Sometimes this is subjective because not everyone notices that many, or probably even most, BBC TV News presenters speak extremely quickly. It's subjective in the fact that a majority of people are apparently able to tune their ears in to adjust for the rapidity of what's being said, such that the speed of the speech as a consequence may even seem normal. Here are two obvious examples courtesy of YouTube. The first is the weather forecaster Matt Taylor. Right from the outset his speech is extremely rapid: The second example I have chosen from the BBC TV News sports roundup. Considering that sport in general, and especially football, the national game, has a significantly working class following, why would any football fan want to listen to an obviously middle class guy in a smart suit and tie rattling on. What appears to be the subject of attention here is more this guy's IQ score rather than any score in a football match. Anyway that's my opinion. Watch the following video and decide for yourself:
Certainly a significant percentage of BBC TV News presenters are doing this. It's probably a case of if one starts doing it, then they all start it as well. Considering that the TV news is aimed at the widest audience possible, such a rapid fire manner of presentation is surely a mistake? We hear so much about anti-discrimination employment practices involving persons of different genders, race, sexual orientation and disability. But what about persons belonging to a different class? Why don't we see working class news presenters at the BBC? People belonging to the working classes are just as capable of reading the headlines from a teleprompter as anyone else surely?
As I understand it people only tend to talk quickly if they are not absolutely certain of what they are saying and are still trying to work it out. If, on the other hand, you know already everything about what you are saying and are absolutely certain of it, you can easily summarize in a few words and relate the message slowly and clearly. Examples of this include, say, when giving evidence in a court of law or when speaking at a conference. If you rattle on at high speed and the words tend to merge into a single sound, it usually means you aren't absolutely certain of what you are saying and are still in the process of learning. In the case of BBC journalists, it often means they have only just read their prompt notes which you see stacked up on the desk before them. But what I find annoying is that rapid speech is presented as both a norm and an admiral trait at the BBC when in actual fact it is more likely a symptom of bad journalism. Let's face it, at the end of the day they're simply regurgitating what they picked up on Reuters.
I've spoken about BBC TV weather forecasts before on another thread, however I still have more to say on the subject. The forecasts are just fat too intense and detailed, and I personally find them almost impossible to follow. They come across as more a lesson delivered in a school room then anything for the benefit of the actual audience. A complete fail. So why is it happening? Yet more hypnosis and attempted indoctrination by the UK Tory Party. It's what you have to put up with when the Tories get into power, they start pushing for a single party state so that they can stay for good. They've been at it now for 12 years and this is as far as they've got.
