Read this: 20/06/2024 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts hello and welcome to hello we are back smack in the middle of an election campaign soap no prizes for guessing what's been dominating our inbox for the last 4 weeks will make us a soft touch of your order.

Can I ask that you consider very carefully, how are you cultivate the presentation Manor on your program taking Delight in Neyland gas or aggressively questioning with a grating town is a big turn the tone and content of political interviews on the Today programme have aggravated many of you.

I'll be talking interruptions and impartiality with the BBC's director of journalism and today presenter Nick Robinson show your workings explain why you're feeling that.

It's right to interrupt and I think that is a process that I've got in my mind now and Away that perhaps I wouldn't have done.

Years ago also, I'm Ian Hislop and I'm Helen Lewis and this is all well vs.

Kafka the George and Franz we can take over a radio for delighted many listeners, but was William kafkaesque nightmare for others I was glued to the radio every time I turn on my radio it's on again the man responsible for reading the weekend schedule explains his thinking and feedback listeners pay their own personal attributes to a much-loved voice on Radio 4 Dr Michael Mosley I really learnt a lot from him, and it's a real real sadness that we've lost a brilliant broadcaster, but first and we will have a general election on 4th of July rain soap tonight's meant that he was calling an election Court many by surprise, but it didn't take long before politicians.

Major parties were queuing up to make the electoral pictures to the nation many of them have been beating a path to the Today programme studio for a verbal jousts with the presenters.

It's fair to say that many of you have not been impressed with what you've been hearing your feedback.

This is Julia Wayne Smith from the Isles of Scilly I wonder if you could get someone to make Nick Robinson stop talking over his interviewees across the conversations.

I have with other European leaders and getting you had to take you through the planning for interrogation is long past its sell-by date if you become Prime Minister you failed.

I was genuinely interested to hear what the pm had to say but I ended up switching off because all I could hear was Mr Robinson snide comments over ever.

APM tried to say very effective Prime Minister who wants to go on doing this job is accounting for end of the John Humphries school of never-ending interruptions where we play hello, this is just standing East London I listen to Emma Barnett interview David Cameron and wanted to give positive feedback about her interview style.

I really like the content and petone was asking good questions and pushed Cameron not to dodge the question at the right times but not excessively and it felt to me like she was fighting Cameron trying to question mark amusing rather than frustrating hello.

This is Gary Johnson I'm interested in this thing to Mr Farage on today on the 4th of June Midwives is that.

In limited numbers in limited numbers in limited numbers bakers you think about these occupations.

There is a lot to bear witness, what can only be described as an amateur should attempt to poke fun the little and generally smear his personality live on air ticket times Bolton on just clean offensive with the presenter making often cheap shots and general weakness where possible the conservative manifesto is nothing more than a recipe for 5-years of Chaos listening to the Today programme asking you laughing.

I'm really asking you my name is Suzanne Wilson Higgins from Oxford that you can say very carefully, how are you cultivate?

Manor on your program taking Delight in Neyland gas or aggressively questioning with a grating tone is a big turn off you will lose the next generation of audiences and can't see your public support.

I would like the Today programme to be around for the next 40 years at least and see me out in a moment.

I'll be talking to the BBC's director of journalism and Tony Robinson but first he was Today programme told feedback in response to those comments we listen very carefully to listen this feedback and it's interesting to hear the range of you breast.

There's always a fine line between ensuring politicians are held to account by asking the questions that we know the listeners want the answer to and insuring that interview go freely at times this means that our hosts may have to stay the interview more if they feel the litter is not getting what they need now with me in the studio is Jonathan Munro

The director of journalism from the BBC comes under particular scrutiny is under a microscope during the election due impartiality, what does that actually mean in this context? I think it's fair enough that we come under scrutiny.

We are publicly funded.

So people entitled to a view about what we do and a lot of your audience and our audience are not giving us that view in terms of June partiality.

I think there are two things that pick out in particular Andrea the first is clearly not all roll to lead people to vote a certain way or take a certain you on a policy proposal.

It's hard roles of scrutinise.

There's policy proposals with impartiality in other words bringing facts data established principles to the label and Cutting Through and what can be spin on behalf of all parties as part of the game of running an election campaign the second Leon June partiality.

It's important for us to recognise that there are only two part.

In the UK that realistically can form a government so those parties will get just that bit more scrutiny around their policies because it is perfectly possible as policies will become not just political party government policy and that means that are present in our program makers and our political reporters.

