The week most people return to work after the Christmas break has been one of high drama – some real, others less so. Apocalyptic headlines scream ‘The Worst Snow in 30 Years’, ‘Frozen Britain’ and the ‘Deep Freeze’. However, yesterday’s developments at Westminster saw confused broadcasters battling with which story to lead on: Frozen Britain or the attempted coup of the Prime Minister?
I was astonished at such indecision. It is remarkable that the weather is able to command such airtime, with the BBC even broadcasting a 30 minute BBC News Special on it during the primetime 8pm slot. How much more commentary that solely revolves around ‘oh there is more snow’ and videos of people either making snowmen or cars slipping down the road can the nation take?
Whilst our preoccupation with the weather is well charted it seems it is becoming an obsession in the newsrooms. If we are going to see more climate volatility, I hope that news editors take a more balanced approach to what is worthy of substantial airtime and what should be downgraded to a small slot before the weather forecast.