Television news channels that operate around the clock are cutting considered analysis and investigative journalism out of the picture, argues Alex Walker.
The BBC spent nearly £50m on its News 24 channel last year according to its annual report, an indication of just how important round-the-clock news has become in the eyes of TV bosses.
Digital satellite viewers can now pick from over two dozen 24-hour news channels from all over the world.
Along with Internet and mobile phone technology, 24-hour TV coverage offers us the chance to receive the news at almost any time.
But with this level of blanket coverage, has TV news disproved the old adage that you can never have too much of a good thing?
The theory behind constant television news coverage is that a viewer will be able to switch on at any time and pick up all the latest headlines in a matter of 20 minutes or less, much the same as picking up a newspaper and flicking through the main headlines.
