Media Training Update – w/c 17th April

As concern over ChatGPT’s influence spreads… 

“Huge amounts have been written about AI’s tendency to manufacture facts and events. But this specific wrinkle – the invention of sources – is particularly troubling for trusted news organisations.”

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It’s Monday 17th April.

Good morning. 

The week ahead…

Monday: Queen’s University’s Belfast Agreement 25 Conference begins. The line-up is beyond A-list

The trial in Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation case against Fox finally gets underway 

Deadline to register to vote

Tuesday: UK unemployment figures published

Centenary of the formation of the Conservative 1922 Committee 

Wednesday: U.K. inflation figures

Jack Teixeira due in court again over Pentagon leaks 

Friday: Extinction Rebellion’s “The Big One” protest in Westminster 

WMO releases State of Global Climate report 

And the weekend highlight…

Naki Sumo (Japanese baby crying festival)

Was the BBC’s world exclusive with Elon Musk…

(a) A triumph of spontaneity and “if you don’t ask you don’t get” sass. 

(b) a total dereliction of duty to hold the powerful to account?

Two views. First up Emma Brockes in the Guardian (who described the interview as having a “forelock-tugging “just happy to be here” energy”) said this…

“There’s an argument that Clayton’s unthreatening demeanour extracted more from Musk than Emily Maitlis would have done.”

Contrast that with Mic Wright in his Conquest of the Useless newsletter…

“He got rolled. Musk dunked on Clayton and made him look silly. It needn’t have been that way and the BBC’s claim that the encounter produced multiple news lines is more than a little bit desperate. Clayton was wet.”

My take (for what it’s worth) is that Clayton got some decent lines. But the fact he couldn’t give examples of unacceptable content when Musk asked for them was the gaping hole at the heart of the interview.

And I suspect deep down he knows this. 

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

A is for Ambition:

It can be easier to talk about your work when you’ve got outcomes, fully formed analysis and results. It’s true that starting points – though vital to you – can leave the audience underwhelmed. Similarly aspirations may be a bit woolly. But an ambition -matched with the follow through of what your work could achieve – can really hit home. Exploration can be exciting. And it’s not about over-promising, instead it’s opening up a sense of the potential. 

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

Back on Monday. Footnotes:

Journalist John McCarthy was abducted on his way to the airport in Lebanon on this day in 1986.

Highs of 13 degrees in Newcastle today and 16 in Manchester.

And this week’s dog-pic-footnote…(Leo) 

Have a good week.

Team Inside Edge