Tea time news update

I didn't watch today as the questions are just so samey and that awful Laura Kuessberg or whatever her name is can be so irritating.

Not it was only last week that the journalists were invited to come back if they felt their question hadn’t been answered. Some of the earlier briefings were dire but last week MH showed he’d been listening to the criticisms. However, with one or two exceptions, the questioning remains poor - the journalists often seem to ask questions with their next headline in mind.

I agree, some of the journalists just repeat questions that have been answered five minutes before. The three presenters are unfailingly polite and often ask the journalist if they have answered to their satisfaction. Perhaps they should just say 'I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave earlier' like they do in the House of Commons.

Of course journalists should be able to ask questions but it would be more useful if they could be sensible ones. Sometimes we shout the answers as they're so obvious!
I wonder if press conferences are always like this but the general public don't usually see them?

I think Eddie Mair is GREAT! I love his voice and his style is pretty forensic. Radio 4 PM when I used to drive home from work was one of my favourite programmes. Lost to LBC.

Eddie Mair ( amongst others ) thinks that the health and science journalists of various media outlets ought to be able to ask questions. Today on his programme, he gave several the opportunity to phone in with the questions they would ask if they could - they were really interesting. This bunch at the press briefings are generally scientifically illiterate and innumerate to boot. And yes, those ludicrous questions about how long will it last etc etc

Good point there SueDonim about the repetition of journalists’ questions. So irritating!

I watch it because at the beginning of the whole thing, the statements followed by the questions were good, and you learnt a lot. That’s much less the case now for the questions ,but I suppose I live in hope.

I never have tv on in the mornings, I watch the 5pm update then the 10 o’clock news. Otherwise I keep an eye on the news online.

Why do so many people still watch it if they find it so irritating? The morning news is quite enough - then you may as well put some music on.

I disagree about the government being asked to apologise for how reactive they have been. I dread to think how many people will die because sporting events weren't cancelled and we had a whole weekend of good weather when people travelled to the seaside/beauty spots. And they have to explain why they were so late trying to obtain test kits or buy ventilators. Whatever is happening they need to be held to account for how slowly they reacted to this pandemic.

Ilovecheese What annoys me is that so often the journalists ask the same question that someone else asked five minutes ago. We learn nothing new from it.

I also agree with Eglantine’s point that they’re asking questions about easing the lockdown when we haven’t even reached the peak yet. Experts aren’t fortune tellers, they can make a good guess based on the science but we won’t know until we get there.

I don't usually watch them at all, but I'm going to have to now, to check out the questions and delivery styles.

Urmstongran You’re not kidding. I can’t stand the man and he drones on and on and on...... If I’ve managed to watch to the point at which he comes on screen I turn off or turn over.

I’ve felt the same way since 2008 when his ‘reporting’ simply made things worse than they already were!

Me too BBbevan I just catch up in the main news bulletin.

Totally agree. Tonight a journalist said will the government now apologise for.....this, that and the other. We need to look forward, not keep dwelling on what or hasn’t happened.

I have given up watching it.

Robert bluddy Peston is the worst of the bunch in my opinion. Humming and hawing, looong drawn out presentation, never addressing his questions with any nod to deference of status! He has a very cavalier style ... and when his questions have been answered by the experts he hogs the stage and asks MORE questions. Always.

You are right about that question Eglantine21 there still seems to be a group of people who just do not get the seriousness of this pandemic, perhaps because it is too frightening for them to want to understand. They would rather try to minimise it for their own mental self protection.

I think we’d all appreciate some insightful, to the point questions Ilovecheese

A few days ago one of them said something like “Now not so many people are catching the virus are you lifting the lockdown so that people who are expecting to be able to visit their families at the Easter weekend will be able to, like they usually do.”

I actually thought maybe it was a plant so that they could go ‘What?!” But she seened to be serious.

I thought the questions about why the Germans are doing so much better than us at containing the pandemic are necessary; ditto the ones asking about when we will be doing the testing that was promised. But I'm annoyed that reporters keep asking when the lockdown is going to end, given that 1,000 people a day are dying; more field hospitals/mortuaries are being created and things haven't even peaked yet. Do they really want people travelling all over the country at Easter or the May bank holidays?

I think the inane questions are because these so called journalists no longer have an army of support around them.
Previously the questions were probably devised by a behind the scenes assistant!

We tend to listen to the bulletin and then watch something else.

It really seems as if the journalists just want to make their voices heard. If someone has already asked the question they have to ask it again or think up something even less sensible in order to get themselves on screen.

Is it that you think that the journalists are asking the wrong questions?
Or do you think that they should not ask any questions at all?

I turned the journalists off this evening having got exasperated with them yesterday.

Long rambly questions and they don’t listen to the answers.

Self important people who just like the sound of their own voices!