A BBC Question Time audience member originally from Congo cites conflict between Rwanda and DRC and asks the government minister if the UK would send refugees from DRC to… Rwanda. A confused Chris Philp replies: “Well, Rwanda is a different country from Congo, isn’t it?”

The image of the audience’s reaction should be hung in the National Gallery…

Good morning. It’s Monday 29th April 2024.

Monday: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expected to make public statement on his political future

Tuesday: The King’s return to public duties 

Tony nominations announced

Wednesday: BBC faces employment tribunal over age and sex discrimination

Thursday: Local and Mayoral elections 

Results from Apple and Shell

Friday: Paul Nowak addresses NAHT conference

Sentencing for Just Stop Oil protestor who scaled M25 gantry

Saturday: Ofsted chief inspector addresses NAHT conference

Star Wars Day (“May the 4th be with you…”)

Sunday: Panama general elections

5 golden rules on how to find the contact details of a journalist. And crucially – what time should you get in touch with them? 

“I’m no mathematician, but if 34% of print journalists want 5am – 9am, and 34% of journalists want 9am – 12pm…well send it at 9am.”

It’s the final chapter of Part 2 of Year Of The Expert.

LISTEN HERE

“Imagine a general election campaign where a political party can interview itself on TV every day. It’s coming soon courtesy of Ofcom.”

Professor Stuart Purvis – a former ITN News boss and Ofcom official, writes a brilliant blogpost capturing perfectly the mess the regulator has found itself in over how it decides to police (or not) output on GB News.

READ MORE

Roger Mosey, former BBC News boss agrees:

“I’ve supported fostering the diversity of views. But they (Ofcom) have got this one wrong. They’re creating a gulf between ‘News’ and ‘Current Affairs’ which doesn’t exist, and they rely too much on audience perceptions. There has to be an editorial grip on what is impartial and fair.”

Daisy Goodwin in The Times is sick of middle-aged mansplaining on podcasts, (and it’s hard not to disagree).



READ MORE (firewall)

Andrew Neil gave evidence to a Lords Select Committee last week and packed his evidence with more liftable quotes than you can shake a stick at.

On how government should help journalists:

“Stay the hell out of it. You’re not on our side, we’re not on your side. We’re different. Relations between journalists – all media – and government should always be bad. And never, on any account, allowed to get better.”

On how GB News might have differed had he not left two weeks after it launched:

“The production values would have been much higher. It would not have looked as if it were coming from the nuclear bunker of the president of North Korea.”

And finally…this from James Ball of Demos and The Media Society:

Footnotes:

Fierce rioting broke out in Los Angeles following the acquittal of four white police officers accused of beating black motorist Rodney King on this day in 1992.

Weather temperatures remain suspended at this time due to stubbornly low numbers.

And just time for the obligatory dog photo.

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. 

Have a brilliant week.

All at Inside Edge

“Why Year Of The Expert? I now have a new answer. It’s contained in the first 28 pages of Ian Dunt’s book, ‘How Westminster Works…and Why it Doesn’t.’ It recounts Chris Grayling’s 2013 decision to privatise probation in this country, and the devastating effects of a failure – a total refusal – to listen to experts who actually know what they are talking about. The impact of an idiot uninformed political decision makes you genuinely angry – mainly at Grayling, but also the system. Above all though, it is a sobering story of what happens when experts are ignored.” 

Bubble Bursting – part 2, chapter 5 of Year Of The Expert is now live, and you can also catch up on the whole series so far.

LISTEN HERE

Good morning. It’s Monday 22nd April 2024.

Monday: The Rwanda bill will once again return to the House of Commons for a fourth round of ping-pong

The case of the UK’s worst child serial killer in history, Lucy Letby, is heard at the Court of Appeal

Tuesday: MPs debate Football Governance Bill in the House of Commons

Wednesday:  Angela Rayner stands in for her boss at Deputy PMQS

US Supreme Court hears Idaho abortion law challenge

Thursday: Channel 4 hosts local elections debate

Friday: Paris 2024 Olympic flame handover ceremony

Saturday: White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner

Sunday: Israeli report on provisional measures due in South Africa’s ICJ case over Gaza genocide accusations

“To be chosen fills me with joy. It is a real privilege to present this extraordinary programme.”

BBC World Service presenter Nuala McGovern is the new presenter of Woman’s Hour.

Source: BBC Press Office

“The disinformation hurricane surrounding the Bondi stabbing marks the end of Twitter as a breaking news destination.”

Van Badham in The Guardian



READ MORE

“Listen here, this is a rehearsal, not a fxxxing tea party!“

One of the founders of ITN and a a legendary studio director Diana Edward-Jones has died. Colleagues have been universal in their praise of her creativity, unflappability and use of highly colourful language in the gallery…

READ MORE

Footnotes:

Last week I talked about sports journalist Henry Winter being made redundant by The Times. Jonathan Lieu in The Guardian writes an odd epitaph

Haiti’s ruler, Francois ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier, died after 14 years in power on this day in 1971.

Weather temperatures are suspended until summer arrives. (It’s too depressing to type “highs of 12 degrees” for the 453rd week in a row.

