Getting the News

TV news producers are an unsung crew. The on screen reporters grab all the glory, but it's usually their producers who have done much of the legwork. Kelvin O'Shea is a name many of you won't know, but he's a senior producer on Sky News. In this week's Press Gazette, he talks about how he set up an interview with the leader of Hamas. Well worth a read HERE.

Media Coverage of the Biggin Hill Air Crash

Just a word of congratulations to Sky News for their coverage of the air crash near Biggin Hill this afternoon. As usual in these circumstances they have abandoned coverage of all other news, but they have had a string of eyewitnesses who have all been coherent and have had something to say. Within minutes of the crash happening viewers were emailing Sky with pictures and then videos of the scene. The two presenters, Andrew Wilson and Samantha Simmonds maintained an air of calmness and asked good, non repetitive questions of the eyewitnesses. Often in these circumstances there's a lot of flannelling and time-filling. that didn't happen here.

It seems that the occupants of the two houses which were hit by the plane were thankfully on holiday, but it is a real tragedy for the families of the five people on board the Cessna plane, who lost their lives this afternoon.

PMQs on Sky News at 8.30pm

I'm on Sky News at 8.30pm commentating on PMQs with the ever fragrant Julia Hartley-Brewer. I'm quite clear on who came out on top in today's exchanges, but would be interested in your feedback. Issues to discuss:

* Gordon Brown's continuing habit of turning the question back on David Cameron
* Camerons's tactic of the 'vicious aside'
* Nick Clegg's tactic of two questions on different subjects
* Brown's weak response on FOI and Cameron's demolition in the 5th question