Thread by @garius

Speaking as an occasional 'TV Expert', this isn't a BBC problem. It's a broadcast media problem. It happens because the expert system is often self-policed.

Here's a quick thread on my experience of how it mostly works.

https://twitter.com/mattlodder/status/1226982607155580931

I'm going to reiterate this first, as Twitter is stupid.

THIS. IS. NOT. A. BBC. PROBLEM.

It is the result of the explosion in talk radio and (first) 24hr and (now) instant news coverage. Stop and think for a second: how many 'experts' does the industry need every day:

A LOT.

Worse, most shows (again, radio or TV) need experts quickly. Not just same day, but sometimes same hour. This is because they are under enormous pressure to break the story or remain current.

Shitty government comms encourages this, by not pre-briefing, to avoid better coverage.

So, imagine you're the researcher or producer on a live current affairs show. You now have to find an 'expert' (or panel of them) at short notice, who will both agree to do it AND can make themselves available to a studio or phone at the exact right time, with no warning.

Now GOOD researchers, producers and talent (yes, the good ones get involved. They're proper journos remember) try to build up lists of possible experts. But my impression has always been that this is rarely rewarded.

(Some broadcasters also have limited systems for this)

But WAIT! There are even MORE restrictions you're trying to work around. Because, although you know it's not right, you ALSO want someone who you know isn't going to make you, or the show, look stupid. That means they need to be decent at replying in a broadcast-friendly way.

So they need to be presentable, understandable, and ideally aware of the nuances of TV - don't look at the camera, be concise and good at summarising etc. etc.

And - though you hate to admit it - those things are JUST as important to you as super-precise expertise.

At this point I wanna shout out to some good examples of people I can tell legit care about getting proper experts, as this thread ISN'T a rag on producers/talent (that would be unfair, they're under A LOT of pressure)

Looking at you: @adamboultonSKY @BBCTomEdwards and @BBC3CR

Anyway, back to our expert hunt. You can see how pretty quickly a show hits the point where their definition of 'expert' starts to get broad. Indeed soon you're just trawling Twitter/the web for vocal people on the topic.

And this is the point where you start contacting people.

Now this, in itself, is another hurdle to getting the right person: BECAUSE YOU NEED THEM TO REPLY QUICKLY.

I talk to a LOT of academics who moan about not being asked on TV to talk about stuff and I say to them:

How quickly do you answer your DMs or phone? Because that matters

So producers/journos get good at knowing who their best compromise candidates are: people they can trust to talk decently on a range of stuff AND can get in touch with quickly.

Pro-tip: if a broadcast journo has your mobile no, congrats you're now on their shortlist forever. 😂

Oh, and sidebar to the BBC:

STOP FUCKING CALLING POTENTIAL EXPERTS FROM WITHHELD NUMBERS.

Seriously. NO ONE under forty, apart from weirdos, answers their mobile to a goddamn withheld number. I'm gonna assume you're about to tell me I can get accident compensation.

Anyway, you can see the pool of people is getting broader by the second.

And that's where it FINALLY falls down, because the inevitable question by this stage is:

"Hi, it's X, we're after an expert in Y and thought of you. Could come on air at Z and talk to us about it?"

Just over the last day and a bit, for example, I have so far turned down:

- Two requests to talk about the 'Boris Bridge' to Northern Ireland (probably due to thread below)
- Two requests to talk about HS2
- One request to talk about buses up north twitter.com/i/timeline

And THAT'S where the self-policing comes in. Because beyond a follow-up producer call with a couple of very basic test questions, the ONLY thing now preventing the Grimes and Farages of this world from getting on TV is their own self awareness.

And... well. Yeeeeah.

Which is ALSO part of the problem. Because most genuine experts (academic or industry) are actually pretty self-aware of our limits, at least within our respective fields.

But it does lead to some interesting conflicts. Sometimes you think: if I don't take this, what idiot will?

Because let's be honest folks, there is NO GROUP of people more likely to self-proclaim themselves experts in a subject than people who:

1) Have no self-awareness
2) Are white/male/bro whatever
3) Have the innate confidence the above
4) Are not as smart as they think

Anyway. I could do a whole bunch more tweets about how, as a genuine expert, you can increase your chances of beating the idiots to screen. Also, it's important to signal-boosting female experts when you say 'no' yourself. Seriously lads. Refer a female expert. It's not that hard

But this thread is super long already (sorry) and I have a meeting.

If people DO want that though, then just let me know in replies, and I'll do a separate one on that at lunch.