Media Training Update – w/c 4th September

Good morning, it’s Monday 4th September. We’re back.

The week ahead…

Monday: Interim leader General Brice Oligui Nguema due to be sworn in as president of Gabon following last week’s military coup

Tuesday: Ex Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio sentenced over Jan 6 attack

National Television Awards

Wednesday: the first PMQs of the new school term

Trump associates arraigned in Georgia

Thursday: Mercury Music Prize awarded

Friday: One year ago: Queen Elizabeth II died

Rugby World Cup

Saturday: Start of the G20 summit in New Delhi

No surprise that newspaper coverage in August included warnings about the impact humans are having on this planet of ours.

Perhaps more of a surprise is that we’re actually referring to…August 1912:

As for August 2023, what have we missed?

1) To be honest, Sir Mark Thompson had quite the CV anyway…

2004 – 2012 Director General of the BBC

2012 – 2020 CEO of the New York Times Company

It’s even better now. The latest line on the resume is top dog at CNN – struggling with falling ratings and internal discontent at the editorial direction of the news channel. The months ahead will be watched closely.

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2) GB News decided to commission a poll asking whether people were comfortable with politicians as presenters. 60% of respondents said no, which is awkward given their schedules are stuffed to the rafters with them.

“Politicians are politicians and journalists are journalists. We should stick to doing our own knitting.” Andrew Neil

The Guardian argues Ofcom needs to get its house in order…

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3) Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell are now hosting Saturday and Sunday episodes of the BBC’s most listened to podcast – Newscast.

LISTEN HERE

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4) Every single national newspaper saw a year-on-year print circulation decline in July, according to the latest figures.

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“Is it just me or has the Great Twitter Crisis etc mostly ended up not in everyone migrating to a Twitter substitute, but more people doing social media less and surprising themselves by not massively missing it?”

Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff ponders the brave new world of X. Is this your experience? (It’s certainly mine.)

Meanwhile as Storm Hilary battered California and Nevada, US researcher Will Stancil observed…

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

N is for Niche:

Even if the reporter you’re briefing has some knowledge of your field or sector, in no way will they have the specialist knowledge you possess. They might want to appear on your wavelength, but don’t assume they understand the fine detail. Give context if that will help them make sense of your work. Remind them of past significant developments if that establishes the importance of what you’re doing now. It’ll help ensure that what’s printed more accurately reflects what you do.

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Footnotes:

The Wolfenden Report suggested consenting sex between homosexual adults “in private” should no longer be a criminal offence on this day in 1957.

Highs of degrees in 33 today in Athens and 22 in Brighton.

We’re going to continue with the dog-pic-footnote until someone tells us they’ve had enough.

Over the summer the boys were joined by their best mate John…

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