However, the working class have their role in the media as a source of entertainment such as Channel 4's "Sixty days on the estates". They are useful for poverty porn, and of course the licence fee!
Of course Farage got baracked because the luvvies know the working class voted for his Brexit and admire the man (witness Farage at Large, on GB News). His treatment and so many other instances such as Jacob RM and his 12 year old son being mobbed by Remainers, is one of the most repulsive facets of the left today, political violence. Tory scum and even worse, Tory (unts being acceptable language and behaviour. Proud of yourself, Rayner?
The growth of the alternative media brings some relief from the iron grip of progressive orthodoxy. Unfortunately other than GB News many if not most depend on individual subscription as the only realistic funding mechanism. I myself am limited to only the most informative and entertaining writers - Matt being top of my list - because such subscriptions rapidly mount up. The poor and the working class (even IF avid current event readers) cannot afford the luxury of becoming too well informed, certainly not to the extent required to push back against the wall of propaganda coming our way. Writers must earn their crust in order to publish and I take no issue with this, many can find no outlet in the wider media without curtailing their freedom to challenge the zeitgeist after all. However I see no way the alternative media can grow significantly beyond where it is at present unless advertisers have an epiphany and stop trying to convince the public of their ‘moral stance’ on everything from widgets to toothpaste. After all some see advertising on GB News as beneficial it seems.
Yes, the cost of subscriptions soon mounts. Maybe The Daily Wire offers a model for how to move forward. A single, good-value, curated daily Substack with a range of different voices. (It would be a bit like a newspaper, in fact!)
My media consumption has changed a lot in a couple of years time. At first I was looking for a newspaper that could provide me with perspectives closer to my own everyday day life but I didn’t really find a newspaper that made me satisfied. The real game changer was when I decided to become a payed customer of the account of Ivar Arpi here on Substack. He has one of the most popular accounts in Sweden. Most of the material is still in Swedish but there will be more and more in English eventually. He is really good at presenting guests with fresh ideas and different perspectives. I don’t think that I will ever again subscribe to a newspaper. Another thing is that I spend less time on social media and read more books as well.
One of the good things about substack is that over time you become aware of the international element of people’s experience. Matt is good at cautioning us to look beyond the UK at the common problems we have with growing authoritarianism of course, but the individual comments reveal so much about the frustrations across Europe and the anglosphere. Glen Loury has been an eye-opener for me when it comes to the black experience with CRT for example.
I personally find the French to be more insular intellectually compared to what might be called the old Protestant countries - this is just a personal impression and certainly nothing I could defend empirically - and of course I can only read French in translation which limits my perceptions. Perhaps you feel otherwise, and I am willing to change my appraisal in light of the comments of the better informed.
Spot on in every respect, Matt. Thank you for such an impressive and authoritative assessment of our current media and the reasons why we ordinary folk feel so detached from it.
Could I just add a personal anecdote to illustrate how working class people are also being excluded from the advertising industry, which may account for the overwhelmingly ‘woke’ commercials we have to suffer these days.
My husband started off in the business 60 years ago, from a council estate, armed with a few ‘O’-levels. He got a job as a messenger in the Post Room of a big agency and over the years was given many opportunities to advance, which led eventually to a very well-paid career as a Creative Director of a leading agency in London. He was by no means the only person to forge a career like this, in those days it was good to be working class as it helped you to understand the consumer. Sadly, that route no longer exists because opportunities are only available to graduates these days.
I’m sure this situation is replicated in countless other industries.
Thing is, elitists don't become less elitist when they face popular backlash. Instead, their instinct is to "circle the wagons" and thus become even more elitist and detached.
In light of what you said last week Matt, and as he is now the recipient of a media gong, awarded by the public much to the chagrin of the MSM, I hope that Farage is no longer 'contemplating his future'. Instead, I hope that he's ready to get <back> into the fray. I believe, that given the mess that is British politics, that he'd do very well.
