The Media Club · 29 April 2022 · 35 min

The Mail on Sunday's Basic Instinct & A Twitter Takeover

With Jim Waterson, Lis Howell, James Ball

Listen at themediaclub.com →AppleSpotify

• Sexism in Media
• Mail on Sunday Angela Rayner Story
• Tim Westwood Allegations
• BBC Licence Fee
• Twitter Takeover
• Talk TV Launch
• Westminster Lobby System
• Gender Representation

In this episode of The Media Club, hosts Matt Deegan and Jim Waterson, along with guest Lis Howell, discuss the Mail on Sunday's controversial Angela Rayner story and the broader issue of sexism in the media, including the Tim Westwood allegations. They also cover the BBC's licence fee experiment, the launch of Talk TV, and Elon Musk's Twitter takeover, with a deep dive interview with James Ball. The episode includes a media quiz and listener survey promotion.

Key takeaways

• The Mail on Sunday's Angela Rayner story sparked widespread condemnation and over 5,500 complaints to IPSO.
• Tim Westwood stepped down from Capital Extra after allegations of sexual misconduct by multiple women.
• The BBC's experiment showed 70% of sceptical viewers were more willing to pay the licence fee after deprivation.
• Elon Musk's Twitter takeover is seen as likely but not certain, with a 70% chance estimated by James Ball.
• Talk TV's launch outperformed GB News but still faces challenges in attracting a large audience.

In this episode

• Intro and News Round-up0:00 · Matt introduces the show and covers top media news stories.
• Talk TV Launch Discussion2:00 · Jim and Lis discuss the launch of Talk TV and Piers Morgan's debut.
• Tim Westwood Allegations8:00 · Discussion on the Tim Westwood sexual misconduct allegations and sexism in media.
• Mail on Sunday Angela Rayner Story15:00 · Discussion on the Mail on Sunday's Angela Rayner story and the Westminster lobby system.
• Deep Dive: Twitter Takeover25:00 · James Ball discusses Elon Musk's Twitter takeover and its implications.
• BBC Licence Fee Experiment35:00 · Discussion on the BBC's experiment and the future of the licence fee.
• Media Quiz40:00 · Jim answers true/false questions about audio industry stories.

Notable quotes

“It's not about politics it's about common sense and cancel culture that's the problem”

Jim Waterson · 0:00

“It's a very daily mail attitude, a slightly millwall, everyone hates us and we don't care”

Jim Waterson · 0:00

“You can't help laughing at the mail thinking, yes, you know, we've got this marvellous opportunity. We're going to say, oh, this is terrible. We're being gagged. Rubbish, really.”

Lis Howell · 0:00

“I think putting lobby briefings on television would be fantastic, both for transparency of government and for transparency of journalism”

Jim Waterson · 0:00

“It's the most snowflakey bill you could possibly imagine. And yet it's being passed by a culture war government.”

James Ball · 0:00

“I'll go with the market and say I reckon it's about a 70% chance it happens.”

James Ball · 0:00

Discussed

BBC · Mail on Sunday · Twitter · Talk TV

Also mentioned: Elon Musk · Piers Morgan · Tim Westwood · Angela Rayner · David Dillon · Lindsay Hoyle · Tim Davie · Nadine Dorries · Sharon Osbourne · Julia Hartley-Brewer · Lexi Toppin · Caroline Noakes · Glenn Owens · Jason Grove · Elizabeth Piper · Donald Trump · Joe Rogan · John Holmes · Jeremy Beadle · Global · Capital Extra · GB News · Sky News · BBC Radio 4 Extra

Mentioned or recommended

• Basic Instinct · film
• The Skewer · tv show · Jon Holmes
• DMs are Open · tv show
• Online Safety Bill · other