Good morning. It’s Monday 14th April.

“Things Learnt (Then Forgotten)” – Week 14.

Pinball machines, and the burden of knowledge…

Stories scheduled for the next seven days:

Today: South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol’s criminal trial begins.

Blue Origin New Shepard launches with Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez aboard.

Tuesday: High Court holds first hearing in case against Andrew Tate.

David Lammy hosts conference on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

Wednesday: Supreme Court rules on Scottish gender recognition case.

UK inflation data.

Thursday:  Donald Trump hosts Giorgia Meloni at the White House.

ECB interest rate decision.

Friday: Vatican marks Good Friday as Pope Francis continues recovery.

NASUWT teachers’ union conference begins.

Saturday: US ‘50501’ protests against Trump administration.

Sunday: Review of US foreign aid programmes due

“It’s 8 o’clock, you’re (still) listening to Today on Radio 4…”

Well at least some of you are, albeit through gritted teeth. Following my moan about the programme losing its way, some feedback from you…

“I think the bromance of Nick and Amal has become overbearing and in terms of Nick, I have always found him to prefer his own voice to that of the person he is interviewing – I remember one time when he interrupted a Professor of Psychology with his own (wrong) theory taking up the valuable time allocated”.

“I find Today too naval-gazey these days promoting BBC news and current affairs programmes and framing them as ‘news’ when some of the output is questionable in its bias and lack of balance.”

“Today has lost its way and lost its tone. Editorially I don’t know what they stand for any more. The only reason I still listen is because I don’t know where else to go for morning news.”

The General Medical Council (politely) joins the Twitter/X exodus…

News In Brief:

Press Gazette has a brilliant investigation into fake experts being widely quoted in the national press.

They include a science educator called “Rebecca Leigh” who put herself forward after a journalist put out a call on X for insight on the environmental impact of avocados. Apparently she doesn’t exist.

It’s an intriguing (and complicated) tale – we’ll talk more about it after Easter.

A US judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore the Associated Press’s access to presidential events after the White House blocked the news agency in a dispute over the term “Gulf of America”.

READ MORE

Nigel Farage has bagged himself a 10th job, making £25,000 as a commentator for the Rupert Murdoch-backed Sky News Australia. 

(Take note, voters of Clacton.)

READ MORE

Footnotes:

On this day: An explosion on board Apollo 13 caused one of the most critical situations in American space history on this day in 1970.

Monday weather: Exeter – 15 degrees and drizzle. Ramsgate – 14 degrees and sunny.

Mutts:

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.

The Briefing takes a break for a couple of weeks but we’ll return on Monday 5th May.

Have a great fortnight.

All at Inside Edge

Good morning. It’s Monday 7th April.

Stories scheduled for the next seven days:

Today: EU trade ministers meet following US tariffs announcement.

Tuesday:  King Charles and Queen Camilla begin state visit to Italy.

Court of Appeal hears Prince Harry’s challenge over police protection.

Wednesday: US reciprocal tariffs come into effect for the EU and countries including China, South Korea, Japan and India.

Thursday: ‘Coalition of the Willing’ defence ministers meet in Brussels.

The Masters begins.

Friday: Monthly UK GDP estimate.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu expected to appear in court.

Saturday:  Presidential election in Gabon following 2023 military coup.

Sunday: EU introduces counter-measures to US tariffs.

“It’s 8 o’clock, you’re listening to Today on Radio 4…”

A morning soundtrack for many of you. 

My view – for what it’s worth – is too often at the moment the programme feels like a slog of a listen. It also doesn’t feel as agenda-setting as it used to. 

The papers are awash with rumours of discontent amongst the main presenters, most notably Emma Barnett and Nick Robinson – the sort of gossipy story the BBC will hate. But there’s an argument corporation comms should even lean into this a bit. Today doesn’t feel heavyweight any more. It needs egos and big beasts (Redhead/Timpson/Humphrys/Naughtie/Husain). Robinson is allegedly (and I quote the Mail On Sunday here) over-bearing? Well so he should be. 

I know it’s not as easy as the good old days when PMs phoned in, big-hitters came on air for 20 minutes and weren’t media trained within an inch of their lives (ahem). But it still feels like the programme has lost its way. 

Unless.

Maybe it isn’t Today that has changed. Maybe it’s me. All those news podcasts listened to on delayed trains…is the way I get (or expect) my news a model Today just can’t squeeze itself into anymore? 

As ever, your thoughts welcome. 

“Things Learnt (Then Forgotten)” – Week 13.

The problem with Algeria and the Seychelles…

“Newsletters with a few handpicked stories, podcasts delving into a single subject, and a reduction in story counts have already emerged as early winners from the news avoider war.”

Interesting article from the Guardian on the rise in news avoidance, a theme we’ve touched on a couple of times in previous weeks. 

What are newsrooms doing (or planning to do) to fight back?

READ MORE

News In Brief:

Tortoise Media has announced its first big hire for The Observer ahead of completing its takeover of the title later this month.

Times journalist Rachel Sylvester will be the paper’s political editor.

Speaking of the Observer’s impending new chapter, commentator Mic Wright writes:

“While Tortoise has made a big noise about investing more in its title, its future is surely going to be more focused more on long-form features, analysis and breaking stories that are less tied to the daily ebb and flow of reporting.”

We’ll read with interest.

What do politicians listen and read?

Source: INHouse

And delicious irony from The Sunday Times:

Footnotes:

On this day: US President Jimmy Carter decided to postpone production of the controversial neutron bomb on this day in 1978.

