Former BBC and ITN newsreader Anna Ford defends colleagues against Jeremy Paxman’s remarks, and describes the pressures of broadcasting at speed
A few words in support of newsreaders in response to Jeremy Paxman’s incontinent outburst (Can any fool read the news? Tim Dowling finds out, 16 April).
News programmes are live and the running order hops around. Items are dropped, and important incoming news and interviews are hurriedly added direct on to your computer from the newsroom. There is no time to plan the new interview or check a pronunciation, and most video items you won’t have seen as they are fed in live from anywhere in the world. The hours of pre-programme work done on familiarising yourself with what’s going on in the world may help, or not, as the running order changes.
