The first analysis of the 2015 TV leadership debates, carried out by the University of Leeds and funded by ITV, has been published. It claims to find that TV debates helped people engage with the campaigns, with almost half of people who claimed they were 'not interested' still tuning in. A further 30 per cent of the viewers to the first ITV debate said they had become more interested in the campaign after watching it. Steve Hewlett talks to report author Professor Stephen Coleman, and to Jenni Russell, columnist for the Times, Sunday Times and Evening Standard.
Prince Charles has been accused of "North Korea-style" censorship to control TV interviews, after Channel 4 pulled out of a pre-arranged interview with him as it would not agree to conditions stipulated by Clarence House. The contract included clauses like allowing the Prince's contribution to be removed entirely from the final product. Joining Steve Hewlett to discuss the challenges of securing royal interviews is the Evening Standard's royal editor Robert Jobson, royal biographer Catherine Mayer, and Stewart Purvis who made a three part documentary about the royals for ITN.
US presidential candidate Donald Trump has claimed he's been named, the 'Ernest Hemmingway of 140 characters', in reference to his activity on Twitter. Choosing to reject traditional advertising to raise his profile, he has instead harnessed the internet, using social media as a platform for his often controversial views, which are then shared immediately, without verification or challenge, to his 5 million+ followers. ." Steve talks to Emily Bell, Director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism in New York, about Trump's social media strategy.
Producer: Katy Takatsuki.