The response of the media executives is to have a disproportionate number of well educated black presenters and to encourage all presenters to drop their "T"s in every sentence. Where are the ordinary people? Where, indeed, are the asian and "others" in Britain - certainly under represented in UK Media.
The same can be found by going to any Parliamentary event, political research even, trade asociation event or to the pubs around Westminster.
Part of the issue with all the so called "Professions" is the need for a degree. This is a form of indirect discrimination against the working class. Indirect discrimination against any of the "protected characteristics" would be subject to confected outrage and demands for change . Channel 4 and the BBC would compete about which of them could produce the most offended documentary!
Bring on apprenticeships for doctors and other medics as a start, I say! Seriously, I want the government to identify these needless class barriers and legislate them away. As I tell my doctor friends "If my gas plumber cocks up, I'm blown to kingdom come!"
I think you could take this analysis (privilege upbringing leading to privileged opportunity but without real-life experience) and use it as a template to overlay onto a range of aspects of British life. I'm thinking of governmental advisers, management consultants and (don't laugh) English cricket.
I read last year of how one member of the English Test match team won his place into the side through some very cosy family connections. Sadly, the results from this player have not been impressive.
However Matt's overall point about exclusion of talent through privilege and nepotism is a particularly important one.
I get the main point of this piece - class doesn't rate in the diversity debate. It is not surprising that a profession like journalism is dominated by graduates though, is it. I know that didn't used to be the case, but like many white collar occupations, entry level is now a degree. I appreciate you are making a wider point than that and it made interesting reading.
Thanks for the heads up on this one, Matt. Farage is marmite, but I do admire him not least for having a hide thicker than a rhino. And GBNews had 3 out of 5 on the shortlist for that award - I must start listening to it more among all my other news consumption (Unherd, Spiked, Spectator, FT, Times, Telegraph, etc [OK - an occasional Mirror :) ] )
The Today programme is down from 8m to 6m listeners in 5 years. And the way viewer figures - which determine advertising costs - are derived (which NF highlights in his speech) sounds just so wrong.
If Kent counts as the provinces (questionable, admittedly ) then there is one particular slice of the provincial media that is hugely and deservedly successful - a week or so back it was 13,000 subscribers while today it's congratulations and trebles all round:
"Matt Goodwin’s Substack goes out to more than 14,000 subscribers in 133 countries each week."
So, c'mon Matt, upwards and onwards and when's the IPO so we can all buy shares in "Goodwin Media Enterprises"?
As for GB News, the degree of self censorship by presenters and frequency of mention of OFCOM and need for balance, leaves no doubt as to the degree of regulatory harassment to which they are subjected and similarly the number of sly media briefings as to OFCOM's unhappiness, indicates its clear intent given half a chance After all OFCOM is a very, London and a very New Labour institution.
The establishment now prefers race and sexuality to class to prevent any discussion of the latter. The word "white" is often put in front of groups that the media demeans or sneers at...much as in the US politicians refer to: chumps (Biden), deplorables (Clinton), bitter clingers (Obama). BTW they have noticed and Matt Goodwin is pretty much the only person to highlight class.
So here's a point, but purely my point. Happy for anyone to respond.
At the tender age of 58, I have gone from buying two newspapers a day, plus maybe three on a Sunday (sometimes), and having multiple subscriptions to numerous magazines and periodicals, including the Spectator, to now only having two subscriptions per month: Matt Goodwin and Twitter - total cost £14.60 per month.
So, I've gone from spending several hundred a month to £14.60 a month on newspapers and subscriptions. I surely can't be the only person that has lost any sort of faith in the media, and others must have stopped making purchases.
It's a fair whack of savings every month which I now happily divert to spending even more on alcohol, cigarettes, lunches, dinners and holidays.
Mainstream media is doomed, but they just don't know it - yet!
However, the working class have their role in the media as a source of entertainment such as Channel 4's "Sixty days on the estates". They are useful for poverty porn, and of course the licence fee!
