Here is the newest news

Recently we touched on sources for old news, one of which also had new news. This time, we’re sticking to new news. Got that? – good! If you have no interest in domestic politics, things have been a bit desperate recently. But if you do happen to be interested in breaking news of broken careers among MPs, what’s the best bet?

…and not a sign of Alvar Lidell

There are sources galore for news and current affairs – some authoritative, some speculative and some downright scandalous. But for my money the best summariser of news is BBC News. In a way, I’m disappointed by that – how much better it would be to amaze you with the latest thing in news, unknown to a grateful world until tipped by yours truly.

But if I’m honest, and I am (no, really) the Beeb reigns supreme. I’m not saying don’t go to the Telegraph for the latest details of grimy doings in Parliament, or to the blogs for who’s doing what to whom and whether they’re enjoying it. But for a sober, balanced summary of what’s going on in the world, the continent, the country or the region, it’s the BBC for me every time.

Naturally Auntie is not going to soil her skirts by dragging them through the dirtiest dirt. But skilful writers have dozens of ways of hinting where you can read the things they can’t write themselves. Filling in the “back story” is easy: it’s all laid out for you. And relating stories to a wider context is equally simple: the cross-referencing is impeccable.

If I find something they do really badly on the BBC website, I’ll get back to you. But don’t hold your breath.


(From the Gateway to websites, select “Quick reference: News and weather” towards the top of the page. BBC News is the first link in that section.)

Resistance is futile

If you find the BBC boring, you’ll probably lose the will to live if I recommend anything by Google, whose march towards world domination sometimes seems unstoppable. But risking your wrath I have to say that Google News is quite clever.

Clever? What sort of a word is that to describe a website? What I mean is that you don’t have to take what they offer you on the default home page – you can personalise it in several ways. You can move sections around, or delete them altogether (it doesn’t cancel the news – it just hides it from you!). Or you can ask for stories relevant to the town you’re living in. But don’t try using a postcode – it’s clever, but not clever enough for that.

And if you are standing by the window, smile – the Googlesnoop van might be passing.


(From the Gateway to websites, select “Quick reference: News and weather” towards the top of the page. Google News is the second link in that section.)