Dear Michelle Donnellan,
Congratulations on what has to be one of the best jobs in the Cabinet as Secretary of Culture, Media and Sports. Not in a funny way, but in the way the title of Afghanistan’s Minister of Culture and Information makes people grimace.
Your predecessor, Nadine Dories, didn’t seem to take this task seriously, and somehow mistook the culture department for the culture wars department.
As a journalist, I would say that politicians who are prone to making mistakes and yelling at people make great copy.
I apologize for this unsolicited advice, but as the 11th Conservative Culture Secretary in the last 12 years, I must understand that it is time to take this task seriously.
A range of new legislation has been proposed, from the Channel 4 privatization bill, which has yet to be published, to the Digital Markets bill, which could change the way technology platforms pay newspapers. Many of them are complex and require an overview.
Again, learn from Dolly’s mistakes. If you believe that privatizing the nation’s only national broadcaster is truly in the public interest, then by all means plan. Please don’t criticize Channel 4 for being “publicly funded”. Do not claim that rival Channel 5 has successfully privatized. Such ignorance is useless when so many independent producers who depend on Channel 4 for their livelihoods are against privatization.
Of course, everyone makes mistakes, but much of the agenda you inherited seems to be motivated more by politics than economics.
Truth-based trust is the essence of all good journalism, but especially for public service broadcasters such as Channel 4 and the BBC, given the fact that they are owned or paid for by the public. .
A few months ago, Dorries accused Channel 4 of casting actors in a documentary about desperate people living in the Tower Block of Commons housing complex. Given that former reality TV star Dollies appeared with them on the show, who can argue? It led to denials backed by the DCMS committee headed by .
Similarly, when the BBC showed footage of Boris Johnson being booed by royalists on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Dries said despite video evidence to the contrary: He tweeted that there was “much more cheers” than boos.
Dystopian reality is often distorted. Call the BBC a hotbed of socialists and trots, but really, his two bastards at the top either donated to the Conservative Party or considered running as a local Tory candidate.
Whatever the internal politics, all stations, especially the BBC, are governed by fairness rules. This should infuriate politicians eager to make deals for favorable coverage, but it is one of the factors that make the BBC one of the most trusted news sources in the United States, let alone the United Kingdom. .
Millions more likely read the Daily Mail than the 81,000 who voted for your boss, Liz Truss, or the 30,000 who voted for you at Chippenham. But mail does not run the country. At least not chosen to do so. As Dries writes in an email, calling an enemy a “left-handed Lovevey Lynch mob” is fine for that columnist, but it’s written like blowing a raspberry, and actually This is not a thoughtful discussion.
The task of running digital, cultural, media and sports in this country is too important for this.And not only because arts and culture enriches the country and enriches its well-being and sense of community, but also because of its economic importance alone – such as reasons obvious to Conservative ministers in times of economic crisis. It’s more than 4 million people The sector you currently work in, or 13% of all jobs in the UK. Unlike many other sectors, these numbers increased by 3% last year. As the UK seeks to redefine its role in the world, a kind of soft power in the UK’s creative industries needs to be nurtured, not attacked.
As university minister, I’ve taken aim at what you consider “weird” on campus, such as plans to diversify staff. Two years ago, you seemed to join the BBC hitman, writing, “I think the license fee is an unfair tax and should be abolished.” Please be careful about that. See Dolly as a warning, not a role model.
Entertainment and media have long been used to distract people from harsh realities like not being able to heat or eat. Let culture be a source of power and abundance. It’s a worthy job. Do it properly.
your wishes,
Jane
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