Former BBC correspondent Martin Bell, thought-provoking as ever, discusses the culture of 24 hour news in The Independent.

Bell's argument: "The 24-hour news channels wish it to be known that they bring you the news wherever it breaks, and watch the world with an unblinking eye. They don't, of course. They offer roof-top television instead. It consists of correspondents perched on the roofs of hotels and television stations, exchanging guesswork with other correspondents on other roofs, about the crisis of the moment."

Hear hear.