cover of episode UK Elections: They’re Not Like Ours! Plus, the Messy Family Behind Paramount

UK Elections: They’re Not Like Ours! Plus, the Messy Family Behind Paramount

2024/6/14
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Brooke Gladstone
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Jonathan Freedland
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Lee Castleton
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Brooke Gladstone: 本期节目讨论了英国和美国大选的异同，以及英国邮政丑闻和Paramount公司家族权力斗争。英国大选竞选时间长达六周，与美国大选形成对比。英国邮政丑闻中，数百名邮政工作人员因有缺陷的软件而被错误定罪，直到一部电视剧播出后才引起公众关注和政治行动。Paramount公司的家族史反映了企业媒体的现状，充满了权力斗争和戏剧性事件。 Jonathan Freedland: 英国和美国大选的竞选方式存在显著差异，包括竞选时间、竞选广告和投票方式等。1964年英国大选受到美国大选的影响，Harold Wilson借鉴了肯尼迪的竞选策略。1992年英国大选与美国大选存在合作，英国保守党暗中协助布什政府收集克林顿的负面信息。90年代，英国工党借鉴了克林顿的竞选策略，将自身定位为“新工党”。美国总统拜登的竞选活动曾受到英国工党领袖尼尔·基诺克的影响，但拜登也因此面临剽窃指控。英国和美国新闻媒体的文化差异导致了对《华盛顿邮报》新出版人Will Lewis的争议。越来越多的英国媒体高管在美国媒体担任要职，这可能反映了对具有侵略性新闻报道人才的需求。 Rebecca Thomson: 作为记者，她参与了对英国邮政丑闻的调查报道，并讲述了报道过程中的困难和挑战，以及邮政系统中存在的问题。 Nick Wallis: 他长期关注英国邮政丑闻，撰写了相关书籍，并参与了电视剧的制作。他认为电视剧的播出对公众意识和政治行动产生了巨大影响。 Lee Castleton: 作为一名受邮政丑闻影响的邮政工作人员，他讲述了自己的经历和遭遇，以及对寻求正义的渴望。 Rachel Abrams: 她与他人合著了关于Redstone家族和Paramount公司的书籍，讲述了家族权力斗争、公司治理问题以及Redstone家族成员之间的复杂关系。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Jonathan Freedland, a columnist at The Guardian, discusses the differences between UK and US elections, historical overlaps and their impact on each other, and the current political dynamics between the two countries. He highlights the contrasting campaign styles, spending limits, and the influence of figures like Kennedy, Clinton, and Biden on political strategies.
  • UK elections have no primaries and are only six weeks long.
  • There are no TV advertisements allowed in UK elections.
  • British elections use paper ballots and hand counting, making rigging claims difficult.
  • Historical overlaps between US and UK elections have shown mutual influence and even collusion.
  • The Labour Party admires Biden's presidential record and aims to replicate his strategy of being 'not the other side'.

Shownotes Transcript

Over the past two decades, 900 British postal workers were wrongfully prosecuted for fraud. On this week’s On the Media, hear how a TV show about the Post Office Scandal sparked a political reckoning in the U.K. Plus, meet the Redstones – the complicated family behind Paramount Global.

[00:00] Host Brooke Gladstone interviews Jonathan Freedland), columnist at the Guardian and host of the Politics Weekly America podcast, about how coinciding election campaigns in the US and the UK this year are influencing each other from across the pond.

[00:00] Brooke explores how a recent British TV drama) about the "Post Office Scandal" sparked a long overdue political reckoning in the U.K., and shone a light on the stories of British postal workers wrongfully prosecuted for fraud. Brooke interviews reporter Rebecca Thomson), who first broke the story in 2009; reporter Nick Wallis), author of The Great Post Office Scandal) and consultant for the television drama; and Lee Castleton, a former subpostmaster in East Yorkshire.

[00:00] Lastly, Brooke interviews Rachel Abrams), senior producer and reporter for The New York Times Presents and co-author of Unscripted:​​ The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy). They discuss the Redstones, the family behind the media empire Paramount Global.

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