With the world’s stock markets in turmoil and concerns about the global economy escalating, this week on Over to You we have been looking at the challenges that face those who report on the financial world.
How do reporters cover these developments without influencing the state of the markets and exacerbating the situation?
Martin Webber, editor of World Business Report, joined me in the studio to discuss the dilemmas that face reporters at a time of economic turbulence.
Martin explained that language is very important when describing the state of the markets and provided an insight into the guidance he has given about covering the story.
He explained that for a fall of two percent, moderate words like ‘falling back’ should be used, whereas describing markets as ‘plunging’ should only be used for falls of five or six percent – and ‘crash’ only for falls of 18-20 percent, which happen only once in a generation.
Social media in Egypt
Elsewhere in the world, Egypt’s former president Mubarak appears on trial in Cairo, bringing the country’s revolution back into the headlines.
Earlier in the year social media was credited with bringing down his regime, and we wanted to know if it is still playing such an important role today, so I discussed the subject with blogger and activist Wael Abbas and Sam Farrah, presenter of Talking Point on BBC Arabic.
We explored whether the balance has changed in the relationship between new social media, like Twitter, and the more conventional traditional media.
Wael explained that social media has been having a harder time recently as people have been listening more to the state media.
Sam thought that mainstream media has a role in cooperationg with social media, and while it may be facing a tough time, it is a temporary phase.
If you have anything you want to comment about that you hear on the World Service, we are always pleased to hear from you, so do contact us.
Rajan Datar is the presenter of Over To You.
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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/overtoyou/2011/08/reporting_the_financial_world.html
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WASHINGTON — By throwing out most of the anti-Latino Arizona immigration law and neutering the rest, the Supreme Court struck a rare blow for fairness and justice. Let's hope this is the beginning of a streak.
Let's also hope that Chief Justice John Roberts, who sided with the 5-3 majority in the Arizona case, likes the view from the liberals' end of the bench. They could use his vote on the health care reform ruling, expected to be announced Thursday.
In a perfect world, the court would have definitively eliminated the most notorious section of the Arizona law: the…
Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/06/26/the_courts_stand_for_federalism_114607.html
Iraq Frank tweaks to bailout $14 billion Saxby Chambliss Senate Republicans Senate GOP House to vote
Egypt's vice president reached out to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition groups Sunday as part of a new offer of sweeping concessions including press freedom and an eventual end to hated emergency laws that have been in place for decades, the latest attempt to try to calm an anti-government upheaval.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-noncommittal-muslim-group-joining-talks-20110206-085045-931.html
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Cornwall councillor Chris Pascoe texts to say he’s quitting the Lib Dem group and joining the Independents. Next year’s elections are suddenly in focus.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/grahamsmith/2012/05/hello_goodbye.html
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CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s ruling military council will say on Saturday that it is fulfilling its pledge made when it took over from ousted leader Hosni Mubarak to transfer power to an elected president, according to a statement obtained by Reuters. “The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces announced on February 11, 2011 it was not an alternative to legitimacy sought by the people, had no aspiration for power or to pursue it and would deliver power to a president elected by the national will,” according to the statement to be issued later in the day. …
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-army-kept-pledge-cede-power-134953904.html
Wind Power Richard Burr Obama inherits century-old headache Missing ballots stall Minnesota Senate recount Mark Begich bailout funds Lieberman can help Dems
(Reuters) – Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a $31.7 billion state budget on Friday for fiscal year 2013 after stripping out spending items that the Democrat-controlled legislature had passed. While his budget is the same size as the one lawmakers sent to him this week, he vetoed $361 million of their spending proposals. Christie said his budget calls for a $1 billion payment to the state’s pension system and will maintain a surplus in state coffers of more than $600 million. …
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jersey-budget-signed-vetoes-233829706.html
interrogation rules to CIA John Hoeven bailout Islam Obama taps Daschle Freedom Opponents dig in against auto bailout
(Reuters) – Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a $31.7 billion state budget on Friday for fiscal year 2013 after stripping out spending items that the Democrat-controlled legislature had passed. While his budget is the same size as the one lawmakers sent to him this week, he vetoed $361 million of their spending proposals. Christie said his budget calls for a $1 billion payment to the state’s pension system and will maintain a surplus in state coffers of more than $600 million. …
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jersey-budget-signed-vetoes-233829706.html
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What is it about the health care law that keeps challenging expectations? Chief Justice John Roberts sided Thursday with his most liberal colleagues to affirm the Affordable Care Act, to conservatives' dismay. CNN and FOX News, racing to be first Thursday, both got the Supreme Court’s ruling wrong, which momentarily misinformed President Obama, until he turned anxiously from a split-TV screen to see his White House counsel giving him two thumbs up. “Cognitive dissonance” is how one witness described the scene outside the Oval Office when Obama was hit with…
Kay Bailey Hutchison Coleman tries to halt Minnesota recount Orrin Hatch Sherrod Brown hunt for bin Laden Mike Lee Health Care
Elizabeth Warren appears to have found her populist voice again. After weeks of being buffeted by a controversy over whether she improperly claimed Native American heritage, the Democratic Senate hopeful in Massachusetts introduced President Obama on Monday with a blistering barrage against Mitt Romney.
Changing the political conversation from her own missteps to the presumptive GOP nominee’s infamous comment about corporations being people, Warren cheerfully took aim at him as she introduced the president. “No, Mitt, corporations are not people,” she said at a…
the spirit of change Democrats Election features White House reviews plan Jim DeMint Democracy Susan Collins