Media Training Update – w/c 17th July

“There’d be no point in me being here if I couldn’t say what is happening. I have to try and do my job as honestly as I can. But they can pull the plug anytime.”

Fascinating interview with the BBC’s Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg in the Sunday Times.

“It’s going back to the old days of Kremlinology, where you were constantly trying to guess what it all means, who’s standing next to who at the top of the Mausoleum during the parades and what battles are taking place within Kremlin walls.”

On Ukraine: “Putin was someone who prided himself for years on being able to outsmart the West…But it’s all gone wrong. It’s been a disaster.”

READ HERE (paywall)

It’s Monday 17th July.

Good morning. The week ahead…

Monday: Interim report from the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry

Tuesday: BBC DG Tim Davie appears before the Lords Communications Committee

Wednesday: UK inflation figures 

Fourth men’s Ashes Test 

Thursday: FIFA Women’s World Cup begins in Australia and New Zealand

Friday: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer open in cinemas across the UK

Sunday: Voters in both Spain and Cambodia go to the polls

“You’re less likely to be mugged…”

Thanks to Ben for passing this absolute gem our way. Extraordinary candour from the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland tourist board in the mid-70s.

I think our well-spoken friend may be beyond media training, though I’d politely point out to him that the elegant riff on cholera in Italy, murders in New York and landmines in Israel was perhaps ill-advised…

On the Inside Edge website – Tony’s A-Z of media training: 

L is for Lighting:

The glare of studio spots can be unforgiving, especially in HD when blemishes and wrinkles look so much clearer. They can also generate heat fostering that unnecessary blush. So always take the advice of the professionals and accept make up if offered. When you are undertaking the interview in what we call “quality” then you’ll not really have any say on the lighting. Skype is a different matter. It’s your responsibility to look good. So avoid film noir shadows by getting plenty of natural light in to the room.

READ MORE

Regarding The Sun’s breathless, judgmental and inaccurate coverage of the Huw Edwards story, it’s worth noting Samantha Fox was just 16 at the time the paper decided to manufacture this situation… 

Be part of the MMB. Thoughts on this week’s content, or interviews you’ve seen, heard, or (best of all) done. We’re @insideedgemedia or just reply to this email. 

Footnotes:

An explosion in the Tower of London left one person dead and 41 injured on this day in 1974.

Highs of 37 degrees in Athens today and 20 in Birmingham.

And this week’s dog-pic-footnote…Stan in pond (again)…

Back on Monday with the final Briefing before we take a break over the summer. Have a good week.



Team Inside Edge