P J Harvey's Today Program.

PJ Harvey’s editor-for-a-day-ship of the Today program has proved controversial. With poetry, music and considered pieces by experts it resembled R4’s other program, ‘Something Understood’, rather than their usual quick fire three-hour morning news marathon of despair. The BBC’s version of balance resembles the automatic altercations that arise in an inebriated pub dispute where alcohol fuelled egos disagree purely for the sake of proving they exist. And in watching such one’s brain wobbles from the constant head rotations of a compelling tennis match. A majestic lob is countered by a crosscourt backhand freakishly foiled by a sneaky drop shot. It’s a Centre Court show where the listener marvels at the play but never really gets to know the score, other than, that is, the number of deaths involved. Obviously being dead is something not even egos find debateable. Questioners and answerers alike spew out little more than an albeit stylised stream of consciousness, their attempts at context reduced to wild simplistic extrapolations as if every news item is the butterfly wing that might usher in worldwide catastrophe. It’s the twitter-ification of news by self-regarding professionals. News can be seen as ‘what’s just happened’, as in ‘I’ve just been to the toilet and wiped my arse’, or in a broader, more considered and informed context. PJ’s editorship moved the program in this direction. The machine gun rattle of micro-moment claim and counter claim gave way to, how can I put it, thought. It may have appeared left leaning but only because ‘left’ still holds a distant echo of ‘with regard to the needs and rights of ordinary people.’ Be careful who you invite today; tomorrow might need to be different.