"Fiddle dee dee! War, war, war!"
If you ask me, there are too many homos on TV.
Posted on 10/20/2003 7:02:35 PM PDT by Pikamax
Too much war on TV, say viewers
Steven Morris Tuesday October 21, 2003 The Guardian
Most viewers felt broadcasters devoted too much time to coverage of the Iraq war, according to a survey published today.
Nearly two thirds of those questioned by the Independent Television Commission said station planners were wrong to give over so much of their schedules to the conflict.
There was concern that the views of some parties, such as the Iraqi people and governments opposed to the war, were not heard clearly enough.
Some viewers also questioned the impartiality of reporters "embedded" with British and American troops. However, most agreed that broadcasters were right to show images of dead soldiers and prisoners of war.
Asked about the extended news bulletins during the war, 27% of viewers felt there was "far too much" coverage and 34% a "bit too much". Thirty seven per cent thought broadcasters got coverage right.
Despite the reservations, television was the public's main source of news about the war, according to the survey.
Not surprisingly, there was a surge of interest in news bulletins after war broke out, with viewing up by 84%.
BBC1's Ten O'Clock News proved consistently more popular than ITV1's late evening bulletin, with an average monthly audience of 6.2 million in March and April. ITV1 drew in 4.6 million over the same period.
ITV1 did, however, pull in the largest single audience when 9.2 million people tuned in to its 9pm bulletin on March 24 as troops advanced on Baghdad.
Sky News outstripped the other dedicated news channels and managed to attract a younger audience, with a fifth of 16 to 24-year-olds favouring the channel.
A quarter of those questioned felt BBC1, ITV1 and Sky News were biased towards the US and Britain in their coverage. Channel 4 and Five were perceived as the fairest, and CNN as the least balanced.
In spite of controversy at the time, 57% of viewers supported the decision to broadcast images of dead soldiers and prisoners of war.
More than 80% felt the views of Tony Blair and the British and American military were explained well on television. But less than 40% said the views of Iraqi people and governments that opposed the war were well explained.
The research found public support for the use of "embedded" journalists, although 52% thought such reporting "makes war seem too much like fiction" and almost half had doubts over the impartiality of embedded correspondents.
What the heck does that mean?
"Fiddle dee dee! War, war, war!"
If you ask me, there are too many homos on TV.
Scollett!! You need kissing...and by someone who knows how!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.