Ian Burrell

England, London

Columnist @theipaper Feature Writer Bloomberg Media @ReutersPlus @MarketingWeekEd @NUJOfficial Speech coach @OneYoungWorld Book Rodigan, My Life In Reggae

Articles

Don't become complacent about GB News: it is no longer fringe media

6 days ago | inews.co.uk | Ian Burrell

For an outlet that spends little on international reporting and styles itself “Britain’s news channel”, GB News takes a lot of interest in those born overseas. A hefty portion of its content last week focused on migrants arriving from France in small boats. “They’re criminals – they should be deported, full stop,” demanded studio guest Tom Hunt, a Tory MP. The impact of immigration to the UK in general was much discussed.
Keir Starmer is prostrating before Silicon Valley at the expense of journalism

1 week ago | inews.co.uk | Ian Burrell

If any politician is in need of good press, it is Sir Keir Starmer, whose net favourability rating fell to -46 last month, the worst score ever recorded by a YouGov poll. On social media it is hard to find a good word about the Prime Minister, as his reputation is derided in turn by right-wingers and disenchanted voices on Labour’s left. He is subject to vile abuse and wild conspiracy theories about his personal life, which tech oligarchs allow to run unchecked on their platforms.
Even the Remainers' bible is moving on from Brexit

2 weeks ago | inews.co.uk | Ian Burrell

Founded as a voice for the 48 per cent who voted against the UK’s departure from the European Union, The New European has performed its own version of Brexit by renaming itself The New World and adopting a global strategy. For those who identify as Remainers and dream of the day when the UK reunites with the EU, the rebranding might come as a shock. For nine years, The New European has railed against the impact of the 2016 vote.
Landmark deals are being made - but newsrooms are under grave threat

3 weeks ago | inews.co.uk | Ian Burrell

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is developing at such a pace that it behoves us to contemplate the day when robots decide what is news. The nightmare future would involve AI bots breaking stories based on information scraped from social media, or producing analysis based on corporate PR releases, partisan disinformation sites and what is left of state-supported media. All with negligible human oversight.
Barry Fantoni obituary

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Ian Burrell

It was the freezing winter of 1963 and snow was lying thick on the ground in London when Barry Fantoni, who has died aged 85 of a heart attack, came to fame by unveiling the Duke of Edinburgh in his underpants at the Woodstock gallery. The near lifesize image of Prince Philip in his smalls, surrounded by a kilt, a polo stick and items of naval uniform, in the style of a child’s cut-out doll, caused a sensation after the show was reviewed by the art critic of the Daily Express.
Five years on from BLM, where's the era of inclusivity we were promised?

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Ian Burrell

For a brief period in 2020, the story of the death of George Floyd dominated the news media, eclipsing even the global catastrophe of Covid-19. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) hashtag demonstrated the global mobilising power of social media, as irrefutable video evidence of a police murder brought huge crowds on to the streets worldwide. “I had never experienced anything like that,” recalls the film director Kwabena Oppong.
The Murdoch empire could soon be in serious trouble

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Ian Burrell

Donald Trump’s relentless and multi-pronged assault on the news industry will have lasting consequences for American society and could decide the future of Rupert Murdoch’s empire. US media and entertainment firms are being upended by Trump’s radical agenda. Last week on Wall Street, stocks of Paramount, Warner Bros Discovery, Amazon and Netflix all fell after Trump’s threat to impose 100 per cent tariffs on film content made overseas. This, in turn, piles pressure on the news sector.
Forty years on, we're still learning the lessons of the Bradford City fire

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Ian Burrell

It was a time before rolling news channels and mobile phones, but the horror of the Bradford City fire of 1985 was allowed to unfold in front of a live television audience. Cameras were only sent to Valley Parade to record the joyful finale to Bradford’s championship-winning season in the Third Division. But as flames ripped through the wooden main stand and fans poured on to the pitch, ITV went on air for the nation to watch a catastrophe that claimed 56 lives.
The Greens need to learn from Nigel Farage - and fast

2 months ago | inews.co.uk | Ian Burrell

It was a moment of classic Nigel Farage media opportunism. The Reform UK leader stood outside British Steel in Scunthorpe and stated “there has to be an immediate nationalisation of this plant”. Speaking ahead of elections for mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, Farage saw a chance to grab the attention of local voters and announce “our plan”, while rival politicians railed that Reform had previously shown little interest in the facility but had, once again, stolen the headlines.
The Observer needs to succeed - for the sake of British journalism

2 months ago | inews.co.uk | Ian Burrell

After 234 years of continuous publication in paper and ink, The Observer will finally have its first bespoke website from this Friday. But Tortoise Media, the digital start-up which controversially acquired the venerable title in December, is aiming to surprise the UK news industry by reinvigorating interest in the age-old format of the printed newspaper. It’s a bold plan but many are unconvinced it will succeed, not least the large number of Observer staff who have preferred to take redundancy.