Of course Farage got baracked because the luvvies know the working class voted for his Brexit and admire the man (witness Farage at Large, on GB News). His treatment and so many other instances such as Jacob RM and his 12 year old son being mobbed by Remainers, is one of the most repulsive facets of the left today, political violence. Tory scum and even worse, Tory (unts being acceptable language and behaviour. Proud of yourself, Rayner?
The growth of the alternative media brings some relief from the iron grip of progressive orthodoxy. Unfortunately other than GB News many if not most depend on individual subscription as the only realistic funding mechanism. I myself am limited to only the most informative and entertaining writers - Matt being top of my list - because such subscriptions rapidly mount up. The poor and the working class (even IF avid current event readers) cannot afford the luxury of becoming too well informed, certainly not to the extent required to push back against the wall of propaganda coming our way. Writers must earn their crust in order to publish and I take no issue with this, many can find no outlet in the wider media without curtailing their freedom to challenge the zeitgeist after all. However I see no way the alternative media can grow significantly beyond where it is at present unless advertisers have an epiphany and stop trying to convince the public of their ‘moral stance’ on everything from widgets to toothpaste. After all some see advertising on GB News as beneficial it seems.
Yes, the cost of subscriptions soon mounts. Maybe The Daily Wire offers a model for how to move forward. A single, good-value, curated daily Substack with a range of different voices. (It would be a bit like a newspaper, in fact!)
My media consumption has changed a lot in a couple of years time. At first I was looking for a newspaper that could provide me with perspectives closer to my own everyday day life but I didn’t really find a newspaper that made me satisfied. The real game changer was when I decided to become a payed customer of the account of Ivar Arpi here on Substack. He has one of the most popular accounts in Sweden. Most of the material is still in Swedish but there will be more and more in English eventually. He is really good at presenting guests with fresh ideas and different perspectives. I don’t think that I will ever again subscribe to a newspaper. Another thing is that I spend less time on social media and read more books as well.
One of the good things about substack is that over time you become aware of the international element of people’s experience. Matt is good at cautioning us to look beyond the UK at the common problems we have with growing authoritarianism of course, but the individual comments reveal so much about the frustrations across Europe and the anglosphere. Glen Loury has been an eye-opener for me when it comes to the black experience with CRT for example.
That’s right. But I have been searching for some accounts in French to follow but so far I have found nothing.
That doesn’t surprise me actually.
Why is that?
I personally find the French to be more insular intellectually compared to what might be called the old Protestant countries - this is just a personal impression and certainly nothing I could defend empirically - and of course I can only read French in translation which limits my perceptions. Perhaps you feel otherwise, and I am willing to change my appraisal in light of the comments of the better informed.
From my point of view that’s an advantage. Sweden is sometimes referred to as USA:s 51:st state since they adopt things from the US very quickly.
Spot on in every respect, Matt. Thank you for such an impressive and authoritative assessment of our current media and the reasons why we ordinary folk feel so detached from it.
Could I just add a personal anecdote to illustrate how working class people are also being excluded from the advertising industry, which may account for the overwhelmingly ‘woke’ commercials we have to suffer these days.
My husband started off in the business 60 years ago, from a council estate, armed with a few ‘O’-levels. He got a job as a messenger in the Post Room of a big agency and over the years was given many opportunities to advance, which led eventually to a very well-paid career as a Creative Director of a leading agency in London. He was by no means the only person to forge a career like this, in those days it was good to be working class as it helped you to understand the consumer. Sadly, that route no longer exists because opportunities are only available to graduates these days.
I’m sure this situation is replicated in countless other industries.
Thing is, elitists don't become less elitist when they face popular backlash. Instead, their instinct is to "circle the wagons" and thus become even more elitist and detached.
In light of what you said last week Matt, and as he is now the recipient of a media gong, awarded by the public much to the chagrin of the MSM, I hope that Farage is no longer 'contemplating his future'. Instead, I hope that he's ready to get <back> into the fray. I believe, that given the mess that is British politics, that he'd do very well.