I've got licence to go after that scrutiny a little bit more than over some of the smaller parties who in reality are not going to form a government even though they got a role to play in the campaign also is Nick Robinson Nick thank you so much.

I know that you've been incredibly busy.

We've been watching you and listening to you a lot over the last few and no doubt we will be in the weeks to come one thing that you know there are listeners often complain about is the idea of interruptions your hectoring rather than interrogating when you ask questions tell me why are instructions necessary Nick you never want a hectic but you do want to test you do.

Challenge you do want to hold a politician to account but the sweet spot is when you can do that at the same time as allowing politicians who doing this very special for putting themselves up before their fellow men and women and setting vote for us to be elected representatives to do it in a way that they can also make their case they do we always get it right of course we don't time is limited these politicians are often talking on the Today programme for example having done 567 interviews already with other outlets and quite often.

They treat me into let's be honest about this like a broadcast press release I see them in front of mine studio sometimes on the screen because they're talking to it from Elsewhere and they are literally reading out lines that have been provided to them by party spin Doctors and I think it is our job then to say hold on.

Yes, you have a right to have your say but we have a ride on behalf of listeners or viewers.

To test your arguments to see where the what you're saying really adds up.

That's really fascinating because I think I have noticed you saying Tim politicians.

You know this is not your space to attack the party.

We want to interrogate you or policies and so I wonder if the style of how you interview has changed slightly maybe showing your workings out to the audience a little bit more as you're talking.

I think that I perhaps hear that in an interview in style now as it evolved over the years.

I think that's right.

I think Jonathan news with you another Bosses at the BBC upset you I think it helpful show you explain why you're not taking that answer and why you're feeling that it's right to interrupt and I think that is a process that I've got in my mind now in a way that perhaps.

I wouldn't have done 10 years ago.

Just say to people look you are absolutely entitled as a politician particularly the election time to compare your policies with your opponent of course you are.

But if you take the whole of 10-12 minutes at 8:10 on the Today programme to talk about your problems we are entitled so no people don't know what you would do and what you're saying about ask you about that.

I think sometimes people think that you said I could catch a politician.

I that so-called got your moment is that something that you really think about it, or is that something you actually actively try not to be loads got your moments.

I do not want interviews that are in the words of somebody word for a senior politician got you got you got snip snip snip are there in other words aimed at getting a clip on social media.

I think you should have a story has a beginning middle and end you should present.

What is that your setting out to challenge This politician on and it should be a story that you're leading them through I tried to thing.

That's a central question that the ordinary man or woman listen to radio with one of the answer to do and set it up that way I've never been attracted by the you know how much are price of Mill needs out of touch.

I'm clever than you.

I'm going to expose you as being abnormal doesn't really appeal to me Jonathan I think often our listeners are very interested to know what kind of pressure the BBC comes under from political parties in terms of how much coverage they get rid of mould on the table here.

I'm gonna touch a bit of wood here and answer that question because so far in this campaign and we are more than halfway through now the pressure has been I think what I would describe as a reasonable incoming in other words parties of all different colours have contacted the BBC and our Correspondents and said look we think you should be more of x and glass of wine or we don't think you're quite got that.

And would like a fair hearing on whatever they said, it's all the days.

That's reasonable is nothing wrong with that but being open-minded to feedback from all interested parties the audience being the most important interested party, but the political parties themselves are clearly keen to a to influence and they're not just because it doesn't mean they're wrong.

It might mean.

They're making a valid point and we need to be open minded about that and at the end of all of this.

I will you tell if the BBC has done a good job.

What does election success look like that you know an election campaign that's lasting 67 weeks.

We won't get everything right.

There will be mistakes and we we need to be honest about that and and correct them and put them straight when we make them, so it's not the best of success is not 0 mistakes, but it should be minimal mistakes and correcting them when they happen but more importantly.

I think there are things around.

The tone of our coverage of the Tunnel Approach to politics been impartial and fair have we covered the whole of the UK there is some really interesting stories going on not on the stage of those who live at Westminster button constituencies and regions and the nations of the UK regulatory terms we have a relationship with a regulator Ofcom and we need to make sure that we are within our compliance envelope and therefore we discharging the responsibilities of the BBC's world charter and the relevant legislation that will be a benchmark to several different things that will go into the mix.

We will not make everybody happy with everything we're doing and saying that's not an objective, but it is an objective to make sure that we come out of the election done the job that we need to most on in a nutshell.

I think that is the Vicar of you or a listener and therefore you are probably a voter you are going to the polls better informed about the choice in front of you as a

The BBC journalism, then you would have been without it if we can say that then I think we'll have had a good election campaign and it really the same question to you.

