The Daily Mail has yet to replace its TV critic, and looks likely to leave the slot empty according to Peter Preston. Take a look at two recent pieces of critical work on TV news and go figure…

Cotswold Life pin-up Adrian Gill – on the right (yes, literally and figuratively) – reviews Al Jazeera English and news channels at the Sunday Times.

The best line? Fox News, says Gill, “is a series of ritualistic fights that look like a troll’s advent calendar.” I get the ritualistic fights, but troll’s advent calendar? In a revelatory aside Gill claims he knows someone in “rolling news.” Has Notting Hill fallen that far?

Mark Lawson, meanwhile, hangs his head in shame in a truly desperate piece of work, reviewing overnight news coverage for the Guardian, and tells us nothing, except what happened to Sam Simmonds. Thank goodness he doesn’t do that on Front Row. Mark, be a man, send the Guardian their money back…