The response of the media executives is to have a disproportionate number of well educated black presenters and to encourage all presenters to drop their "T"s in every sentence. Where are the ordinary people? Where, indeed, are the asian and "others" in Britain - certainly under represented in UK Media.
The same can be found by going to any Parliamentary event, political research even, trade asociation event or to the pubs around Westminster.
Part of the issue with all the so called "Professions" is the need for a degree. This is a form of indirect discrimination against the working class. Indirect discrimination against any of the "protected characteristics" would be subject to confected outrage and demands for change . Channel 4 and the BBC would compete about which of them could produce the most offended documentary!
Bring on apprenticeships for doctors and other medics as a start, I say! Seriously, I want the government to identify these needless class barriers and legislate them away. As I tell my doctor friends "If my gas plumber cocks up, I'm blown to kingdom come!"
Another blistering analysis from Matt.
I think you could take this analysis (privilege upbringing leading to privileged opportunity but without real-life experience) and use it as a template to overlay onto a range of aspects of British life. I'm thinking of governmental advisers, management consultants and (don't laugh) English cricket.
I read last year of how one member of the English Test match team won his place into the side through some very cosy family connections. Sadly, the results from this player have not been impressive.
However Matt's overall point about exclusion of talent through privilege and nepotism is a particularly important one.
I get the main point of this piece - class doesn't rate in the diversity debate. It is not surprising that a profession like journalism is dominated by graduates though, is it. I know that didn't used to be the case, but like many white collar occupations, entry level is now a degree. I appreciate you are making a wider point than that and it made interesting reading.
Thanks for the heads up on this one, Matt. Farage is marmite, but I do admire him not least for having a hide thicker than a rhino. And GBNews had 3 out of 5 on the shortlist for that award - I must start listening to it more among all my other news consumption (Unherd, Spiked, Spectator, FT, Times, Telegraph, etc [OK - an occasional Mirror :) ] )
The Today programme is down from 8m to 6m listeners in 5 years. And the way viewer figures - which determine advertising costs - are derived (which NF highlights in his speech) sounds just so wrong.
Very interesting - thanks .
Used to listen to the Today programme every morning...No longer...pile of rubbish...I doubt 6m tune...
If Kent counts as the provinces (questionable, admittedly ) then there is one particular slice of the provincial media that is hugely and deservedly successful - a week or so back it was 13,000 subscribers while today it's congratulations and trebles all round:
"Matt Goodwin’s Substack goes out to more than 14,000 subscribers in 133 countries each week."
So, c'mon Matt, upwards and onwards and when's the IPO so we can all buy shares in "Goodwin Media Enterprises"?
As for GB News, the degree of self censorship by presenters and frequency of mention of OFCOM and need for balance, leaves no doubt as to the degree of regulatory harassment to which they are subjected and similarly the number of sly media briefings as to OFCOM's unhappiness, indicates its clear intent given half a chance After all OFCOM is a very, London and a very New Labour institution.
Narrative control is the regimes strongest card.
The establishment now prefers race and sexuality to class to prevent any discussion of the latter. The word "white" is often put in front of groups that the media demeans or sneers at...much as in the US politicians refer to: chumps (Biden), deplorables (Clinton), bitter clingers (Obama). BTW they have noticed and Matt Goodwin is pretty much the only person to highlight class.
So here's a point, but purely my point. Happy for anyone to respond.
At the tender age of 58, I have gone from buying two newspapers a day, plus maybe three on a Sunday (sometimes), and having multiple subscriptions to numerous magazines and periodicals, including the Spectator, to now only having two subscriptions per month: Matt Goodwin and Twitter - total cost £14.60 per month.
So, I've gone from spending several hundred a month to £14.60 a month on newspapers and subscriptions. I surely can't be the only person that has lost any sort of faith in the media, and others must have stopped making purchases.
It's a fair whack of savings every month which I now happily divert to spending even more on alcohol, cigarettes, lunches, dinners and holidays.
Mainstream media is doomed, but they just don't know it - yet!
Funny how the Guardian lamenting Oxbridge are for the most part composed of er, Oxbridge graduates.