Media Training Update w/c 23rd October

“She sets the standard for engaging yet authoritative presenting. I speak on behalf of the whole BBC when I thank her for the past 30 years.”

BBC DG Tim Davie on Kirsty Wark, who celebrated 30 years on Newsnight last week and will step down after the next election.

With Halloween just over a week away…

Good morning, it’s Monday 23rd October.

The week ahead…

Monday: First witnesses in the inquiry into the activities of British Special Forces operating in Afghanistan from 2010-2013

Tuesday: Michelle Donelan sets out government AI strategy

Wednesday: One year ago: Rishi Sunak appointed Prime Minister 

Thursday: Taylor Swift releases ‘Taylor’s version’ re-recording of 1989 

Saturday: Rugby World Cup Men’s Final

Sunday: Just Stop Oil pledges to resume its protests on the streets of London

Steve Rosenberg, the BBC’s Russia Editor has been named London Press Club’s Broadcaster of the Year, which is hard to argue with.

The Times was named National Daily Newspaper of the Year.

Shall we all club together and buy The Telegraph?

There’s a bunch of very rich men ahead of us in the queue – Jane Martinson’s article is a fascinating insight into the power and access you get buying “the house journal of the Conservative party.”

READ MORE

Wall Street Journal reporter Meg Graham received the following email from a PR company last week. All journalists get a fairly steady stream of this sort of nonsense, but this is a particularly awful example...

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

W is for Waste:

We always say you should play an interview back – not least because you need to balance that critical self-talk we always do about our performance with marking the positives you’ve achieved. But one useful critical question to ask is “Did I waste time at any point?” Did your example meander? Were you slow to get to the impact of what you’re doing? Logging the hot air where something tangible could have been said will really help you improve in your next interview encounter.

Footnotes:

“Well Ian, you chaps were a fat lot of good last night…”

Last week we posted the infamous Michael Fish forecast failing to predict the storms of 1987. Thank you so much to the MMB reader who alerted us to Michael Buerk’s grilling of Ian McCaskill the lunchtime after the night before…

WATCH HERE

Highs today of 16 degrees in London and 13 in Wrexham.

Finally the obligatory dog-pic 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