The Media Club · 14 July 2023 · 41 min
BBC v The Sun, RTÉ Barter Woes, Labour take on the press
- BBC Huw Edwards and The Sun Scandal
- RTÉ Barter Scandal
- BBC Presenter Salaries
- BBC Studios Profits
- Labour and Section 40
- Media Quiz: Spin Doctors
In this episode of The Media Club, host Matt Deegan is joined by Omar Oakes, editor of The Media Leader, and Matt Kelly, editor-in-chief of The New European, to discuss the week's major media stories. The main focus is on The Sun's allegations against BBC presenter Huw Edwards, with the panel critiquing The Sun's journalism and the BBC's handling of the complaint, while noting the central allegation appears to be false. They also cover RTÉ's barter scandal in Ireland, the BBC's annual report showing Gary Lineker as top earner and BBC Studios' bumper profits, and Labour's stance on Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act. The episode includes a media quiz segment called 'Spin Doctors' and ends with summer break announcements.
Key takeaways
- The Sun published allegations against BBC presenter Huw Edwards, but the central claim was reportedly false, leading to criticism of both The Sun and the BBC's handling.
- RTÉ faces a scandal over undisclosed payments to presenter Ryan Tubridy, raising questions about transparency in publicly funded broadcasters.
- BBC's annual report shows Gary Lineker remains the highest-paid presenter at £1.35 million, and BBC Studios profits rose to £240 million.
- Labour has said it would challenge the repeal of Section 40, angering news publishers.
- The episode includes a media quiz segment called 'Spin Doctors' and announcements about the show's summer break.
In this episode
- Intro and News Round-up
- Main Discussion: Huw Edwards and The Sun
- RTÉ Barter Scandal
- BBC Annual Report and Salaries
- Section 40 and Labour
- Media Quiz: Spin Doctors
- Outro and Summer Break Announcement
Notable quotes
“I don't know how you can be the most influential and yet the least trusted. How does that work?”
“The only difference here is that I think because of fear of privacy law, or maybe just the fact that the actual complainant told them on WhatsApp that the story was bollocks, they didn't name the presenter.”
“What seems just sickeningly wrong is that the story that set this fire ablaze, that set this house ablaze, and has ended up such a catastrophic effect on him, but also the BBC, is all based on something that is patently not true.”
“I think the normal person out there would be shocked to know how amoral the industry is.”
“I'm actually appalled. And as someone who's worked in this industry for 15 odd years now, it's actually really offensive.”
“If Rupert Murdoch is really upset by it, I'd think that was a good indication that it was well worth paying for.”
Discussed
Huw Edwards · BBC · The Sun · RTÉ · BBC Studios
Mentioned or recommended
- Match of the Day
- Taskmaster
- Foodmaster
- The Late Late Show
- The Athletic
- Threads
- TNT Sports
- ITVX
