DeepSummary
The episode begins with Adam Fleming joining Kirsty Wark and Nick Watt at a venue in Glasgow where Newsnight will be broadcast live. They discuss the controversy surrounding a Reform UK activist using a racial slur to describe Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Sunak's decision to repeat the slur in his response.
Nick Watt provides details on the undercover investigation by Channel 4 News that captured the activist's remarks and Reform UK's response dismissing it as a setup. The panel examines the potential impact of the incident on Reform UK's support and the wider election campaign.
Later, Marianna Spring joins to discuss her 'UK Undercover Voters' project, which explores the influence of accidental social media influencers, particularly among younger voters. She highlights the challenges and implications of misinformation and the role of algorithms in shaping political discourse online.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- A Reform UK activist's use of a racial slur against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sparked controversy, with Sunak repeating the slur in his response to emphasize the gravity of the situation.
- The incident raised questions about the potential impact on Reform UK's support and the wider election campaign.
- Accidental social media influencers, particularly among younger voters, are wielding significant influence in shaping political discourse and engagement during the election.
- The rise of authentic-looking content from these influencers challenges traditional political advertising and highlights the role of algorithms in shaping online political conversations.
- The episode highlighted the challenges of misinformation and the potential for social media platforms to amplify harmful or misleading content during the election campaign.
- The panel discussion touched on historical anecdotes and personal experiences, adding a conversational tone to the analysis of the election's key issues.
- The episode provided insights into the behind-the-scenes operations of Newsnight and the BBC's election coverage.
- The impact of postal voting, particularly in Scotland, was briefly discussed, highlighting the logistical challenges of the election process.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “When my two daughters have to see and hear reform people who campaign for Nigel Farage calling me an effing, it hurts and it makes me angry. And I think he has some questions to answer.“ by Rishi Sunak
- “Yeah, I think that that's one of the kind of big trends I've seen throughout the election, really is the way that the stuff that looks like authentic or organic often succeeds in getting lots of views and likes because people are interested in it.“ by Marianna Spring
- “And so you could see how, you know, it's certainly beneficial to the parties in some ways having supporters, activists, people who are interested in what they're doing, pushing this kind of stuff out that appeals to an audience who are otherwise quite disengaged from the online kind of traditional mainstream political conversation.“ by Marianna Spring
- “But I think it does raise just really big questions about the role of algorithms in shaping our kind of political discourse, and particularly the political discourse that the majority of, like, normal people, not to make us abnormal, but the majority of, like, the average person, engages with, which I think, which I think is just really to sort of change, the direction of political discourse, perhaps in a way that feels quite different from, like, 20 years ago.“ by Marianna Spring
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Episode Information
Newscast
BBC News
6/28/24
Today we look at Rishi Sunak saying he was "hurt" and "angry" after a Reform UK canvasser used a racist term to describe him.
Adam is in Glasgow with Newsnight’s Kirsty Wark and Nick Watt to discuss the Conservative Leader’s response and to answer some of your questions.
And Marianna Spring is back with the UK Undercover Voters to look at the influence young people are having on social media during the general election.
You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere
Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade with Gemma Roper and Sam Maclaren. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.