Charlie Brooker looks at the news's obsession with the credit crunch, and the potty levels it has reached. Nick Davies authors a piece about the influence the PR industry has over the news and Tim Key performs a poem.
Charlie Brooker sets his satirical sights on news and current affairs. In charting the rise of the public's role in making the news via vox pops and mobile phone footage, Brooker examines the good, the bad and the absurd in citizen journalism. Plus, reviews of two big stories making the news, controversial authored pieces, a poem and much more.
Charlie Brooker sets his satirical sights on news and current affairs, looking at how news anchors and their styles have changed over the years and reflecting on how they do it over in America. Plus, a short film by Power of Nightmares creator Adam Curtis, a look at what's happening with the war against terror and a poem by Tim Key.
Charlie Brooker sets his satirical sights on news and current affairs, taking a look at how graphics have morphed over the years from modest explaining devices to shouty, scary, video game-style extravaganzas. Brooker also charts the way the media handled both the politics and the protests of the G20 summit in London, while Ben Goldacre, author of Bad Science, vents his anger over its coverage of science stories.
Special Best of Compilation Show. Due to some unforseen circumstances Charlie Brooker's team had to swap the 5th and 6th episode around, so instead of a regular one, this is the Special Best of Compilation Show (full of 'classic' scenes from the first series of Newswipe)
In the final episode of this series Charlie Brooker sets his satirical sights on news and current affairs, with the help of Nick Davies and Peter Oborne.
Charlie discusses how the news media always needs to develop a narrative of fear in any topic, from the Nuclear threat, Salmonella in eggs, to Acid house music and the Millennium Bug, by emphasising worst-case scenarios frequently in the face of more reasonable, scientific evidence. Canadian journalist Dan Gardner and US stand-up comedian Doug Stanhope contributed pieces on a similar theme, from the perspective of their respective countries. The central segment focused on the Christmas pants bomb attempt, as did a poem from Tim Key. The final segment examined the media's overblown reaction to Britain's unexpected "Big Freeze".
Charlie discusses how Islam4UK orchestrated their publicity stunt of a march through Wooton Bassett and how filler reports are structured and padded out. How news airtime is filled with hand bags, social disruption (the truth about ASBOs), health reports, animals and analysing the brains response to various scenes from Britain. With guest stars such as Tim Key and Heather Brooke who discussed how Britain's journalism is based on anonymous sources. Doug Stanhope examines how America's newscasts portray the news in a different light as the day progresses.
Charlie Brooker squeezes more fun out of the news with the usual mix of comedians, reports and gags, this time looking at celebrities in the news. Will simply mentioning the likes of Russell Brand, Jedward and Megan Fox in this billing make people more likely to tune in?
Brooker examines Tony Blair's role in the Iraq Inquiry and how the relationship between politicians and the media has gradually become less deferential over the decades. Adam Curtis explores how journalists' discovery of corruption amongst elites everywhere beginning with Watergate, as well as the rise of a class of experts, fosters a pervasive, almost Nixonion sense of paranoia amongst the public at large towards politicians, elites, and even their own bodies. Doug Stanhope argues that the media willfully ignores the role of overpopulation in the environmental crisis. Kay Burley's interview with Peter Andre on Sky News is presented as an example of both the media's insensitivity and its frivolity.
Brooker explores the often tedious nature of live coverage. Doug Stanhope wonders why the media aggressively solicits the frequently idiotic opinions of the public. "The Week in Bullshit" looks at coverage of the newfound popularity of leeches, ITV's acceptance of responsibility in the I'm a Celebrity rat-eating incident, and an ITN report about the decline of the practice of eatings dogs in China. Tim Key presents a poem about disgraced MPs. Other segments examine the media's hysterical coverage of the John Terry affair scandal, the response to the news that four MPs will face criminal charges in the MPs' Expenses scandal, and a BBC News series following journalist Nick Robinson's efforts to solicit voters' opinions.
Compilation of the best bits from this and the previous series of caustic commentary, satirical observations and laughs from Charlie Brooker.
