I would like to thank all the journalists whose broadcast scripts or written articles have been used as examples and illustrations of the points made in this book, the various authors of the in-house style guides quoted, and my colleagues in the Broadcast Journalism Department at Birmingham City University for their comments and encouragement.
In particular I would like to express appreciation to those senior practitioners of broadcast news who agreed to be interviewed specifically for this Media Skills guide. Their comments and suggestions have produced an impressive body of advice on the language of broadcast journalism from some of the best in the profession. They include:
The late Brian Barron, for forty years a BBC Foreign Correspondent
Anita Bhalla, former Correspondent and Head of Political and Community Affairs, BBC English Regions
Karen Coleman, former BBC Correspondent, then Presenter and Foreign Editor at Newstalk 106, Dublin
Lyse Doucet, Correspondent and Presenter for BBC World Service radio and World News television
Julie Etchingham, Presenter and Correspondent, Sky News
Steve Herrmann, Editor, BBC News Online
Blair Jenkins, Chair of the Scottish Broadcasting Commission
Bob Jobbins, former Director of News and Current Affairs, BBC World Service and a former foreign correspondent
Rob Kirk, Editorial Development Manager, Sky News
Aminda Leigh, former reporter and BBC local radio News Editor, now an independent website editor
Maxine Mawhinney, presenter, BBC News Channel and BBC World News
Ian Masters, former Controller of Broadcasting at the Thomson Foundation
Clare Morrow, former radio correspondent and Controller of Broadcasting, Yorkshire Television
Sir David Nicholas, former Chairman and Editor in Chief, ITN
Tim Orchard, former Controller, BBC News 24
Richard Sambrook, former Director of the BBC World Service and Director of BBC Global News
Mike Smartt, the first Editor-in-Chief, BBC Online
I am grateful to the authors of previous internal style guides whose work has been used as reference:
Tom Fort, the BBC’s A Pocket Guide to Radio Newswriting
Sue Owen, The Heart FM Quick and Dirty Style Guide
Vin Ray, The Reporter’s Friend for BBC TV News
The various authors of The World Service News Programmes Style Guide
And in particular, the late Peter Elliott, BBC Television News Senior Duty Editor, author of the internal booklet called A Question of Style, and an inspiration to many broadcast journalists, including this one.
Thanks are also due to those who helped to find useful examples, check the draft and format the material.
Birth Fox, former secretary, BBC Birmingham
Paul John, Assistant Managing Editor, BBC TV News
Roy Saatchi, Hon. Professor of Broadcast Journalism, John Moores University and Hon. Fellow, Salford University
Gill Thompson, T-Media
Adrian Wells, Foreign Editor, Sky News