Sophia Smith Galer

The election may feel like a distant memory for some but here at The Telegraph we've just rounded up the last in our four-part general election Ask me Anything (AMA) series on Reddit, Inc. Thinking big, bold and outside of traditional social approaches was especially key at this election as MPs and campaigners took to platforms like TikTok, Reddit, Inc. and Twitter more than we've ever seen. It was key that we went to where our audiences were. The four subreddits I chose have a combined following of just under 2 million users, providing an impressive off-site #audience to introduce our content to and successfully drive onward journeys back to The Telegraph's trademark quality journalism, in new ways. 1. 🗳️ Ben Riley-Smith offered unique insights into both the person and the policies of Starmer after shadowing him on the campaign trail for six weeks, answering questions in the biggest UK Politics subreddit. In a happy coincidence this AMA occurred on the same day as Farage's decision to stand as an MP, enabling our #social audiences to receive real-time answers and analysis to their questions on what this developing story would mean for the following, and greatly changed, campaign. 2. 🔷 Dominic Penna was up next and having interviewed everyone from Liz Truss to Jacob Rees-Mogg in his brilliant Politics Newsletter was a huge hit with the Conservative subreddit. 3. 🗞️ Gordon Rayner has taken on Governments, the BBC and British banks to name just a few of his investigations that have consistently dominated the news agenda throughout his career. These stories set the framework for an incredibly interesting AMA on everything from the biggest challenges facing Starmer to how the media should approach #AI. 4. 💵 Sam Brodbeck focused on what the new Labour government would mean for our audience's wallets, as well as a look ahead to the up and coming Budget, answering key questions in the UK's biggest Personal Finance subreddit. Do you have a specific niche? Let's talk about where your AMA could fly.

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How do you launch a local news site? Try to reinvent local journalism? NUJ London Freelance Meet ✍️ Monday 10 June, 6.30 pm online I'll be chatting to Joshi Herrmann, the founder of Mill Media - which has just reached a six-figure reader milestone. Mill Media "publishes high-quality local journalism in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Sheffield. Best known for its deeply reported long reads and paid newsletter model, the company has been described by the Financial Times’s John Burn-Murdoch as “one of the most interesting and impressive media startups of the last decade." Joshi founded The Mill, a local newsletter covering Greater Manchester, as a one-man band in June 2020, and the company now has staff writers and editors across four cities. It is read by more than 100,000 email subscribers and funded by 7,500 paying members, as well as corporate sponsorship partners. Excited for this! Got a question for Joshi? Let me know and I'll put it to him. #localnewsmatters #newsletters #substack

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How can we build a better future, in which public-interest news not only survives but thrives? That is the central question in the News Futures 2035 report. An interesting initiative that brough together more than 300 thought leaders from various backgrounds in the UK to discuss the future of trustworthy public-interest news. Over a series of workshops and consultations, they boiled down the various issues down to two critical uncertainties in four possible scenarios. https://lnkd.in/eYGBbp5p

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RECOMMENDATIONS // 8 UK podcasts about politics and current affairs As the UK goes to the polls this Thursday in a round of local elections, we’re recommending some politics and current affairs podcasts to keep you plugged into the political goings-on. READ NOW: https://lnkd.in/eckH2NAt #podcast #podcasting #podlife #podernfamily #politics #politicspodcast #politicalpodcast

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As Britain grapples with a week of violent riots sparked by misinformation, over 400 arrests have now been made. At the same time, communities led by anti-racism groups have overwhelmed and humiliated far-right extremists. On Wednesday 7 August 2024, the British authorities escalated their response to a week of widespread riots, charging 100 individuals in connection with the violence that has gripped the nation. However, in response to these threats, the local community, supported by anti-fascist organisations, mobilised in large numbers to protect the town. On the morning of Wednesday 7 August, thousands of counter-protesters filled the streets around the Walthamstow immigration centre. Organisation Stand Up To Racism, along with the ‘Oppose Tommy Robinson’ and ‘Refugees Welcome’ campaigns, shared aerial footage online that revealed over 5,000 anti-fascist protesters!! It’s no longer 1977. We must learn from our history: Margaret Thatcher capitalised on fears over immigration to draw many to her party. Today, figures like Nigel Farage echo similar tactics. Let’s ensure that we hold accountable not just the extremists, but also the politicians who exploit these issues in a demagogic, populist speculative manner. And yes, there’s no space for fascist in London. #stopEDL #stopfascism #stopracism #antifascist #London https://lnkd.in/eQa2i687