And just time for the obligatory dog photo. This is my niece’s dog Holly.

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. 

Have a brilliant week.

All at Inside Edge

“This should take you no more than about 5 minutes to write. Which is good…because usually nothing will happen. But occasionally the journalist will bite.”

How do you email a journalist to pitch your research? Listen to our line-by-line guide.

It’s Part 2, Chapter 4 of Year Of The Expert, and you can also catch up on the whole series so far.

LISTEN HERE

Good morning. It’s Monday 15th April 2024.

Monday: Parliament returns from recess for the start of a crucial period for Rishi Sunak as the final battle to pass the Rwanda bill plays out

Trump set to become the first former (or sitting) US president to face a trial on criminal charges as jury selection gets underway in his hush-money case

Tuesday:  Liz Truss publishes her book, 10 Years to Save the West. (Form an orderly queue please…)

Deadline for US assurances in Julian Assange extradition case

Wednesday: Inflation data for March

US Senate committee hearing on Boeing safety culture

Thursday: Meeting of the UN Security Council

Friday: Parliamentary elections get underway in India

Taylor Swift releases new album

Saturday: Bitcoin fourth halving expected

Sunday: London Marathon

“It’s one dark day of many for British journalism, but I’m immensely proud of everything we achieved together.”

Ramzy Alwakeel

Non-profit newsroom Open Democracy is cutting about a fifth of its staff, including its head of news, news editor, and political correspondent.

It’s evidence of just how tough it is for the sector. (We really do need this news source at the moment.)

READ MORE

At the other end of the news spectrum, The Sun halved its losses last year with lower phone-hacking costs. The Times grew revenue but saw a drop in profits due to higher costs. New figures filed with Companies House also reveal TalkTV made losses of £53.7m in its first full year on air.

Source: Press Gazette

“One of the many mysteries of the combined BBC News Channel is why it has such a low story count given its worldwide resources. The half hour from 7pm only had two full stories, and nothing from the UK. It feels too thin too often.”

Roger Mosey, former Head of BBC Television News

Excellent story from Associated Press about what X/Twitter has become: a platform full of “right wing pseudonymous influencers who act as alternative information sources.”

READ MORE

Footnotes:

Brilliant sports writer Henry Winter has been made redundant by The Times. Terrible decision.

Word of the week is definitely pseudonymous.

The United States bombed Tripoli in retaliation for Libyan terrorist attacks on American targets in 1986.

Highs today of 9 degrees in Carlisle and 9 in Glasgow.

Just time for the obligatory dog photo.

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. 

Have a brilliant week.

All at Inside Edge

“Run B BONG UPSOT dip and cue…”

Peak geek to begin this week. BBC News Studio Director David Croxson posted on X a behind-the-scenes look into the opening headlines to a BBC1 10pm bulletin. It just shows how complicated the apparently straightforward actually is.

“And catwalk please Reeta…”

WATCH HERE (Twitter/X)

Good morning. It’s Monday 8th April 2024.

Monday: Total solar eclipse above the skies of parts of North America

Tuesday: Alan Bates gives evidence to the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry

Wednesday: The Cass review into NHS gender identity services is published

Parliamentary Elections in South Korea

Thursday: Inquest hearing into death of Brianna Ghey

The Masters begins at Augusta

Friday: UK GDP monthly estimate

Saturday: The Grand National

Sunday: Olivier Awards

“They’re good because they know us and our product, the sort of stories we do, and the demographic we’re aiming for.”

Another chat with a senior journalist this week (we spoil you). This time a former deputy editor of Radio 1 Newsbeat on the importance of a targeted approach to media engagement.

It’s Part 2, Chapter 3 of our weekly audio diary, and you can now catch up on the whole series so far.

LISTEN HERE

“It is worth asking whether their preoccupation with the waning newspaper powers is evidence of an anachronistic set of priorities.”

You may remember before Easter we were talking about The Sun flirting with an endorsement for Labour and Keir Starmer.

This piece from Archie Bland in The Guardian is an excellent follow-up. Why are Labour so fixated on a Murdoch endorsement?

READ MORE

“Capitalism doesn’t like something that doesn’t follow the market …”

The Rest Is Entertainment pod is consistently superb – thoughtful, funny and a brilliant pairing of Marina Hyde and Richard Osman. An impassioned discussion in the latest episode on the future of the BBC is well worth a listen. 

(Oh, and stay for the chat on Death In Paradise.) 

The episode is called: “Can Tim Davie Save The BBC” from last Tuesday.

Footnotes:

Mariella Frostrup has announced she’s stepping down as presenter at Times Radio to “focus on wider work commitments.”

Garry Richardson is to step down as sports presenter on Today after 50 years at the BBC and a mind-boggling 43 years on that programme.

And the Telegraph is launching a new daily podcast (because a new daily podcast is just what we all need) with Camilla Tominey and Kamal Ahmed.

___

Residents of the Californian town of Carmel overwhelmingly voted for actor Clint Eastwood as their mayor on this day in 1986.

“Highs” today of 14 degrees in Birmingham and 13 in Swansea.

Just time for the obligatory dog photo. Back when Stan was a little pup…

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. 

Have a brilliant week.

All at Inside Edge