New Newsnight - Newsnight Lite?

[Stillhomewardbound]

"Is it just me or is Newsnight, post Paxman, firmly bedding in as something of a news-lite current affairs magazine?

It seems to have gone a bit 'You and Yours' / 'Woman's Hour' in tone.

Yes, the strong political stuff is still there but overall I can't help but feel the mix has gone rather flaccid.

Now, this post is not some lament for the passing of an element of Paxo-testorone, but as the BBC's flagship current affairs digest, and in such challenging times, where has the grit and bite gone?"

Discuss.

[Honoured Guest]

I switched from Newsnight to Channel 4 News because I can't tolerate Laura Kuenssberg.

From Monday 3rd November, Newnight will apparently shrink by twenty minutes a week.

[Don Petter]

From Monday 3rd November, Newnight will apparently shrink by twenty minutes a week.

Soon be gone altogether, then.

[Beef Oven!]

No grit in the oyster.

[Richard Tarleton]

It seems very feeble these days. Evan Davis was OK on Today, good on economics obviously, but his emollient interviewing style makes for a rather limp programme. I don't think Laura K is a good interviewer - not quick on her feet, rather than responding tends to ask the same question again only more shrilly. There are two (I think) new teenage politics/economics blokes who lack gravitas, yet to establish themselves.

The old hands are still at the top of their game, what we see of them - Allegra Stratton is very smart, Mark Urban (who still seems to be on occasionally) one of the best analysts in his field around....Kirsty still good....

The problem is the editor. Russell Brand anyone

[Pianorak]

I don't think Laura K is a good interviewer - not quick on her feet, rather than responding tends to ask the same question again only more shrilly.

Indeed. Still remember her interviewing one of the BBC bosses re BBC Monitoring, practically ignoring the answers already given and asking the same question over and over again - to no purpose whatsoever. Haven't watched her since though.

[DracoM]

Yep. Channel 4 for me as well. Serious coverage of serious news, incisive, rarely pulls punches, treats its audience as adults.

And ITV News at Ten - I like the two-presenter mix.

BBC seems to have lost its way in terms of the presentational packaging it encourages / requires both on TV and radio.
Eddie Mair should have got the Newsnight job IMO.

[Stillhomewardbound]

There's a very timely lecture by David Dimbleby on the Parliament channel at the moment. He has a section on the new newsnight which is very telling, but also it is very good over view of the long term trajectory of the political interview ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04m3nv8/the-future-of-the-political-interview

[french frank]

Don't watch, but has the BBC become too jumpy? Loss of confidence after the debacles?

[Richard Tarleton]

The new editor has certainly altered the tone of the programme.

[french frank]

The new editor has certainly altered the tone of the programme.

This is his FT article (from which: "... the party leaders used 31 different forms of evasion that fell into the following categories: ignoring the question, acknowledging the question without answering, questioning the question, attacking the question, attacking the interviewer, declining to answer, making a political point, giving an incomplete answer, repeating previous answer and claiming already to have answered the question" )

[VodkaDilc]

Channel 4 News is certainly the best at present. Jon Snow is my hero, with excellent back-up from his team, including some ex-Newsnight, like Michael Crick, Matt Frei and Paul Mason. And Lindsey Hilsum must be the most authoritative Foriegn Correspondent of her generation - such panache!

[vinteuil]

Channel 4 News is certainly the best at present. Jon Snow is my hero, with excellent back-up from his team, including some ex-Newsnight, like Michael Crick, Matt Frei and Paul Mason. And Lindsey Hilsum must be the most authoritative Foriegn Correspondent of her generation - such panache!

... quite agree (tho' I'm not such a fan of Jon Snow, who can often take himself a bit too seriously for my taste... ) - they have a wonderful team : don't forget Gary Gibbon, Jonathan Rugman, Kylie Morris, Alex Thomson...

http://www.channel4.com/news/news-team

[VodkaDilc]

... quite agree (tho' I'm not such a fan of Jon Snow, who can often take himself a bit too seriously for my taste... ) - they have a wonderful team : don't forget Gary Gibbon and Jonathan Rugman...

http://www.channel4.com/news/news-team

I used to love watching Elinor Goodman at election times.

[Richard Tarleton]

the absurd lengths Newsnight goes to with visual and conceptual metaphors for many a story, it's the sort of thing one might have seen on Chris Morris's Brass Eye spoof reportage series back in the late Nineties - many of whose sketches have turned out to be uncannily prophetic.

Indeed, it gets to a point where you're so fascinated by the graphics that you don't take in what they're actually talking about.

And Lindsey Hilsum must be the most authoritative Foriegn Correspondent of her generation - such panache!

All respect to Lindsay Hilsum, but I think the Beeb's team, especially in Middle Eastern coverage, is hard to beat - the Arabic-speaking Jim Muir (based in Beirut), Orla Guerin and Lys Ducet (both outstanding and packing a powerful moral punch), Ian Pannell and Paul Wood for their coverage of the most dangerous war zones, Jeremy Bowen a knowledgeable middle east editor, and John Simpson just for his vast experience. Can't make up my mind about Tim Whewell for Newsnight - excellent coverage of the Arab Spring but quirky with it.