Newsworthiness and children.

A shock expose was trumpeted on Radio 4's pm last night (Tuesday 2 December). The reporting was all indignant self-righteousness and puffed up pride: Radio 4 PM had played a vital role in ... well, from the tone, it must have been tracking down a seriously criminal and saving the lives of at least a dozen children. An undercover reporter had got himself a job in a private ambulance firm and found himself on a shift with a loud bragging bore. He captured this on tape and took it back to base like a hunter in a tribe released into the wild as part of an initiation into man-hood. The bore bragged that he had once had a criminal record. The conclusion that the BBC jumped to was that this man was in close proximity with sick children ... err, and, well what? What the story lacked in facts and reason, the presenter made up with huff and puff.

Reading the small print it turns out that this man is an excellent employee, and the conviction was seven years ago. But, well, this is news in a week of children stories.

As the hospital manager began speaking the journalist suddenly jumped in and urgently and excitedly stated 'and you didn't know about it until the BBC brought it to your attention, is that correct'. For goodness sake. The news and the agitation here is all produced by an over zealous BBC anxious to claim its place among the 'winners' who
save the life of an innocent child. For shame.

In amongst the story a Unison Union rep gives an opinion. It turns out that the ambulance firm is subcontracted to a contractor 'outside' the NHS. This frames his statement as: private company bad, NHS good. He adds "We are seeing the growth of an uncontrolled and unregulated industry." These two lines serve as shorthand for bringing everyone back under the tight control of the State.

Yet, wait, what's this: a small fact emerges. Private ambulance operators are used throughout England, but they are not used at all in Wales and only rarely in Scotland and Northern Ireland. So what, then, is happening in England?

Let's hold off with the sensationalism and short cuts shall we, and take things a bit more slowly and carefully. Its crucial now for us to think and to see what's really going on.