I heard a great interview this week with Mick Lynch of the RMT. He was a guest on the “When it hits the fan” with David Yelland (former Sun editor) and spin doctor Simon Lewis. I have already made some observations about the Mick Lynch approach to media relations which can be summed up as: […]
Newsnight’s Prince Andrew interview made headlines around the world and led to him stepping down from public life. The new Netflix drama-documentary about how the interview came about and the part played by Sam McAlister – documented in her book Scoops – is an excellent couple of hours entertainment. The book is also a good […]
Catherine Princess of Wales made a very modern statement last week, to tell the world she is having chemotherapy, as cancer was found present in her recent surgery. Rather than a written missive, the Princess casually dressed in a jumper, recorded a short video in a spring garden. While it might not be obvious to […]
I have recently bought a motorhome. The fear of driving it for the first time was paralysing. The thought of parking it caused me to wake up in a cold sweat on more than one occasion. But after a few outings, I have got used to it and now realise it is easier to drive […]
Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held a shock press conference to denounce mob rule and threats to democracy on the streets of Britain. For a previously mildly spoken technocrat this was a big departure. The statement appeared to be prompted by the Rochdale by-election which everyone admits was messy. But whilst it is clear […]
The dignity and pain of Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, made her speech at the Munich Security Conference incredibly powerful. She then updated her message and criticism of the regime on video, to ensure it reached as many people as possible. Someone, I assume, who is not used to public speaking, […]
Aggressive questioning rarely comes more dramatically than was experienced last week by social media titans TikTok’s Shou Zi Chew, Snapchat’s Evan Spiegel, Discord’s Jason Citron, X’s Linda Yaccarino – and above all, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta. Of course, this was not a media interview: on the face of it, it was a senate hearing entitled Big […]
It is a simple but hard-to-follow rule for many leaders: avoid committing or promising something in the future, that may not be deliverable. Rishi Sunak’s political difficulties today are in part created by his bold decision to ignore this rule. Of the Prime Ministers five pledges (easily found here on the government website), two are […]
The curse of knowledge means that while every press officer understands the different types of interviews and the risks or lack of risk attached to each, a surprising number of spokespeople are much less clear. My experience is a little clarity on this goes a long way. Here is my list of the different roles […]
James Cleverly last week added his name to a long list of senior politicians who said something unwise, only to find it had been caught on microphone and made it to the front pages. It all began when Labour MP Alex Cunningham asked Rishi Sunak at Prime Minister’s Questions, ‘Why are 34% of children in […]
