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World News At A World Class Standard

John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor

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Newsroom Magazine Archives




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Thoughts And Wisdom
We are in the business of gathering the news. We're not in the business of talking about the news.

Aaron Brown, ABC, CNN

CNN News : Asia

CNN News : Europe

  • Air France plane went down 'almost vertically'

    The Air France plane that crashed last month with 228 people aboard "did not break up or become destroyed in flight," the French air investigation agency announced Thursday. Flight 447 "went straight down, almost vertically... towards the surface of the water, very very fast," air accident investigator Alain Bouillard told reporters in Paris.

  • 'Miracle' plane crash survivor back in France

    A teenage girl who survived a plane crash off the Comoros islands by clinging to wreckage in the Indian Ocean flies back to Paris on a ministerial plane.

  • Soldiers patrol England's 'Little Aghanistan'

    The aroma of freshly baking flatbread wafts through the air as a unit of British soldiers position themselves for a quick patrol around the village of Sindh Kalay, located not in Afghanistan but Norfolk, England.

  • EU slashes 'roaming' cellphone costs

    Cellphone users in the European Union will enjoy significant savings when "roaming" within the bloc's 27 member states from Wednesday with the introduction of new pricing rules.

  • French PM apologizes for rugby star's behavior

    French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has apologized to his opposite number in New Zealand, John Key, over the recent "unacceptable behavior" of France rugby center Mathieu Bastareaud.

CNN News : Americas

  • Air France plane crashed intact, agency says

    The Air France plane that crashed last month with 228 people aboard "did not break up or become destroyed in flight," the French air investigation agency announced Thursday.

  • Ousted Honduran leader delays return

    Ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya said Wednesday he will not return to his home country until at least Saturday, after a three-day international deadline to reinstate him.

  • Tycoon sworn in as Panama president

    Ricardo Martinelli, a multimillionaire owner of a supermarket chain, was inaugurated Wednesday as president of Panama.

  • Agencies join forces to stop border gun traffic

    The two federal agencies most responsible for stemming the flow of firearms to Mexico agreed Tuesday to improve cooperation after they were sharply criticized by a congressional report for lack of coordination.

  • Ex-Argentine president resigns top party post

    Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner resigned as leader of the ruling political party Monday following a poor showing in Sunday's elections, the official news agency Telam reported.

CNN News : Business (CNNMoney.com)


Source: CNN
World News At A World Class Standard
Journalism Section
John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor

John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor

It is, as expected from a reporter of such integrity and experience, an intensely fascinating and clarifying insight into the present foggy turmoil.

Tony Koorlander
Newsroom Magazine

Bideford, Devon UK

It’s Never Crowded At The Top

Listen To John Simpson’s BBC Radio 4, The Report

Playing Time = 27:50 – Broadcast 6/24/2009

For those who believe broadcast journalism has failed, the venerable BBC stands as a beacon for its future. BBC World Affairs Editor, John Simpson, recently produced an insightful report about Iran aired on BBC’s Radio 4, The Report. It revealed a nation  on the threshold of possible transformation. That transformation may or may not happen as Simpson explains, but what one learns from Simpson’s reports go beyond Iran for they demonstrate the superiority of BBC’s probative, relevant and credible broadcast journalism. This is the BBC at its finest. The foundation of BBC News, where the bar is raised high, representing a level of integrity and reporting that has been its hallmark.

“Today’s network news operations produce and stage news programs intended give the illusion of being serious. Absent the requirements of the NAB code, and little attention to ethical and journalistic standards, anything goes.”

Robert Butche
Television News: Deceptive and Fraudulent

Schooled in the BBC tradition, Simpson emerges as the benchmark for BBC values, standards, ethics and methods. Over the course of Simpson’s four decades of reporting, his assignments included every major international news story since the 80s. Twenty-eight years ago Simpson covered the revolution against the Shah, when he flew to Tehran with the Ayatollah Khomeini. He witnessed the fall of Communism, Tienanmen Square, the Gulf War, the wars in Bosnia, and the end of apartheid in South Africa.

In the late 1970’s I had the privilege to work at BBC News. My flatshare ( roommate ) worked closely with Simpson, and told of a man whose tenacity and zeal constantly took him to the front line. Simpson’s first rate reporting is evidenced by the stories he has covered throughout his career, the Radio 4 report is another milestone in first rate reporting.

No Substitute For Experience

Simpson, asked why he always seems to be where the action is, said “I really want to see it, I can’t imagine just reading about it.” And, that is one of the primary ingredients required to become a consummate journalist.

John’s excellent reporting gives a startlingly clear view of Iran from inside. He provides the listener an understanding that comes from a lifetime of experience. This level of reporting is achieved within the structure of a independent News agency — one with a vision beyond commercial return.

When Simpson was ejected from Iran, he took stock of what had happened.  In his Radio 4, The Report, he describes the surreal disparity of sitting in a serene garden at the BBC and the turmoil he recently left.
Simpson had the advantage of being able to assemble his thoughts on two levels. First, the experiences garnered over the last 10 days , the contacts he make,  and the on-site recordings. Coupling  these revelation with his long term understandings of Iran, Simpson produced a story both personal and compelling.

No Place To Hide

Today’s truth has no place to hide. Tweeting and blogging are second nature to Iran’s under 30 population.

Upon Reaching The Fork In The Road, We Took It

The Western World’s broadcasters have all trundled off along the path of commercialism, betraying their long term visions for short term financial gains. BBC News, despite numerous structural threats and occasional minor misdirection, have managed to stay on a course that continues to produces a startlingly authoritative and credible news reports such as The Report. This didn’t occur by happenstance, it has been a long term approach, based upon stability of purpose and integrity of individuals. True unbiased reporting, of this class, begins with an unfettered financial and political model. The integrity, character, and real world experiences of BBC reporters is a tribute to the timeless policies of Auntie Beeb coming home to roost. No rush to pick up the latest copy of a story from another broadcaster.

Here lies the truth – World News at a World Class Standard.  Given the choice, would anyone ask for less?