Vent-BBC news alerts

whitegoods_engineer

My Android device has the BBC news app on it and sounds news alerts when 'important' news breaks.

Well that's what is supposed to happen. However, These so-called news alerts are sounding constantly with the most mundane non-stories.

I heard an alert sound this morning, logged into my tablet, and the so-called important news alert was that a couple of unemployed royals who have managed to achieve the procreation of a child have released a PR photo. That's it!

So the BBC deems the press release of a photo of some royals so important that they sound a news alert to tell us of this earth-shattering news!

In my day, newsflashes were used to alert us to things like plane crashes or terrorist attacks but today, we get a newsflash to let us know that some royals have released a photo.

As another example, in the last few days I've heard little but 'Star wars' being discussed as newsworthy on the BBC. Star Wars is a film, not a news story!!!

Do the people at BBC news have any idea of what constitutes a news story, or indeed, an important one?

wealdroam

Can this be moved to the appropriate place.

The OP needs a lesson on where to find The Arms.

Here's a clue:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=58

Bollotom

Blinkin' 'eck. A white goods engineer? You'd think he'd be able to sort out an "Android device" :cool:

Azari

wealdroam wrote: »

Can this be moved to the appropriate place.

The OP needs a lesson on where to find The Arms.

Here's a clue:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=58

Why would you want to move a vent (the clue is in the thread title) to 'The Arms'?

Did you attach this post to the wrong thread?

On the other hand, both the Miranda and Kylie threads belong in 'The Arms'.

Poppie68

I would rather a picture of the little ones than all the doom and gloom that's in the news at the moment.

Malthusian

What did you expect?

If there is a terrorist attack or other "important news" then you don't need a BBC app to tell you. It will be on every screen in pubs and TV shop windows and people will be huddling round phones and computers with shocked expressions.

An app that only told you of such earth-shattering stories would be almost pointless. What's the point of programming an app that will only go "bing" once every year or so, and only to tell you something you'd find out for yourself in five minutes anyway.

Azari

Malthusian wrote: »

What did you expect?

If there is a terrorist attack or other "important news" then you don't need a BBC app to tell you. It will be on every screen in pubs and TV shop windows and people will be huddling round phones and computers with shocked expressions.

An app that only told you of such earth-shattering stories would be almost pointless. What's the point of programming an app that will only go "bing" once every year or so, and only to tell you something you'd find out for yourself in five minutes anyway.

Well, they should at lest be honest and call it a 'Celebrity Tittle-Tattle App'. :rotfl:

daytona0

Just because the Royal Family aren't important to you (or me), doesn't mean that they aren't important news stories for the UK public. So it is a matter of opinion there. I frankly agree with you, it is a bit silly, but I wouldn't hate on BBC for doing that (I might hate on them for some cover-ups in the past.... I may also wonder whether I could bring myself to install the app, but each to their own!).

Also, Star Wars 7 is news! Big news! A successful film series which is hugely popular is going to be important for a lot of people. Hell, you wouldn't see people with crossbows at the premiere for The Hunger Games but you'd likely see a few light sabres at the Stars Wars premiere! Even if it isn't considered news, it is going to be informative and interesting to a large large large group of people.

In your day maybe you were like 20 years younger, when mobile phones weren't rife and internet was on dialup! I'd say be thankful that you have extremely easy access to news (when you think about it but a push notification is just the height of laziness, given you probably had to connect via dialup and scour the internet 'back in your day'), but otherwise I'd say that you are going to find out about 'important' events within 5 minutes anyway so there is no point in having an app which just does maybe 2-3 messages a year!

Finally, be advised that there was probably a terrorist attack carried out in Iraq today. Did you hear about that? Probably not! A LOT of news worthy stories go unnoticed by the UK and it tends to be European issues and bad local incidents (which otherwise end up on local news only). We aren't subject to much terrorism usually, so there isn't always a plane crash or terrorist act which would wet your interest! We don't live in the wild west....

FLA27

I turned off the notifications for the BBC new app a long time ago for precisely this reason!

I have nothing against the royals, they are a valuable part of this country and our heritage but, 'London family has photo taken' is hardly Breaking News.

redpete

whitegoods_engineer wrote: »

In my day, newsflashes were used to alert us to things like plane crashes or terrorist attacks but today, we get a newsflash to let us know that some royals have released a photo.

But you have subscribed to 'breaking news' alerts, presumably based on the categories you have selected, not old-style 'news flashes' that would interrupt TV programmes.

I do agree however that a bleep announcing the release of set of photos of the toddler prince would annoy me.

whitegoods_engineer

Daytona0, you're missing the point entirely. I'm not saying that various news items aren't of interest to various people. I'm saying that news alerts should be for important, breaking news stories which will have major interest to the MAJORITY such as a terrorist attack or plane crash etc.

Popping up a news alert because some gormless people release photos through their well-funded press machine, doesn't mean that the BBC news dept should run with it, let alone create a news alert for it!

The BBC news people should consist of journalists who do not simply push out press-releases disguised as news. It's lazy journalism.

When they combine PR puff for some waste-of-space royals with a news alert, you can be sure that the standards of journalism at the BBC have fallen off a cliff.

Maybe I'm cynical because I can remember a time when newspapers and TV news contained news stories rather than trying to be 'Hello' magazine.