We even won an Emmy last year for the introduction of digital technology across our newsrooms, allowing journalists to produce their own news packages from their PCs.It has also allowed us to preserve front-line resources ITN has 60 news crews in the UK alone. Taking into account the news exchange deals with our international partners and suppliers, ITN can rely on more than 2,000 news crews around the world to gather and deliver the latest breaking stories. And we now have 14 satellite up-links – crucial in getting stories from the field back to the studio.As for our alleged neglect of foreign affairs, well I suggest Bell tells that to the 22 crews ITN deployed to the Afghan front line last year. And while he might not have appreciated it, the audience did. Every single one of the peak-time news programmes we produce across the three commercial networks recorded year-on-year increases in audience. ITV News comprehensively beat BBC News the night of 11 September.So if the alleged weakness of ITV News isn’t in its front-line resources, or its ability to defeat red-in-tooth-and-claw competition from the likes of Rupert Murdoch or its increased ratings, then where is it? I would suggest it is in the eyes of those who see “popular” and “quality” as mutually exclusive, and who would prefer that broadcast news didn’t embrace the technological and editorial innovation that will keep it as a mass medium in the 21st century.Stewart Purvis is the chief executive of ITN. Bob Woodward is a busy man That may come as a surprise to some.
Woodward may be the world’s most famous journalist, but for many people – especially in Britain – his fame is connected with one story: the break-in at the Watergate building and the ensuing scandal that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon
Bob Woodward is a busy man That may come as a surprise to some. Since then, as well as bolstering his reputation as a first-class reporter on many important stories, Woodward has written bestselling investigative books and risen to the position of assistant managing editor at his newspaper.But what may surprise people who do not regularly read The Washington Post is that Woodward, now 59, still cranks out front-page investigative reports at a prolific rate. Since the events of 11 September, he has broken a number of important stories and has just co-authored an exhaustive and compelling eight-part series examining the thoughts and actions of George Bush and his war cabinet in the first 10 days after the terrorist attacks.”It’s a great job, being a newspaper reporter,” says Woodward, in low, measured, authoritative tones. “You get to make entries into people’s lives when they are interesting and get out when they are not. I have always enjoyed that.”I don’t know how you do a study of comparative excitement It’s my job [The Post] gives me time to work on a story.
They give me days or weeks or a day – or whatever it is I have time… It’s a great place to work.”In fact, these days, Woodward can ask for as much time as he wants, or anything else. Despite half-hearted claims to the contrary, he is a reporter in a unique position and has almost unequalled access to high-level sources simply because of who he is and whom he works for. For the recent series, Woodward and his colleague Dan Balz were granted on-the-record interviews with Bush, Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary, and dozens of others in the top level of the government.It was not always so.