大象传媒

Nick Robinson, 大象传媒 Political Editor, begins a new series on relations between broadcasters and politicians: today, radio's early days and the impact of the 1926 General Strike.

This first programme of the series shows how John Reith, the 大象传媒's first managing director (and later Director General), resisted government pressure and maintained the 大象传媒's independence, but at a price. The General Strike established the 大象传媒 as a major source of news, but its impartiality was questioned.

In later programmes, Nick Robinson examines some of the key battles for the airwaves between politicians and broadcasters. In the second programme, he looks at the clash over foreign policy in the 1930s and the problems faced by Churchill and other critics of appeasement in making their voices heard.

In the rest of the series, he explores the clash over the Suez crisis in 1956; the row between the Labour Party and the 大象传媒 in the early 1970s; the clashes over reporting 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland, culminating in the broadcasting ban on terrorists; the Falklands War; Iraq; and the relationship between broadcasters and politicians in the age of 24-hour news.

Producer: Rob Shepherd.