Ever heard of the Broadcasting Press Guild, or its 35th
Awards?
No? Us neither.
At least, we had not heard of them until we learnt that
their “Best Factual Entertainment” (sic) Award had gone to the BBC version of The Apprentice and the BBC’s “business
editor” (sic), Robert Peston, was their “Best TV Performer in a Non-Acting
Role” (sic).
Are these awards meant to be satirical?
While it might be entertaining to the sort of people who
regret the abolition of bearbaiting,
there is nothing remotely factual about The
Apprentice: as we
might have mentioned before, it is hard to envisage a more unrealistic
programme about business.
As for Peston, whatever you might think of his journalistic
skills (he seems popular though knowing a thing or two about business ourselves
we feel he is overrated), his presentation
skills are just dire. So much so that on more than one occasion we’ve had
to switch him off, so unbearable was his ‘performance’.
By offering these two wholly inappropriate awards the mainstream
media do not just debase the meaning and prestige of an award they also show how
inward-looking and out of touch with business reality they are.