World

what their audience wants and we leave audiencepreferences to them.” Andre Singer, Cafe Productions“Programme editors are driven by audience interest, butthis can lead to a fixation with home, leisure andconsumer items instead of the broader agenda” GeorgeAlagiah, BBC NewsG.3.3.4. BudgetBudget constraints are seen as a problem in coverage ofthe developing world.“Big foreign stories like Kosovo can limit our ability tocover other foreign stories” Al Anstey, ITN“The expense certainly doesn’t help us get foreign ideasthrough. Video and crew costs may be cheaper but there’sstill transport, acommodation, translators and so on” IanStuttard, BBC“It does make producers self-censor foreign ideas theymight otherwise suggest for Tonight” Charles Tremayne,Granada“Research abroad can be the first thing to be sacrificed ona low budget, causing producers to fall back on sloppyThird World clichés and stereotypes” George Carey,Menthorn Barraclough Carey“We get some help from the travel companies or airlinecompanies to help us travel widely, but we can’t accepttoo much as we have to keep our editorial freedom at thesame time” Jannine Waddell, BBC HolidayOn the other hand, most non-news producers nowassume as a matter of course that they will need to findco-production funding for programmes made abroad.And some feel there has been too much of a tendency forcommissioners to seek big budget ‘event’ televisionwhere simpler use of new technology and ‘verité’ filmingapproaches could be just as effective and may actuallybring the audience closer to a subject.There is a feeling in some quarters that budgetarylimits can be used as a scapegoat to avoid doing more inthe developing world.“It’s sometimes used as an excuse, as it’s never aconstraint when there’s a major foreign news story. TheBBC seems to have more to spend on foreign news thananyone else.” George Alagiah, BBC NewsG.3.3.5. Reliable programme sourcesThose programme-makers dealing constantly withdeveloping world countries refer to their need for reliablesources of information and programme material.The BBC Holiday staff are heavily dependent on thetourist industry for consumer trends, research andprogramme material – as well as material help in gettingto the destinations. They are also increasingly mindful ofpressure groups like Tourism Concern campaigning forethical tourism.“We cancelled an item on Montenegro after discussionswith Tourism Concern, and we are very aware of theneed to reflect places and people accurately andsensitively” Jannine Waddell, BBC HolidayITN and Sky News staff refer to the importance of thenews agencies.“The major news agencies are very influential inbreaking news stories. We also rely on ourcorrespondents, and also UN and aid agency sources.” AlAnstey, ITN“We’re heavily dependent on Reuters TV and APTN, butwe’ve also got our bureaux abroad.” Robert Moore, ITN“We’re very reliant on Reuters, and will get APTN soon.If they miss something important they’ll get it in the neck”Nick Pollard, Sky NewsA former Development Correspondent at the BBC hasa different perspective.“Newspapers are an important source on developmentstories. Some campaigning charities like Oxfam, or someof the church agencies that recruit locally are also veryhelpful. The big news agencies {Reuters, APTN} areirrelevant on development stories. In fact they are anegative influence because their agenda influences theprogramme editors and can militate againstdevelopment stories.” George Alagiah, BBC NewG.3.3.6. Regulatory/moral obligation11 of the 13 programme-makers interviewed claim asense of moral obligation to this area of programming,and 5 a sense of regulatory obligation.“For me there’s a huge moral obligation to support thisarea. It’s the driving force in my journalism” GeorgeAlagiah, BBC News“It’s part of being a journalist” Al Anstey, ITN“It’s a factor in our coverage of the war {Kosovo} – thestory needs to be constantly told” Robert Moore, ITN“We feel obliged to be honest. We don’t dig out problemslike poverty, but we don’t hide it” Jannine Waddell, BBCHoliday160 DFID – July 2000