Date: July 22, 2013
It seems as if all the news in the world has vanished to make way for Prince William and Kate Middleton's baby boy!
BBC World News harped on the matter for an hour and wasn't done the time I left for work. I understand it's a lovely occasion. And the British royals might be mighty pleased. And believe you me, I too am pleased about the happenstance. But to spend a tedious 30 minutes (that seemed like an hour!) reporting the matter is a bit too much to digest, leave alone weather.
I was rather surprised, really. The BBC is known to temper the importance of a news item and present it in as unbiased a manner as possible. But all that-and the standard need for variety-went royally down the drain the moment St. Mary's hospital let its news correspondent know the baby - named George Alexander Louis - was delivered of the Duchess of Cambridge at 4:24 pm GMT.
There was no talk of the Syrian crisis, no analysis of the Snowden fiasco, and no one bothered to follow up about the Detroit bankruptcy. Instead, the BBC positioned a correspondent outside St. Mary's hospital to tell us about the mediapersons gathered out there!
As if that was not enough, they went in search of historians and biographers and asked one of them a very very 'pertinent' question: "Do you think Kate Middleton's family will play a part in the boy's upbringing?!"
"Why, yes indeed!", exclaimed one of those interviewed, "there is - you see - a strong family bond and that will continue!"
That done, a few more insightful questions seeked some answers, and thereafter we were taken back to St. Mary's hospital, Paddington. The reason? An update on what's happening there!
Mike Embley, the main presenter, sat in the studios and the correspondent - I don't remember who - stood outside St. Mary's hospital. Embley, ever the cherubic self he always is, asked her about what's happening there. And the correspondent - let's call her Maryanne - made some noises about how everyone was very excited about what had happened inside the hospital. Embley then went on to ask about the mother - a question he or someone else in the program had already asked a million times before. But Maryanne smiled, put on her exuberant face, and said nothing's known yet and then recycled some of her sentences about how excited people are, and how they are all awaiting more news!
Five minutes later, Embley realized he had nothing much to go on. And so, true to the nature of a British gentleman, he remarked about how Brit the weather was when the boy was born! Before Maryanne or I had any chance to react, he began to contrast that with the sunny day Prince William was born! "Oh it was sunny day I remember," he remembered, as if that averted an international crisis, "Very exceptional it was. And this time, his son is born on a day that has truly Brit weather!"
By that time, Maryanne had collected herself well enough to say: "Yes, Mike. The contrast between the two days is remarkable." or something similar to that effect.
I know you must be bored reading this. So you can very well imagine how bored was I to watch this dull spectacle! In fact, after Embley's reminiscence, I had not the heart to watch anymore. This was my favourite news channel. And to see it dip to such abysmal lows was more than I could take that early in the morning.
It's a pity, really that no one at the BBC bothered to realize how lacklustre and sans substance that entire segment was. I understand they have the British populace to cater to and that Britain comes before everything else and all that. But sinking down to tabloid journalism merely to pander a rather short spell of a national fever is not something the BBC is known for. It's known for crisp sensible stories, meaningful reportage, and every tenet that speaks of excelllence in the world of journalism. This particular episode was anything but all that.
Well, news corporations do suffer from low spirits at times. Which, in turn, leads to a lowly spectacle. So, I am willing to put this down to a bout of illness that may last a week or two. It may return when the baby boy is all set to take his first step across the palace grounds, but I hope it never does.
Given the mothership of media that it is, the BBC cannot - quite frankly and quite certainly - afford to fall sick! Not when there isn't a substitute!
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P.S.: Those were my observations the day George was born. In the days that followed, BBC righted its wrongs and has gone back to what I knew it to be - the smartest, slickest, and worthiest news channel of all time.
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