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Journalism.co.uk is changing and we need your help. If you have 10 minutes, would you please fill out our survey? 📝 https://lnkd.in/eBBnhYHU This will help define and shape our work moving forward. As thanks your time, you have a chance at winning these five amazing books, with deep gratitude to the authors and book publishers 📚 📙 Avoiding the News: Reluctant Audiences for Journalism by Benjamin Toff, Ruth Palmer and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen 📙 The Art of Explanation: How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence by Ros Atkins 📙 Strategic Management in the Media: Theory to Practice by Lucy Kueng (Küng) 📙 Moral Courage: 19 Profiles of Investigative Journalists by Anthony Feinstein 📙 Managing Emotions in Journalism: A Guide to Enhancing Resilience by Maja Šimunjak

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With the UK General Election taking place this week, we've put all our analysis and in-depth coverage of what we can expect - and what the industry wants to see - from a new government in one place. Just head to our homepage, and take a read of our range of articles, including a 'charter' of the key things that any new approach to #PPP will require, what the first priorities should be on #infrastructure, and a podcast where we discuss the parties' manifestos. Here's our top story on the issue: https://lnkd.in/ehGpVjK6

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NEWSLETTER #217 // 🏆 The IWPA shortlist is announced! The International Women's Podcast Award shortlist is announced!... PLUS The Independent Podcast Awards entry deadline has been extended by two weeks, with entries now closing on Friday 14th June at 5pm. READ NOW: https://lnkd.in/eAC_WGp8 #Podcast #Podcasts #PodcastNewsletter #PodcastRecommendations #PodcastRecs #PodcastMedia

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After a couple of years of research and consultation, the new CAP guidelines on podcast advertising are here... https://lnkd.in/eak3XU_a Set to fully take effect from 16th August, all advertising communications within a podcast must now feature clear signposting to make them obviously identifiable as such. The ASA suggests the use of terms such as 'This is an advertisement for...' or 'our sponsor today is...', although it's not an exhaustive list and they will take into account the full context of an ad when considering if it has breached the code. Sound effects and clearly marked breaks from the main content are also suggested as ways to clearly distinguish commercial content from editorial. Interestingly, for video podcasters, it highlights the need to ensure that host reads included within the video version of a podcast should adhere to the relevant CAP guidelines for that medium. How have you been handling commercial signposting until now? Does this actually change anything?

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RECOMMENDATIONS // 5 podcasts to teach you about sound Oliver Seymour has collated a list of podcasts that teach us something about sound. From Reasonably Sound to Song Exploder, here are five podcasts that will make you listen to the world differently… READ NOW: https://lnkd.in/ehBtAKj8 #podcast #podcasting #podlife #podernfamily #audio #podcastrecommendations

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The government’s new inclusion adviser Tom Rees penned an excellent piece for us in June outlining four ideas to fix SEND in the long-term It was part of our Sector’s Manifesto series in the run up to this year’s election (you can read them all here https://lnkd.in/eUws8tkA ) Some interesting ideas from Rees included: - Retiring the SEND label by 2034 to move away from ‘our outdated, medicalised model of inclusion based on ‘deficit’, which too quickly reaches for labels and prescribes provision that is ‘additional and different’’ - Early years and childcare reform so childrens ‘needs are identified and receive targeted support so they are ‘school ready’ by 5’. Includes investment in research so schools know which interventions work - A national commission to ‘undertake work to fully understand and plan for the places required in the next decade and to deliver this through a range of different methods’ - A ‘well-designed programme of development to help schools and trusts create a high-quality resource base, specialist units and satellite provision’ https://lnkd.in/e-2fDM3f

