A brand new podcast from the UK authorities’s Division for Tradition, Media and Sport (DCMS) is receiving a combined 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 is able to air fortnightly. Bryant says on X that “that is the primary ever authorities minister podcast” and, in response to the DCMS, episodes will likely be delivered “at no additional value”.
“First Draft is a podcast that champions the cultural and inventive industries. Will probably be a possibility for quite a lot of visitors from throughout DCMS sectors to affix 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 offers the DCMS a possibility 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 facet 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 executed, what’s subsequent.”
Nonetheless Rob Watson, the director of the media consultancy, Decentered Media, says that the brand new podcast is very inappropriate. He asks: “Why not spend money on 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 corresponding to difficult the federal government’s AI copyright plans,” mentioned an nameless cultural commentator. Artistic professionals have protested towards proposals to let synthetic intelligence firms use copyright-protected work with out permission.
Final yr, 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.
