Query to BBC re accuracy of story.
This morning I posted an email to the BBC News website feedback about the wanderingscribe followup story as follows:
I have already pointed out that your mathematics in the story about Anya Peters (Parked up) are incorrect. Your story claims that her website had 11,000 READERS per week, which is incorrect. You are basing your figures on the statistics provided by her site meter which records the number of VISITS made to her site. Agreed there would have been 11,000 visits per week but since many of these visitors returned daily for updates and many of them made more than 1 visit per day then the actual number of readers could be as little as 500. Isn't it time that your story should be corrected? or is this a case of not letting the facts get in the way of a good story? I would also like to know why the BBC has printed mostly complimentary comments concerning this story and neglected those which are critical of her story.
The story in question can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5029984.stm
I await to hear what BBC's reply (if any) is to this.
posted by dr. adder @ 7:00 AM
6 Comments:
Still nothing from BBC - nor have they corrected their story yet. We didn't expect anything less, after all we don't count - we just pay their extortionate licence fee.
What do you expect, mate? Them to publish another article qualifying the substance of that particular one? I'm pretty certain that they have enough more substantial issues, which have been covered and have elicited myriad objections to the editorial presumptions inherent within the article, to be even mildly concerned about re-calibrating a percieved imbalance in Wandering Scribe coverage. The BBC are continually beset by accusations of bias from all manner of areas and I would have thought would necessarily need to concentrate on matters of rather graver import.
It's not too much to ask, no, and it's perfectly true that the site hit's register can give no indication of the size of her readership. But, let's face facts the publisher will have been fully aware of this and the large element of risk involved in signing her up will have no doubt been considered. I seriously doubt that the publisher regarded the suggestion by the bbc of the extent of her readership as an overriding factor. They obviously believe that there is currency in this kind of story and a definite market-base in the online community. Whether it actually sell's is another matter, of course.
Judging by her last entry ... I think her publisher may be having second thoughts.
As for the BBC - I have commented or emailed them on a few things previously and never had them published nor received as much as an acknowledgement (even an automated reply would have been something) - so you can see why I'm bloody pissed at them. I know quite often it's the luck of the draw but like I said even an automated reply would have been something. I just get the feeling that they ignore criticism and we have no comeback. We just pay the TV licence for a lot of second rate programs (and get ignored if we complain about them and BBC churns them out in the same boring format - because nobody has complained, have they? )- doesn't matter if we never watch BBC or even if we use our TV set to watch only dvd's we still have to pay.
Number of hits might have had some influence but Anya’s writing style itself is possibly the major factor that influenced decision making of the literary agent and publishers.
To quote the agent, Camilla Hornby of Curtis Brown, who contacted Anya, "We're often approached by people with blogs, but they don't usually translate into a book. Here was an account of the everyday details of being homeless - and it was written in very beautiful prose, it inhabited another realm.”
She hasn’t written anything yet; so it is too early for a publisher to have second thoughts. Besides ‘book deals’ that involve top-name agents and publishers are bound to be supported with a legally binding contract. Also, the ‘laneway lady’ is certainly in demand, since, “book proposal sparked a bidding battle between publishers.”
So I go along with her last post when she said, “All is well, you'll be pleased to know”.
Your experience with BBC is exactly the same as mine. Not even an automated reply! Poor PR on their part.
PS.
You might be interested to know a debate developing in the post in the comments section of the post "WanderingTrolls" in my blog at http://alienspirit.blogspot.com
Please feel to join in and add your views; for or against.
what debate alien spirit? - you've failed her too.
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