News presenters using their hands

I've not noticed at all, but really does it matter? It is what they are saying that counts?

Finally sanity-thank you C👍🏻. I watch the news & regardless of gender I expect-them to speak in a way I understand, give relevant info, give factual info. Their hand or head movements don’t alter the news, their gender nor looks don’t either. I think their job title kinda gives away what is expected of them👍🏻

Perhaps the News programmes need a new introductory jingle - "You need hands" Max Bygraves

A lot of females would not agree with you Cyber. Apparently that has been a problem they have suffered in the Media business and many businesses. 

I have noticed that newsreaders no longer read news. They tell us what they think the politicians they don't like are thinking, tell us that they don't believe what the politicians they don't like are saying, etc. Using hands is irritating, but using their imagination is even worse.

Surely its a tad difficult for her to indicate which bit of weather will affect where without using her hands  

Oh wow, really glad to see this OP - only just discovered by me (I don't often get to this part of the discussions). Why, you may ask? Well, because, yes, I have definitely seen this, noticed it, registered it and wondered why the heck they feel the need to do these really rather silly and unnecessary hand gestures. 

It is particularly prevalent on my local news (East Midlands Today/Tonight). I wonder if they are trained to do it; I could not make my mind up about that. 

It  is true, however, that the news readers are not at a desk. They either stand or sit on a sofa. Perhaps it is that that tends to lead naturally to the exaggerated hand gestures. I do remember very clearly an actor once saying that "what to do with your hands" is one of the most difficult things to learn and not be self conscious of. Perhaps it is the same for these news readers. Either way, trivial though it is, I find it particularly annoying. 

As for culprits, Elise Chamberlain - probably unknown outside of the East Midlands (permanently I imagine) - is one I can certainly name. But most of the news readers on East Midlands tend to do it to one extent or another. Chamberlain also has an incredibly irritating habit of walking (clomp-clomp-clop) from off-stage to her standing position as the opening music for the late night bulletin fades. Plainly some producer thought that was a good idea. It isn't.         

It is your imagination that perceives the bias. I see bias sometimes, but I have to realise it is actually my own bias that is driving what I think I see.  

So the autocue and script provided by the news editors is just for show then? 

A rather silly point. The clue is in the word ‘exaggerated’, not hand gestures per se.