Category: Journalism

  • The redundant story: math and the future of journalism

    I have long argued the rather unoriginal position that journalism’s mission to inform has its roots in religious ‘infotainment’ both popular and intellectual – moralising editorials replaced moralising sermons, etc. But I’ve been struggling to express why that mission seems such a recurrent trope in history. The use of stories for entertaining and moral purposes…

  • My new job…and yours?

    I am delighted and – yes, excited – to announce that I’ll be joining the World Economic Forum as Managing Director and Head of Communications from August. [More here.] In the new role I’ll be removing my commentary hat and travelling a lot more, so the blog will probably fall into abeyance – it’s been…

  • Obama: justifying a news media bailout?

    If you wondered about the US government and the news media, and the possibility – the hint, flicker, barest glimmer – of some kind of bailout, then listen to the last few humourless minutes of Barack Obama’s speech to the White House press corps (it’s from 2’50” in on the clip below). Is he merely…

  • The opportunities and implications of BBC partnerships with local media

    A long time ago, I wrote the plan to run ITV News in London (replacing LNN), modelled on the operating structure for Five News. It involved reformatting shows and cutting staffing to the bare minimum required to get on air.