I know that you're going to be on Radio 4 all night on the floor so apart from just managing to stay awake.

What does what does successful coverage look like for you are absolutely right that we've given people the information.

They need to make the decision that they feel is an informed decision we giving the politicians the ability to speak to reach millions of people underestimate for all the talk of social media broadcast News radio and television digital broadcast of course for our website via iPlayer and sound still reaches huge numbers of people and if we've given the opportunity to hear questions asked to hear a case made.

I'm happy then I am happy that we've had the decision and I think I'm going to make a confession here on.

I have loved the big long form interview since I watch the Grand Inquisitor robin day as a kid and the thing that I'm really delighted about is that the death of the loan form political interview the talk of the death of a loved one political interview turned out to be in premature deselection.

I've been lucky enough other people at the People's in another broadcast to talk to all the leaders of all the parties at length in a what I hope people agree is a grown-up way that should not be taken for granted and Jonathan Munro director of journalism.

Thank you both very much indeed for talking to us on feedback.

So what do you think about the BBC's coverage of the elections? I'm really keen to hear your take on that anything to do with BBC audio a very easy way to get in touch.

It's to send a WhatsApp voice note on 0345.

You can also ring that same number and leave a voice message the number again is 03344 and you can send an email to feedback at bbc.co.uk on social media.

It's at BBC R4 feedback two weekends ago Radio 4 listeners into the dystopian world of George Orwell and Franz Kafka it was little provocatively as all well vs.

Kafka but in the event it was less of a boxing match and more of an extended examination and appreciation of the two of those Shuffle to a live for an abridged reading of 1984 in hour long episodes Red by amongst others Juliet Stevenson and Martin Freeman it was a bright cold.

In April and the clocks were striking thirteen while Sunday afternoon so a dramatisation of Kafka the trial my name is Joseph k senior account at the minute civil bank.

This is my statement of case trivial as it will indubitably proved to be leaving through the two days was a series of 6 programmes about the writer's by Ian Hislop and Helen Lewis special military operation my truth known unknowns peaceful and patriotic Gathering recollections.

May vary fake news re education in all 10 hours of the Radio 4 schedule were given over to the two authors with some listeners.

Would the lighters at this dystopian deep dive but others happy that the weekend schedule have been disrupted to such an extent as parents jokes on a lifelong listen to Radio 4.

What have you done to your schedule this morning?

Turned a relaxing relatively lighthearted morning into something that I just don't recognise your good programmes on about all well and casca but completely the wrong time you have put an emphasis on navel-gazing media and arts and generally you are excluding people named Liz Robinson on from Bolton I just wanted to thank you for these programs.

I was glued to the radio.

Thank god Radio 4.

Nobody else would carry out such an analysis and link today's world.

Hello Jamie Kitson here in Hemel Hempstead I love 1984 as much as the next loyal citizen, but I really question the timing at 9 a.m.

On a sunny Saturday morning.

I'm used to the light cherrytown of Saturday Live hearing a depressing dystopian story really put a downer on my day.

Hello my name is Jeanette Goodrich and I live in North Norfolk

Where did this idea come from to get away from depressing news if you're going to use this format? Why not have a succession of pre-recorded focusing on a number of different authors playwrights and thinkers there are just so many possible options.

I'll be fascinated to hear some sort of explanation.

Well jeanette's an explanation is indeed for coming because joining me now is Matthew Dodd commissioning editor for arts on Radio 4 Matthew welcome to know we decided that we should come out of the BBC studio into the daylight under the gaze of George Orwell statue, Orwell worked for a time at the BBC before we decide to go back to full-time writing he described as halfway between a girl's school and a lunatic asylum.

I'm not sure I'm watching you but either of those institutions, but of course he is a master of.

Quotation and one of its most famous quotations is written here on the wall of Broadcasting House it says if Liberty means anything at all.

It means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear that's alright that are feedback listeners.

Invoke quite regularly.

Matthew did seem like it was a rather rather a Marmite weekend some of our listeners absolutely loved it others will not so much what what's your reaction to the listeners comments one of the things that BBC Radio 4 does occasionally in a very occasionally is highlight across the day's work of a great right or great writers with an in the past with you know the Ulysses by James Joyce we done it with War and Peace by Tolstoy and we've done it by in search of Lost time by Marcel Proust and it's Unity on Radio 4 which really supports great literature have to say actually today.

