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.

READ MORE

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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

“There’d be no point in me being here if I couldn’t say what is happening. I have to try and do my job as honestly as I can. But they can pull the plug anytime.”

Fascinating interview with the BBC’s Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg in the Sunday Times.

“It’s going back to the old days of Kremlinology, where you were constantly trying to guess what it all means, who’s standing next to who at the top of the Mausoleum during the parades and what battles are taking place within Kremlin walls.”

On Ukraine: “Putin was someone who prided himself for years on being able to outsmart the West…But it’s all gone wrong. It’s been a disaster.”

READ HERE (paywall)

It’s Monday 17th July.

Good morning. The week ahead…

Monday: Interim report from the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry

Tuesday: BBC DG Tim Davie appears before the Lords Communications Committee

Wednesday: UK inflation figures 

Fourth men’s Ashes Test 

Thursday: FIFA Women’s World Cup begins in Australia and New Zealand

Friday: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer open in cinemas across the UK

Sunday: Voters in both Spain and Cambodia go to the polls

“You’re less likely to be mugged…”

Thanks to Ben for passing this absolute gem our way. Extraordinary candour from the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland tourist board in the mid-70s.

I think our well-spoken friend may be beyond media training, though I’d politely point out to him that the elegant riff on cholera in Italy, murders in New York and landmines in Israel was perhaps ill-advised…

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

L is for Lighting:

The glare of studio spots can be unforgiving, especially in HD when blemishes and wrinkles look so much clearer. They can also generate heat fostering that unnecessary blush. So always take the advice of the professionals and accept make up if offered. When you are undertaking the interview in what we call “quality” then you’ll not really have any say on the lighting. Skype is a different matter. It’s your responsibility to look good. So avoid film noir shadows by getting plenty of natural light in to the room.

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Regarding The Sun’s breathless, judgmental and inaccurate coverage of the Huw Edwards story, it’s worth noting Samantha Fox was just 16 at the time the paper decided to manufacture this situation… 

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. 

Footnotes:

An explosion in the Tower of London left one person dead and 41 injured on this day in 1974.

Highs of 37 degrees in Athens today and 20 in Birmingham.

And this week’s dog-pic-footnote…Stan in pond (again)…

Back on Monday with the final Briefing before we take a break over the summer. Have a good week.



Team Inside Edge

It’s Monday 10th July.

Good morning. The week ahead…

Joe Biden is in Europe this week, starting in the UK on Monday where he will meet King Charles for the first time since his coronation, as well as the PM. 

Potus will be at the NATO Summit on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Elsewhere… 

Monday: the Mansion House dinner 

The Lucy Letby murder trial could be coming to a close, with the jury due to begin deliberations .

Tuesday: Amazon workers in Coventry hold Prime Day strike.

Wednesday: London premiere for the Barbie movie.

Thursday: Junior doctors in England begin five-day strike.

Friday: Report on whether Diet Coke sweetener aspartame should be declared a carcinogen. 

Media comings-and goings…

Kate McCann moves from Talk TV to Times Radio – she’s their new Political Editor.

Christopher Hope leaves The Telegraph to join GB News. His last story was – predictably – about a new royal yacht, a subject he returns to with frightening regularity.

And Debbie Ramsay is the new editor of Channel 5 News

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

K is for Knighthood:

So it’s Professor Dame (insert surname) right? A tad complicated but producers are bright enough to cope with protocol and you should always be introduced in the way you wish. Audiences like to hear from people who’ve earned their spurs and achieved their doctorate or have gained seniority as a Director of a project, become a CEO or have been appointed Head Of Operations. It’s especially important in a challenging situation – it shows the organisation is taking the issue seriously and is fielding a senior spokesperson.

READ MORE

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. 

Footnotes:

The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior was blown up in Auckland harbour, New Zealand on this day in 1985.

Highs of 21 degrees in Exeter today and 20 in Cardiff.

And this week’s dog-pic-footnote…

Back on Monday. Have a lovely week.



Team Inside Edge

Starting this week with a simple question. Is this news?

It’s Monday 3rd July. (Where did June go?)

Good morning. The week ahead…

Monday: High Court hearing continues in Cabinet Office challenge to Covid-19 inquiry

Wimbledon starts

Tuesday: Rishi Sunak makes his third appearance before the Liaison Committee 

Wednesday: Westminster Abbey service marking 75th anniversary of the NHS 

Thursday: Rare Rembrandt portraits auctioned at Christie’s 

World Artificial Intelligence Conference opens in Shanghai 

Friday: UK Athletics Championships 

A nugget about headline writing from a Times interview with Poldark star Aidan Turner… 

“What’s different now, what is perhaps a post-2015 thing, is people saying things that are baldly untrue: barefaced, to your face, they will tell you stuff that isn’t true. And they will say it in a very convinced way.”

Krishnan Guru-Murthy on 25 years at Channel 4 News

READ MORE 

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

J is for Jokes:

Some of our delegates are worried they won’t be sparky enough and look to comedy as a way of brightening up their delivery. It is a dangerous path. Some jokes will simply fall flat. At other times it might make you appear flippant on a subject which some people might be taking very seriously. Then there’s the hazard of pre–records where subsequent editing might remove the necessary context to the one liner. Leave the funnies to stand up pros – you will be sparky enough if you’ve worked on compelling content.

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And speaking of jokes…

Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons recently questioned what the Yes Minister characters Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey would have made of the current glut of political podcasts. It’s worth quoting in full, because it’s actually genuinely funny for a politician…

“Bloomberg UK Politics is listened to by people that own the country. Politicial Thinking is listened to by people who run the country. The Rest is Politics is produced by people who failed at running the country, Women With Balls is listened to people who should be running the country. And Chopper’s podcast is listened to by people who think the country should have a royal yacht.

Newscast is watched by people who love the BBC, Coffee House by people who hate the BBC, and The News Agents by people who used to work for it…

We are blessed with a plethora of media outlets, but it does get confusing.”

And for context, here’s the glorious original…

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. 

Footnotes:

Jim Morrison, the lead singer of American rock group The Doors died of heart failure in Paris, aged 27 on this day in 1971.

Highs of 15 degrees in Grasmere today and 19 in Portsmouth.

And this week’s dog-pic-footnote…

Back on Monday. Have a lovely week.



Team Inside Edge