20 Things That Would Make the News Better
By Roger Mosey
We are at a defining point in the history of news. Following a surge of fake news, clickbait and conspiracy theories, the 2020s have ushered in a welter of existential threats for public service broadcasting.
So, where do we go from here? Former Today editor and head of BBC television news Roger Mosey thinks public service broadcasters must buck the trends and in this incisive book he offers twenty core ways in which the news can save itself by getting smarter, sharper, more diverse, more nuanced and less exposed to pummelling by politicians.
Mosey sees two possible futures: one in which the incitements of populist demagogues and the passions of social media are ever dominant – or one where we fight hard to retain media that has an interest in the public good and preserves truth, fairness and evidence-based judgements.
From one of British broadcasting’s most experienced voices comes the definitive exploration of Britain’s news output and what must change if we are to avoid a future of uninspiring news, uninformed decision-making and accountability-dodging politicians.
Reviews
“At a critical moment for news and our trust in it, this is a brilliant prescription for its future from a man who’s lived and breathed it. A must-read for all those who care about how we get at the truth, when the forces ranged against it grow stronger by the day.”
Julie Etchingham
“Fearless, interesting and funnier than it has any right to be. A brilliant A-to-Z for the modern newsroom.”
Jeremy Vine
“A fascinating blueprint for a broadcasting future in which quality is maintained and thinking encouraged. Highly recommended reading.”
Justin Webb
“Roger Mosey’s book is full of good things. He is on the side of the angels in his call for accuracy and impartiality, for fewer Vox Pops and clichés and for redressing the imbalance between London and the regions, for the lessons the BBC needed to learn from 2016 and 2019. These are excellent points, all well argued and backed up with interesting evidence.”
David Herman, The Article
“A terrific overview of the state of television news by one who knows it from the inside … The book hits all the right targets.”
Ivor Gaber, British Journalism Review
Share this book
Buy this book
- Hardback, 272 pages
- ISBN: 9781785907548
- 21 June 2022
- £18.99
- eBook
- ISBN: 9781785907555
- 21 June 2022
- £13.99