In the world of the 24-hour news cycle and the saturation of information seen daily across social media, it comes as no real surprise that, as the i newspaper reports, the BBC have announced plans to introduce a move towards ‘Slow News’.

According to the publication, this transition in style means that “audiences will be better informed by translating the values of the ‘contemplative movement’” to the BBC newsroom.

Instead of focusing on the ‘what and who’ associated with breaking news, the interest in reporting will instead shift to the ‘why’. Using more expert opinion and data to try and put news stories into context for audiences, this shift in broadcasting manner is intended to allow the public to have a better understanding of why an event has occurred and the future ramifications it may have.

As BBC News director James Harding put it, “I think that many people feel bombarded by the news, because there seems to be so much of it, it’s unrelenting.” The stats back up Mr Harding’s assertion.

A separate poll in today’s i revealed that over half the population feel the need to bluff their way through topical discussions. In fact, as many as 43% admitted they used diversionary tactics to get out of the conversation, with an incredible 10% even admitting that they would just leave a conversation that they didn’t feel properly informed about.

So clearly here, we can see the BBC responding to what it feels is an issue of failing to get their broadcasts across in a sufficiently clear, efficient and comprehensible manner.

For us at Sine Qua Non, we understand this importance of standing out amongst the noise in a crowded public arena. We know what it takes to communicate our clients’ messages to their varied audiences in the most effective way possible – and in the right format. The success of a campaign can only be judged solely on the strength of the connection that it has with its audience.

It’s important not to overestimate how much audiences know, or indeed care about. It is not a question of dumbing-down, but merely ensuring that no-one who views your content comes away with more questions than answers.

By tailoring audience-specific content across a variety of platforms, we can guarantee that even in this age of information inundation, our clients can not only be assured of their content finding its audience, but that its messages are fully conveyed to and understood by them.

There’s no such thing as a slow news day here.

By William Oster, Account Executive at SQN.