By: Fiona Sturges
It has been said that journalism is the first rough draft of history, a notion that provides the
philosophical basis for We Interrupt This Broadcast. The new podcast, based on a book by Joe
Garner, examines the reporting around landmark events and the practicalities and pressures
facing reporters and presenters. Among the global news stories put under the microscope are the
2001 World Trade Center attack, the assassination of JFK, the Apollo 11 moon landing and the
Columbine High School massacre.
Another episode looks at the reporting after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in August
- The fatal car crash happened at about half-past midnight, after the 36-year-old princess and
her boyfriend Dodi Fayed had left a restaurant in Paris. This was before the days of 24-hour
news and so, while European broadcast journalists had time to gather facts overnight, in the US
instant commentary was required — a tough job when information is scarce.