BBC radio news and current affairs and the Suez crisis
Authors: Chignell, H.
Journal: Media History
Volume: 19
Issue: 1
Pages: 93-106
eISSN: 1469-9729
ISSN: 1368-8804
DOI: 10.1080/13688804.2012.752960
Abstract:This article challenges some of the received opinion about the failings of BBC coverage of the Suez crisis. Using a novel focus on radio as opposed to television coverage, it aims to show that despite the factual nature of the radio news bulletins, they did succeed in representing some dissent towards the military action as well as provide evidence of the military build-up. Although the flagship radio current affairs programme, At Home and Abroad, was tentative in its coverage, it did provide a platform for critical voices and raised important concerns about government policy. It is argued that a close reading of news bulletins and the transcripts of At Home and Abroad lends support to the more sympathetic and pro-BBC position of the corporation's official historian, Asa Briggs, while sounding a note of caution regarding Tony Shaw's otherwise exemplary account of Suez and the media. The article also makes the case for the continuing importance of radio in the 1950s despite the growing importance of television. © 2013 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
Source: Scopus
Preferred by: Hugh Chignell