Tag Archives: Caversham Park

BBC Monitoring: “spotting fake news” since WWII

(Source: BBC Blog)

BBC Monitoring is a specialist part of BBC News, part of the World Service group. We have experienced journalists and linguists who follow and track international media in foreign languages, in over 150 countries and about 100 languages.

We monitor that information, we report and analyse it, and we work on a subscription website basis. All our content is available to the BBC and to the UK Government and we also have commercial customers.

The service has been through a lot of changes in the last couple of years, and was delivered a savings target which we had to incorporate. We’ve changed the structure of the personnel and the organisation, we’ve changed the delivery platform, updated the technology, and we have new products, new customers and users.

We’ve moved from Caversham House, in Berkshire, which was an absolutely beautiful place to work, but it was expensive to run, and we were at a distance from a lot of our users in the BBC but also in the UK Government. Coming into Broadcasting House gives just that extra sense of being part of News.

[…]BBC Monitoring was set up to counter propaganda from Nazi Germany in the war, explaining propaganda and spotting messaging in media. Verification – and then the reporting of stories where fake news is part of the media, is still part of what we do.

I’m pleased that the World Service is pulling together all its coverage of fake news. Monitoring is a central part of that, and we’re also developing a small team that is solely going to be dedicated to disinformation and the manipulation of messaging in the media in certain parts of the world.

We already work with all parts of News, for example our Iran team work very closely with the Persian service. During the Iranian elections last year some of our team were embedded with the Persian service to help them with their coverage.

We’re constantly following the media in over 150 countries, so when you’re talking about a big, complex, international story we’re able to broaden the lens and say ‘Well, here’s the view from this part of the world’, and ‘Here’s what this other country is saying.’[…]

Click here to read the full story on the BBC blog.

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BBC Witness podcast features Caversham Park

Caversham Park (Photo source: BBC)

(Source: BBC World Service via Julie M)

For 75 years the BBC ran a monitoring service based in an English stately home. Its job was to listen to foreign broadcasts from all around the world. But in 2018 the BBC decided the building was no longer needed. David Sillito spoke to veterans of the monitoring service before Caversham closed its doors.

Click here to listen via the BBC World Service website.

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BBC to install new dishes at Crowsley Park

Crowsley Park House (Photo: Shaun Ferguson via Wikimedia Commons)

(Source: Henley Standard via Jonathan Marks)

THE BBC wants to install 18 new satellite dishes at its monitoring station at Crowsley Park, near Sonning Common.

Two existing dishes would also be removed and three others would be relocated.

The BBC uses the site as a receiving station, working in tandem with the BBC Monitoring Service at Caversham Park.[…]

Continue reading at the Henley Standard.

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BBC Radio 4: BBC Monitoring’s move from Caversham Park

Caversham Park (Photo source: BBC)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Kris Partridge (G8AUU) who writes:

BBC Monitoring is leaving it’s home of over 70 years and moving to Central London. On BBC Radio 4 yesterday I was listening as I drove home from a ‘Breakfast’ shift, 04h30 – 16h30 local ..!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08wqp00

It looks like it will be repeated tomorrow, Saturday, 08.July at 06h07. So via BBC iPlayer radio it should be possible to receive this programme.

Here is a link that will help your readers get the app for both iPhone or Android devices: https://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/radio/download_availability

Programmes are usually available for 30 days after transmission, so if tomorrow’s broadcast is missed …

Enjoy a programme that tells the ‘history’ of BBC Monitoring from WW2, thru the ‘Cold War’ to the present day.

Here also is an additional link of interest https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/login and if you don’t want to register straight away try the ‘preview’ facility https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/?preview=true With the G20 taking place in Hamburg at this time, there will be some interesting commentary there.

Thank you so much for the tip, Kris!

I wish I could have had an opportunity to tour BBC Monitoring prior to the move from Caversham Park. Have any SWLing Post been there?

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BBC Monitoring: A tour of Caversham Park

HalliDial
(Source: Southgate ARC)

A tour of Caversham Park before it closes – the home of BBC Monitoring – a historical BBC World Service department which has been monitoring some of the world’s most seismic events for 75 years

Caversham Park became the BBC Monitoring Headquarters in 1941 and in light of recent news that, due to a £4million pound funding cut, it’ll be closing its doors for good, Rajan Datar visits the iconic building.

Coordinating Editor, Chris Greenway gives a tour of the building and a sense of its history, while Lina Shaikouni gives a taste of what the service provides today.

Over to You – The Home of BBC Monitoring
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p044jj9h

First broadcast on Saturday, August 20 the podcast should now be available at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002vsn8/episodes/downloads

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