Throughout lockdown the media industry has had an everlasting buzz. Lockdown has filled the media with articles off the back of government announcements, growing statistics and interviews with government advisors and politicians. During all of this, two journalists have caught the attention of the media for two completely different reasons.
When lockdown was first announced the general public was sent into an overwhelming sense of panic. Whether this was the fact schools and pubs would be closed or more importantly the fear of being trapped at home with the only saviour being a one hour walk a day. The whole concept of lockdown has left a lot of people overwhelmed. This fear has been heightened for those shielding due to health conditions and people living in abusive relationships. Since lockdown was put in place domestic abuse helplines and charities such as, Refuge have seen a worrying increase in calls.
This was highlighted by journalist and broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire. Like most, Derbyshire has been at the forefront of reporting on coronavirus information for BBC News, however one morning on air what she did was very subtle yet clever. Alongside doing her hair and makeup, Derbyshire went on air with the domestic abuse helpline phone number written on the back of her hand. Throughout the episode she continued to use hand gestures and make sure that her subtle gesture would make a huge impact. This was done with the hope that those experiencing abuse within their relationship would be able to have the confidence to seek support, with it being so subtle that their partner wouldn’t be able to notice. This made a huge impact on the audience with people praising Derbyshire on social media for her small action which most importantly saw an increase in calls to domestic abuse helplines.
Similarly to Derbyshire, Emily Maitlis has also made headlines after her introduction to ‘Newsnight’. Not only did she make the headlines but the BBC offered an apology statement after an uproar of complaints. When describing what was coming up on the programme, Maitlis referred to Dominic Cummings, advisor to Boris Johnson who did the opposite of staying at home as part of the lockdown rules. Maitlis described that “the country can see that” Cummings broke the rules “and it’s shocked the government cannot”. She went on to say, “he made those who struggle to keep to the rules feel like fools”. Regardless of your opinion on Cummings, Maitlis’ monologue was seen to not reflect the values of the BBC, in particular that of being impartial. From this, Maitlis did not present the show the following evening. This sent social media into an uproar, due to the suggestion that she had been asked to step down or had even been sacked.
Lockdown has proved to be a great time for the media industry. Maitlis has displayed that she has been able to represent the mood and view of the country. Derbyshire has also helped viewers cope and get through lockdown. Both journalists have put their viewers first and continue to pave the way for inspiring young journalists.
Neve Gordon-Farleigh