As an ardent admirer of journalism and its practitioners, I find Jon Sopel to be one such individual who embodies the spirit of truth-seeking and storytelling that makes our world a more informed place. His life experience, spanning over seven dramatic years as the BBC’s man in Washington during the tumultuous era of Donald Trump, has provided him with unique insights into American politics and the fragility of democracy itself.
Jon Sopel has become widely recognized for co-hosting The News Agents podcast alongside Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall, where he blends humor and journalism. Yet, it’s important to remember that this 65-year-old media personality was once a highly respected foreign correspondent for the BBC.
From 2014 to 2021, Sopel served as the corporation’s representative in Washington, often appearing as the sober-faced figure providing updates outside the White House on the news, as he described to me, and was a team member of the BBC podcast Americast alongside Maitlis.
For more than seven eventful years, Sopel bore witness as Donald Trump significantly reshaped American politics. To his surprise, he later witnessed the storming of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. by Trump’s supporters, an incident occurring after the outgoing president asserted that Joe Biden’s victory in the 2021 election was fraudulent.
He remarks, ‘I’ve reported on natural catastrophes, I’ve reported on conflicts, I’ve witnessed horrific events.’ Yet, ‘to see American democracy seem fragile?’ That took me aback.
Upon returning to the UK, Sopel believed he had left such turbulence behind. However, he soon realized that similar events might not be avoidable, as in a short span of a year, the country has seen three different prime ministers, the Supreme Court declared the prorogation illegal, and even the queen was reportedly misled.
The understanding that, during his time away, the UK had transformed into an unfamiliar and somewhat uncomfortable place is what leads to the naming of Sopel’s latest memoir: Strangeland (a land that feels strange).
Instead of an abundance of books from London liberals painting a grim picture, Sopel’s coworker at Global, James O’Brien, is particularly skilled at this. However, Strangeland distinguishes itself by its keen analysis of the BBC’s perceived contribution to the decline in public life standards, as seen by Sopel.
And he pinpoints one reason: coverage of Brexit. “There was a bet made on the coverage, which was the line of least resistance where every piece had to be internally balanced.” That, he says, is “cowardice dressed up as impartiality”.
“If you know something is a lie and you can demonstrate it is a lie, then you should call it out.”
While collaborating with Maitlis on Americast, Sopel accidentally discovered a potential solution for another significant issue BBC was facing – the matter of age.
According to him, traditional news programs tend to attract viewers aged sixty and above. However, they fail to capture the attention of younger demographics. What Emily and he discovered is that if you delve deeper into topics while maintaining an entertaining approach, it sparks interest among people.
Instead of interpreting the old Reithian principles incorrectly, the BBC has created distinct programs for amusement, education, or news dissemination. However, unintentionally, they’ve managed to combine all these elements into a single package.
I chose to part ways with the BBC in February 2022, despite their offer for me to serve as their political editor. Instead, I embarked on a new venture called The News Agents, joining forces with Maitlis and Goodall, both of whom had previously served as policy editor at Newsnight.
Emily and I synchronized our actions; we simultaneously contacted our superiors to announce our resignations. It seems the newsroom had an astonished reaction, something like a collective gasp or exclamation of surprise.
Initially, it was a significant news event. However, two days later, Russia, under the leadership of Putin, invaded Ukraine, causing our story to lose focus.
Once again, the focus is on Maitlis, following two TV dramas, “Scoop” and “A Very Royal Scandal,” both centering around her 2019 Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew. According to Sopel, Gillian Anderson’s portrayal in “Scoop” was starkly different from Emily Maitlis. He notes that Emily is not aristocratic, she’s not pompous, she’s not distant, she’s not patronizing. Instead, she casually offers wine gums!
Earlier this year, News Agents surpassed the 100 million download milestone, leaving Sopel feeling deeply humbled. “It’s almost unbelievable to me,” he admits. A high-ranking executive from BBC news, who has recently departed, penned a letter expressing his sentiments: “I believe you are reshaping the concept of public service broadcasting.” Upon reading this, Sopel was struck by awe.
It’s understandable why he might feel triumphant: He has experienced a significant sense of freedom, not from external oppression but from certain constraints that existed at the BBC. These limitations were self-imposed by the BBC out of fear of various things. One can only speculate what Sopel is afraid of – perhaps a Trump victory or an even closer loss?
I’m hoping that if Kamala Harris manages to win, she does so decisively. I fear another close election like the one in January 2021 would cause distress and disruption, and I’m unsure if our nation could handle such turmoil once more.
Sopel has a good understanding that January 6th could be more severe than initially perceived. He explains, “To some it may have seemed like a few agitated individuals on the 6th. However, over time I believe it’s become clear that it was much more serious. If you examine the structure, there were paramilitary units with a hierarchical system, there was a leader, and there were weapons – they appeared to be well-prepared.
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2024-10-07 14:07