On Nov 11, 6:02*pm, "Andrew Heenan" wrote:
"Graham Harrison" wrote:
Yes... don't get me started about the BBC travel news and railways. * They
seem to be incapable of doing any more than parroting what one TOC tells
them. * For instance (I can't remember the exact words) "SWT trains are
replaced by buses between Southampton and Basingstoke." * Well, if SWT
trains are replaced, what's happening to XC on the same route?

I'd guess that probably 95% of 'news' is simply rewritten press releases.
Few journalists ever bother to ask questions, let alone challenge the
'facts'
Plus many 'news' services employ no journalists at all.

Hmm. Doesn't explain nonsensical stories like "services from Dartford
to Victoria being diverted because of problems on the Lewisham line".

(The problems were on the Bexleyheath line, and the routes converge
again at Lewisham, which was therefore the first scheduled place they
were calling at after Dartford [via Sidcup], despite the story
implying it was where they were diverted away from. Was this
information really provided by a TOC or was it BBC News that randomly
jumbled all the words?)

"MIG" wrote:
Doesn't explain nonsensical stories like "services from Dartford
to Victoria being diverted because of problems on the Lewisham line".
... Was this information really provided by a TOC or was it BBC
News that randomly jumbled all the words?

No way to know; nonsensical press releases are not rare (I've just been
reading 20 from TfL which all contnue to give Boris credit for initiatives
launched by Ken).

But it may be that they got two press releases referring to 'apparently
related' incidents and they got merged by an idiot with no clue about
Geography.

I don't think such things are outsourced to India yet; imagine the wonderful
stories that we'll get then!
--

Andrew