Monday weather: Edinburgh – 15 degrees and sunny. Hull – 14 and sunny

Mutts: Stan throwback. 2018…

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

“To be detained and deported from the country where I previously lived for five years…has been extremely distressing.” 

The BBC’s Mark Lowen – kicked out of Turkey after reporting on the anti-government riots.

Good morning. It’s Monday 31st March.

“Things Learnt (Then Forgotten)” – Week 12.

What now runs to 359,000 pages?

We’re enjoying the ongoing debate about whether the current dizzy pace of the news agenda is exposing a flaw in the podcast model.

Here are the thoughts of Paul Stanworth – Commissioning Editor for Podcasts at Sky News:

“I think it’s a good reminder that people generally don’t consume news like ‘news people’ do. We see the numbers tick up for our daily Trump podcast for several days afterwards – they come for the analysis but they also come for the familiarity and warmth of hosts they’ve decided they like. Matters less when it is. There’s been one occasion where we’ve taken the late decision to re-record that to be in tune with events but the audience understands what’s going on: it’s published at a particular time and if the subject they want isn’t on that episode, it’ll be on the next. For news, consumption is changing and newsroom behaviours definitely being challenged as they try to change with it.”

Last word on this and then we can all move on. Take a look at the Politico running order for last week’s Spring Statement from the Chancellor. I think the news podcast model is safe for now…

Stories scheduled for the next seven days:

Today: Yvette Cooper hosts Border Security Summit.

NASA press conference with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

Tuesday: Energy price cap changes take effect. 

Wednesday: Planned implementation of US reciprocal tariffs.

Rachel Reeves at Treasury Committee session on Spring Statement/Heathrow CEO at committee session on power outage. 

Thursday: NATO foreign ministers meet.

Friday: England hosts Belgium in UEFA Women’s Nations League.

Elton John releases new album. 

Saturday:  US deadline for Chinese group ByteDance to divest TikTok.

Sunday: Employer National Insurance Contribution changes take effect.

Non-dom tax status abolished.

The Olivier Awards. 

News In Brief:

Unherd Political Editor Tom McTague has landed a big new gig as editor-in-chief of the New Statesman. He replaces Jason Cowley, who stepped down from the title in December after more than a decade and a half at the helm.

Matthew Doyle, Sir Keir Starmer’s director of communications has stood down less than nine months after entering Downing Street.

More than 50 former BBC World Service senior journalists and executives have warned the government that China and Russia will step into any gap left by the broadcaster as it faces possible cuts to its funding.

The BBC breaks into the Top 50 news websites in the US for the first time:

(Source: Press Gazette)

And…

Definitely less credible.

(Less dateable however is beyond the scope of our coaching, thank goodness…)

Footnotes:

On this day: An anti-poll tax rally in central London erupted into the worst riots in the city for a century on this day in 1990.

Monday weather: Cambridge – 14 degrees and sunny. Dundee 13 and cloudy

Mutts: Asleep, as per…

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

Morning all, it’s Monday 24th March. Let’s kick off with the week ahead…

Today: MPs debate Planning and Infrastructure Bill for the first time. 

US, Russian and Ukrainian officials hold separate talks in Riyadh.

Tuesday: US intelligence chiefs at Senate hearing on worldwide threats.

Verdict announced in Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini corruption appeal.

Wednesday: Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers Spring Statement and OBR presents economic and fiscal forecast.

Thursday: France hosts ‘Coalition of the Willing’ meeting on Ukraine.

RFU holds vote of confidence in Bill Sweeney.

Friday: Reform UK local elections campaign launch.

Former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson in court on bribery charges.

Saturday: FA Cup quarterfinals.

Partial solar eclipse. 

Sunday: Mothering Sunday.

Last week I quoted one of my old editors at 5Live who felt the current pace of the news agenda exposed a weakness in the podcast model.

Reader Ben emailed to say:

“I’ve definitely noticed them being “out of date” but I think we’re forgiving of it because of the investment/para-social relationship we have with the hosts. I think we relate to them being out of date in the way we might relate to a friend not having every single detail of the news agenda in a casual coffee conversation. In other words I think they occupy a different space to “news”.” 

Spot on. (Though would you meet your out-of-touch friend just a bit less often after a while? Time will tell.)

“Things Learnt (Then Forgotten)” – Week 11.

What links Freddie Mercury and Dr Seuss?

“If an entire newsroom can be sidelined overnight, what does that say about the state of press freedom?” 

The National Press Club reacts to the news the Trump administration is shutting down the Voice Of America after eight decades.

“An entire institution is being dismantled piece by piece. This isn’t just a staffing decision – it’s a fundamental shift that endangers the future of independent journalism.”

A White House statement said the order would “ensure taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda”

READ MORE

Jack Blanchard, Politico

News In Brief:

The latest UK newspaper print circulation figures show the Daily Mirror under 200,000 for the first time since Edward VII was on the throne. A 100% increase in cover price over the last five years to £1.70 has helped defend circulation revenue (while at the same time probably hastening decline).

___

The Independent is to launch a news service which it said will use AI tools to summarise its journalism for “time-poor audiences”.

READ MORE

Bucket List Moment :

I spent a brilliant three days working with the senior team at Buckinghamshire Fire And Rescue Service last week, and managed to tick this one off the bucket list…

Footnotes:

On this day: An oil tanker, the Exxon Valdez, ran aground off the Alaskan coast, releasing crude oil into the sea on this day in 1989.

Monday weather: Derby – 8 and cloudy, Aberdeen – 10 and cloudy.

Mutts: Leo, up close…

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