We're going to do something special we going to do something distinct and we will bring you some great works of literature across the

So that you can encounter them in places where you wouldn't usually hear them on Radio 4 not quite a lot of complaints recently and I wonder what you think about the specific idea that the timing of this was offered and want to get up on a Saturday morning and here and dystopian depressing stories.

Well.

I wouldn't say that they were interesting and fascinating and also really high quality because you know that that first reading at 9 which would have been a surprise for some people was Martin Freeman in a beautiful adaptation of the book really striking and I think lots of people would have been stopped in their tracks to hear actually those opening chapters in 1984 actually I would refute that because I would say that alongside the readings.

We had 6/2 hour documentaries presented by Ian Hislop and had a Lewis which were absolutely Direct

Fascinating plain speaking looking at the story behind these two works the trial and 1984 behind oil and Kafka and really in a very accessible way looked at those books impact on Britain on the world and you know I think by the end of that weekend basics programs.

I mean even I was involved in the making this program is completely pulled over by what offence was that they had a real influence and impact on people's lives beyond the pages themselves in the series which was mixed in with the readings led by Ian Hislop and Helen Lewis was praised by our listener Liz Robinson she said that it was the analysis and the linking and writing of the world that you don't get on Radio 4 and indeed.

We had by trump trump.

We had Alexis navalny.

It was President XI there was Britain's post office scandal all going in on.

There but I wonder if setting it up as an all well vs.

Kafka challenge was a bit of a gimmick wasn't actually actually because I think it was it was way drawing out the differences and similarities between the two writers and where our starting point was that a lot of people as we heard in Hislop and Helen Lewis is there was a lot of people use the whale and cafcass you know interchangeably without really knowing what is the difference between the two and we thought that when we were sitting in the planning room.

We will settle we're not always clear and know each other although they were very different prices and so on there was something that they shared and the whole point of the of the weekend was to draw out those different compare and contrast lots of emphasis on how and why 1984 and Kafka the trial still resonates today at listeners commented that it was very timely at one thing personally didn't anticipate when.

Was that we would be in the run-up to General Election people's planned long before the general election and it's also worth saying you know that we didn't get in the way of any of the news programs across the weekend.

Obviously new internalism is Viking Paulton for telling us about the world around us but sometimes great writers even those who were dead and long gone can tell us something through there in the writings the only they can capture and which actually tells things that perhaps journalism can't tell us future treatments for different kind of weekend dedicated to write for something that we might see more of as our feedback listening.

Jeanette says there are so many possibilities like there and she's absolutely right and you know obviously I said we've done them in the past without the writer's and I've no doubt it's something we will return in the future, but as yet, there's nothing that I can tell you about that.

He does commissioning editor for arts.

Play for thank you so much for joining us some feedback.

Thank you while we were off air we had the terrible news that Dr Michael Mosley the presenter of Radio 4S popular series just one thing heard eyes on the Greek island of Simmy he was much love presenter and he's programs and radio and television touched the lives of millions Radio 4 broadcast is last interview on how to live a good life with professor Paul Bloom as part of its tribute entitled.

There's only one Michael Mosley one of his great Talent with the ability to talk sometimes change the lives of his listeners and many of you wanted to pay your own personal tribute so we decided to air a selection of them here with my husband Malcolm we would just like to say how much with all this Dr Michael Mosley his and just one thing was always fun interesting and constructive hello.

Dr Lucy Bennett from Cardiff I thought there's only one Michael Mosley was so sad to listen to because it shows just what we have lost incredible interviewer.

He had the right mixture of warmth and information.

You made such an impact on my life especially with the just one thing podcast just one thing each episode one thing you can start doing today to improve your health or life in ways you might not expect my name is ramandeep Kaur and I live in Sutton Coldfield quite often.

I would listen to the podcast a question would pop into my head about the particular conversation.

They were having and immediately you would hear Michael ask the same question and it was quite reassuring that he was thinking the same thing.

I love the anecdotes he would use about himself and his wife and it always make me laugh some heartfelt feelings from listeners there and there's only one Michael Mosley and all episodes of just one thing are available on BBC signs.

You can also listen to feedback there as well.

Just search for any episodes on BBC signs or click the subscribe and save each program appear in your podcast fees automatically well, that's it's for the week for me and all the team.

Thank you for listening and for giving us your feedback goodbye.

Hello.

I'm Adam Fleming this is going to be my sick general election as a job for the BBC political people and campaigners love using their own language.

So we thought we make a series 4 BBC Radio 4 on picking it all.

What is a manifesto.

What's swing? How do I Pinyin poles work who picks the candidates that is the subject of my podcast series understand the UK election available on BBC sounds.