004 being labelled as 'the big freeze'!!! Yes we got a bit of snow including the famous thundersnow but labelling it the big freeze was pathetic. And another thing which I notice which TV forecasts and the media often get wrong is labelling average temperatures as 'dissapointing' or 'cool' etc... Do we expect temperatures to be constantly like N.Africa?? But in one sense the media is only really catering for the majority of the public who show even less interest and worse knowledge on the matter of weather.

My next point is that the majority of people complaining about the 'SE bias media' are very right. A heatwave in London is a heatwave everywhere else according to the papers the next day but listening to the reaction on here you would think that its generally us southerners fault for this media bias. We can't help what the media says just as much as people away form the SE can't. And on the topic of 'bias' I suspect this thread is becoming 'very' northern bias. We sourtheners aren't bad people you know!

WBSH

Edited August 8, 2005 by Winter Blizzard Summer Heat

[su rui ke]

We can't help what the media says just as much as people away form the SE can't. And on the topic of 'bias' I suspect this thread is becoming 'very' northern bias. We sourtheners aren't bad people you know!

WBSH

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, it really is the media we are complaining about - not you nice 'southern' people. And at least you have been good enough to acknowledge that there is a problem.

I think it's notable how taking at least a little interest in the weather makes people aware of the bias that does exist in the reporting.

[kold weather]

I think the thing we have to remember is that a large percent of the countries population live in the south-eastern quadrant of the U.k,I think there must be a good 20 million overall in the south-eastern quater of the country.So its only rifght that the media should be geared more towards the London area an surrounding counties.

nonetheless this doesn't mean that other areas are less important though.Funnily enough the weather bullitins in perth were excellent,great use of radar and i remmeber one day when the weather forecaster was tracking a squall line using radar and hw this squall line fitted in wit hthe actual syntopic pattern and mentioned about a area of positive voricity moving toards the bay ahead of the cold front.

[Mondy]

Doesn't 20 million in the south-east leave at least 40 million elsewhere in the UK?? Isn't that twice as many people so maybe twice as important??!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Totally agree with that CMD. Sorry Kold.

And to be honest, the media are geared towards London in more

ways than one - but's that's for another time.

Some of the "best" weather is further north - winter gales, blizzards, deep frosts. London doesn't get them as much - and dont even start me on the white Xmas carry on regarding a drop of snow on the weather centre is proof a white xmas occured. Joke, when other places can see a foot or more on the 25th Dec, yet not classified as white..

(rant over...sorry all)

[shuggee]

Has anyone else noticed the dispropotionate mentioning of Lincolnshire?! It has to be the most mentioned county of the whole of the UK. For instance, when was the last time the BBC UK forecast mentioned say, Dorset or Buckinghamshire?!

[flagpole]

Has anyone else noticed the dispropotionate mentioning of Lincolnshire?!  It has to be the most mentioned county of the whole of the UK.  For instance, when was the last time the BBC UK forecast mentioned say, Dorset or Buckinghamshire?!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is because it contains me and is therefore the most wondrous place on earth

[Nick H]

Has anyone else noticed the dispropotionate mentioning of Lincolnshire?!  It has to be the most mentioned county of the whole of the UK.  For instance, when was the last time the BBC UK forecast mentioned say, Dorset or Buckinghamshire?!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've noticed that too! Lincolnshire seems to be mentioned on every forecast. Norfolk's another frequent one too, followed by Cornwall I suspect.

When was the last time anyone heard Northamptonshire on a national forecast?

[Mondy]

And while were at it - what does the far north mean? Where exactly?

[Nick H]

And while were at it - what does the far north mean? Where exactly?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True - is it the far north of Scotland or far north of England? Or anything north of the Midlands?

[Methuselah]

According to the Daily Star ( ), Friday's going to be the hottest day EVER! :lol: :lol:

[JJB McCabe-deluxe edition]

According to the Daily Star ( ), Friday's going to be the hottest day EVER! :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:   :lol:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've only seen the front page when it was shown as a newspaper round up on the TV, I'm not sure what temperature the hottest EVER is supposed to be. The Sun also forecast this Friday to get to around 104F a couple of months ago. With two of the most reputable and accurate newspapers of this country reporting this I don't see how it can't happen, all we need now is for the Mirror and Daily Mail to join in and it will be a certainty.

JJB

[shuggee]

... With two of the most reputable and accurate newspapers of this country reporting this I don't see how it can't happen, all we need now is for the Mirror and Daily Mail to join in and it will be a certainty.

JJB

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good to see wit and satire is alive & well JJB!

Edited August 9, 2005 by shuggee

[Methuselah]

I've only seen the front page when it was shown as a newspaper round up on the TV, I'm not sure what temperature the hottest EVER is supposed to be. The Sun also forecast this Friday to get to around 104F a couple of months ago.  With two of the most reputable and accurate newspapers of this country reporting this I don't see how it can't happen, all we need now is for the Mirror and Daily Mail to join in and it will be a certainty.

JJB

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thank you JJB! :lol: :lol:

[The PIT]

Media forecasts and TV forecasts are getting worse. Nothing worse seeing the BBC Weather Girls wrapped up like they're in Sibera on a mild Winters morning "Saying it's freezing" (Temps around 6c - 8c) and you're off to work in light jacket and T Shirt.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I think there is a big difference, a lot of the time, between what the media think the masses want/are, and what they actually want/are.

For instance, it is assumed that most people have no interest in the weather, a minority have a passing interest and an even smaller minority have a big interest. In reality, certainly in my experience, most people seem to fall into the 'passing interest' category. In other words, they underestimate the amount of interest people actually, on average, have in the weather.

The media also assumes that almost everyone hates snow and only a minority of childish eccentrics like snow. My experiences suggest that the real balance is nearer 50-50, and there are also many people who have a love-hate relationship with snow- if it's a snowy weekend they enjoy their snowball fights and sledging, but feel inconvenienced when driving to work in snow. We are, however, in a business dominated culture and it may be that the media want to educate people as to why they shouldn't like snow (i.e. disruption and inconvenience for business)

There is also an inconsistency with snow hatred in the media- if we all hate snow because of the inconvenience it causes during the working week, why are we assumed to hate it most when it happens on a weekend?

In general, the media seem to think that everybody have exactly the same preferences for weather types, when it doesn't work like that. Even if you just take the masses who prefer dry sunny weather, some aren't bothered about the 'sunny' part, whereas others see sunshine as being the most important variable.