A weekly roundup of media news and talking points, sans effort

image

Quote of the week

“I’ll eat my own hat if the polls are right.” Liberal Democrat Lord Paddy Ashdown, trying to discredit BBC exit polls during last night’s general election, which put the Conservatives as coming away with an outright majority.

Weekly High 

Votes aside, over on the continent a ‘vending machine’ was set up in a public space offering residents t-shirts for €2. When they put their money in, instead of a cheap top they received a video playback which shows the poor working conditions many people endure in the factories that make clothing for fashion brands.


 

Weekly Low 

Meanwhile, here in the UK it hasn’t been a good 24-hours for Labour’s PR image. Despite predictions of the closest election in years the party suffered some crushing blows in Scotland, failed to win over support from the business world, and lost its leader as a result. Oh dear.

Stories To Keep An Eye On

Home Secretary Theresa May today re-iterated her desire to push through the so-called Snooper’s Charter, which will give additional surveillance powers to security agencies by forcing internet providers and email hosts to store vasts amount of digital data on British citizens.

SnapChat has debuted a new video advertising offering in the latest move by a major social network to monetise its business. 

The BBC won the election night coverage battle, claiming 38.5% of the total audience, followed by Channel 4’s ‘alternative’ coverage and then ITV.

Share Now

Rick Guttridge

Rick Guttridge

Founder and CEO

Rick Guttridge is the Founder and CEO of Smoking Gun, the PR, influencer and social media agency built around a clear belief: communications should not just create noise, but prove measurable business impact. With more than 25 years’ experience in PR, Rick has helped major brands improve visibility, likeability and memorability through ingenious communications across sectors including FMCG, pets, homes and interiors, mother & baby, health and wellbeing, and personal finance.