(no subject)
sioneva mentioned a short while ago that she didn't listen much to the Beeb's From Our Own Correspondent podcast because all the stories were negative. I can see where she's coming from, but I wanted a closer look, so I took a sample of stories from October and November to get an idea of how they really panned out.
(+ is a positive story, - negative, * neutral. It's all subjective, though)
- Pakistan's ruling elite turning a blind eye to the plight of the 7 million made homeless in the floods
+ Algeria showing signs of recovery after its 20 years of internal conflict
- Liberia struggling to attract the right sort of investment in the aftermath of its own civil war
- Okinawa's struggle to protect its own cultural heritage against the twin incursions of Japanese assimilation and massive US military presence
* The perils of travelling - and breaking down - in the extremes of the Kalahari desert
* Living in France - while France goes on strike
* Japanese schools funded by North Korean money
* Blunt lessons in sexual education in Uganda
* Travelling Hudson Bay on the delivery ships
* The revival of faith tourism in Ireland
* There may be a serial killer in Malmo, but one man at least has fought back
- The inevitability of relocation in China's river valleys
* Rodeo in Angola - the prison, not the country
* Pierre et petit-pain - why do the French struggle to sing rock'n'roll?
- The impact of economic woes in Gary, Indiana
* Somalis in exile live the life in Kenya
+ How one man's imprisonment in South Africa changed his life for the better
- Tensions surround the booming modern art scene in Turkey
* The irrestible pull of Hallowe'en in America
- A secret glimpse of Burma's new capital, Naypidaw
* How the Chinese census will reveal much about its vast population
* The political void in Argentina in the wake of Nestor Kirchner's death
The majority of stories (13) were observational or introspective - the stories I'd expect to be hearing from the Beeb. Another 7 were negative in some way, and to my it'd be inaccurate to say that there is a distinct negative bent - those stories tend to be clustered, and neutral was more the prevailing tone. However, the fact that there were only 2 distinctly positive stories is telling. It might not be negative listening, but it can certainly be depressing at times.
(+ is a positive story, - negative, * neutral. It's all subjective, though)
- Pakistan's ruling elite turning a blind eye to the plight of the 7 million made homeless in the floods
+ Algeria showing signs of recovery after its 20 years of internal conflict
- Liberia struggling to attract the right sort of investment in the aftermath of its own civil war
- Okinawa's struggle to protect its own cultural heritage against the twin incursions of Japanese assimilation and massive US military presence
* The perils of travelling - and breaking down - in the extremes of the Kalahari desert
* Living in France - while France goes on strike
* Japanese schools funded by North Korean money
* Blunt lessons in sexual education in Uganda
* Travelling Hudson Bay on the delivery ships
* The revival of faith tourism in Ireland
* There may be a serial killer in Malmo, but one man at least has fought back
- The inevitability of relocation in China's river valleys
* Rodeo in Angola - the prison, not the country
* Pierre et petit-pain - why do the French struggle to sing rock'n'roll?
- The impact of economic woes in Gary, Indiana
* Somalis in exile live the life in Kenya
+ How one man's imprisonment in South Africa changed his life for the better
- Tensions surround the booming modern art scene in Turkey
* The irrestible pull of Hallowe'en in America
- A secret glimpse of Burma's new capital, Naypidaw
* How the Chinese census will reveal much about its vast population
* The political void in Argentina in the wake of Nestor Kirchner's death
The majority of stories (13) were observational or introspective - the stories I'd expect to be hearing from the Beeb. Another 7 were negative in some way, and to my it'd be inaccurate to say that there is a distinct negative bent - those stories tend to be clustered, and neutral was more the prevailing tone. However, the fact that there were only 2 distinctly positive stories is telling. It might not be negative listening, but it can certainly be depressing at times.