A brand new podcast from the UK authorities’s Division for Tradition, Media and Sport (DCMS) is receiving a blended response from throughout the tradition sector.
On the finish of February the DCMS launched First Draft, a podcast hosted by a tradition minister Chris Bryant, which can air fortnightly. Bryant says on X that “that is the primary ever authorities minister podcast” and, in accordance with the DCMS, episodes will probably be delivered “at no additional price”.
“First Draft is a podcast that champions the cultural and artistic industries. It is going to be a chance for quite a lot of friends from throughout DCMS sectors to hitch the Minister and share their experiences,” says a DCMS spokesperson.
Brett Spencer, the director of the Centre of Podcasting Excellence at Metropolis St George’s, College of London, says that First Draft provides the DCMS a chance to bridge the communication hole with the voters and construct a extra engaged and related neighborhood throughout related topic areas.
“It does have the potential to succeed in a youthful, politically engaged viewers who select to take heed to podcasts moderately than get their information elsewhere. Authorities communications can typically really feel sterile and indifferent and a podcast can current a unique aspect to a politician and permits them to talk extra conversationally, humanising them, and constructing belief with listeners,” he provides.
Rob Summerhill, a Welsh photographer, additionally praises the initiative on X, writing that “that is very optimistic by way of communication. Keir [Starmer] and different [government] departments must get their act collectively and easily inform the voters what they’ve carried out, what’s subsequent.”
Nonetheless Rob Watson, the director of the media consultancy, Decentered Media, says that the brand new podcast is extremely inappropriate. He asks: “Why not put money into neighborhood radio to develop this content material, moderately than utilizing the federal government advertising and promotion machine, which many will really feel is propaganda as a result of it’s not editorially impartial or accountable?”
“How will [Bryant] match this in? I hope he can nonetheless deal with different key points equivalent to difficult the federal government’s AI copyright plans,” stated an nameless cultural commentator. Artistic professionals have protested towards proposals to let synthetic intelligence corporations use copyright-protected work with out permission.
Final 12 months, following Labour’s victory within the Normal Election, Bryant was appointed Minister of State at each the Division for Science, Innovation and Know-how and the Division for Tradition.
