Current affairs (news format) Affairs Current affairs (news format) Current affairs is a genre of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or are ongoing at the time of broadcast. This differs from regular news broadcasts that place emphasis on news reports presented for simple presentation as soon as possible, often with a minimum of analysis. It is also different from the news magazine show format, in that the events are discussed immediately. The UK's Office programmes such as "This World", "Panorama", "Real Story", "BBC Scotland Investigates", "Spotlight", "Week In Week Out", and
The World at One at One" "broke new ground in news broadcasting and was one of the reasons why radio is still important today", helping establish a form of current affairs programme that influenced the creation of "Newsnight" in 1980 and "Channel 4 News" in 1982. The launch of "The World at One" was part of a wider change in BBC news and current affairs coverage: more journalists were arriving from Fleet Street and replacing a more sedate and collegiate culture. John Timpson said that by 1966 or 1967, "[a]n Oxbridge accent was no longer as important as a good contacts book, a shrewd