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A fortnight before the election itself, with polls predicting that even the safest Tory seats might flip to Labour, Public First wanted to understand whether the cold polling numbers were telling the whole story. But how to do it? And where to do it? Let’s take the second question first. Based on various polling insights, we settled on Newark: the constituency, despite its huge Tory majority in 2019, that appeared to be most in balance between the Conservative and Labour parties. In short, Newark would allow us to get a real sense, on the ground, of what was really going on in this incredibly unusual election. So how would we do it? We quickly concluded that this was the perfect opportunity to roll out our latest qualitative method, immersive research. After more than a year of honing the methodology, we have concluded that immersive research - where we spend longer periods in an area conducting face-to-face interviews in people’s natural environments – is the best way of understanding political attitudes among the huge numbers of the public who don’t engage in traditional research. Our Newark research – which saw five PF researchers carrying out more than 100 interviews (in streets, shops, pubs and church halls) recruited to represent the make-up of the constituency – told us the real story of this election in this newly marginal constituency. It also made tangible many of the underlying trends of the 2024 election. We found growing if fragile support for Labour (with almost no enthusiasm), a surging Reform and huge political disillusionment. Together, these factor clearly left the incumbent hugely vulnerable on both left and right flanks, but we also identified a legacy Tory base that was just (only just) keeping a rump Conservative vote together. Less than 10 days on from our research, Robert Jenrick MP held Newark with a vastly reduced majority of 3,500 (down from 22,000). While our immersive research method is explicitly not about making electoral predictions, we feel confident that, looking back, our findings from our time in Newark tell the underlying story of this result, how it came to be, and some of the lessons the main political parties should take away from the election more broadly. Read the report: https://lnkd.in/eEGMJk2g Coverage in The Times: https://lnkd.in/exziun6Z Huge credit to the brilliant immersive researchers Bertie W. Meg Price Ed Dorrell Anna Taylor and data team Scott Corfe Damayanti Chatterjee

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Women still carry the emotional load in media. In my The Media Leader column this week in place of the #MentalHealthAwareness platitudes ask yourself: are you contributing to a workplace culture which is having a negative impact on mental health? It’s the structures we invest in and the cultures we build all year round which have the biggest impact on employee wellbeing. We are so quick to turn to one-off initiatives but the truth is the lived experiences of employees in our industry remind us that we aren’t getting the basics right. Our cycle of endless initiatives mean we are in danger of looking for change in all the wrong places. It’s OK for women in our industry to recognise it is not their job to solve every given problem, without the tools and investment they need to achieve meaningful change. It’s OK to say no to unsustainable workloads. It’s OK to invest in DEI, rather than expecting the women in your businesses to carry the weight of change alone. There are women in our industry moving mountains while existing on fumes. So what are we really doing to help them? Link in bio to the full column.

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Whatever your views on the timing of the Prime Minister’s decision to call a UK General Election on 4th July, we are now in the throes of a campaign where many expect a Conservative defeat at the polls and the first Labour administration for 14 years. Do you feel prepared to navigate the campaign period ahead and make the most of a new Parliament and Government? Please read our briefing attached which outlines four essential things businesses and organisations need to consider over the coming weeks and a timeline of key developments.

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Topics I have written about this week as a journalist and copywriter 💻 Disability, intersectionality, DEI, dogs, Gordon Ramsay, rice, spiders, cars, a local pub, Greece, holiday deals, Malta, cheap flights, Jamie Oliver, storms, Ozempic, coaching, psychometric testing, Mary Berry, sports, cleaning, steak, emigrating and Below Deck. Never a dull day, and I love that my job means absorbing all sorts of information and seeking out all kinds of fun facts and figures to craft a narrative. Writers have to become experts on a whole host of topics, big and small, and it is an absolute joy to be able to learn and grow every day. Need blog posts, brochures, leaflets or LinkedIn posts about your industry? Drop me a message 📧 #contentmarketing #journalist #copywriter

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A sensitive report leaked to the Cable reveals ‘super users’ of stop-and-search powers and the police who prolifically and disproportionately target Black people in Bristol, providing an in-depth insight into the prevalence of racist policing in the city over the past seven years. The Cable can exclusively reveal a report which shows that, over a one year period, 60 individual officers accounted for half of all 375 stop-searches on Black people. It singles out two teams of officers who have been stopping significantly more Black people than others. Between 2022 and 2023, 12% of all stops on Black people were carried out by one team. https://lnkd.in/e6hmkjHf

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Great to get even more new Newspagers out of the blocks - and in style, in the Mail Online. In this case Tony Redondo ACIB Prem Raja and David Nicklin along with serial media tarts Gabriel McKeown and Trish McGirr. If you're a currency, markets or economic expert, join Newspage and you'll make the headlines, too. https://lnkd.in/eAG_f4Q6

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