Media Training Update w/c 2nd February

Edition 523

“A towering voice of journalism…his connect with India and the people of our nation was reflected in his works.”
Narendra Modi 

Mark Tully, the BBC’s voice of India died last week. A broadcasting legend. 

Internally he’ll always be respected for taking on John Birt, accusing him of “turning the BBC into a secretive monolith with poor ratings and a demoralised staff”. 
Loved the man for that sentence alone. 

Pick of the (no paywall) obits here and here.

Morning, it’s Monday 2nd February. You made it through January.

FW De Klerk lifted the 30-year ban on the ANC in South Africa on this day in…?

(answer in the footnotes)

Last week’s dilemma:

“I prepared for a one-to-one interview and was explicitly told this would be the format. 10 minutes before going on air I was informed it is now a panel, including someone with strong, opposing views.” What do I do?

Your verdict:

I applaud the spirit of the 59%, but disagree. Especially when there’s “someone with strong, opposing views”, this one is a red line for me. Even well-produced and nuanced discussions require a different preparation process (as well as a different mindset) to a 1-1 interview, and I think it’s questionable whether that can be done in under 10 minutes. 

Here’s another…

“At 6pm on a Saturday, a TV producer calls. There’s a developing story and they want me live via Zoom at 9pm. No fee is offered. I’m at home. The topic is relevant. But it’s also my weekend, and this isn’t the first time unpaid requests have landed out of hours. I’m thinking about precedent but also personal boundaries.”

Results next week. And as ever, email us with the reason for your choice.

Here’s the news diary for the week ahead…


Monday: ‘Suffolk Strangler’ goes on trial charged with murdering Victoria Hall in 1999.

Groundhog Day.


Tuesday: MPs hold first debate on two-child limit removal bill.

Wednesday: Ryan Routh sentenced over Trump assassination attempt.


Thursday: Bank of England interest rate decision.


Friday: Planned launch of Artemis II mission the the Moon.

Winter Olympics begin in Milan.


Saturday: Labour Party local government conference.


Sunday: Superbowl LX.

A Great Red Thread…

Two articles on language caught my eye this week. First up reflections from Davos:

This nonsense sounds like you’re the member of a club the audience aren’t allowed access to. (And nobody hangs around for that.)

I find myself referencing the PM’s communication problems a lot in media training sessions at the moment, and I’ll write something in the Briefing in the next week or so, with this concept as a starting point…

Both are excellent articles on the importance of language and tone.

The FT for business-speak, and The Guardian for the politics.

Footnotes: 


Another week, another Today programme update. I’m reliably informed the Bishop booked for Thought For The Day went awol last Monday, causing panic behind the scenes. He turned up safe and well, having got lost in Media City in Salford. (Welcome to the club, Bishop)


We’re in London and home in Brighton this week.

On this day: FW De Klerk lifted the 30-year ban on the ANC in South Africa on this day in……1990.


And finally, the Mutt Photo: Reader Jonny’s dog Theo makes his second appearance in the Briefing, looking every inch like he’s gracing the cover of Vogue with this pose.

Be part of the MMB. Thoughts on this week’s content, or interviews you’ve seen, heard, or (best of all) done, please let us know.

Back next Monday. Have a fantastic week.

All at Inside Edge