Portland Podcast

For this episode of Behind the News we are joined by Chris Cook, former Policy Editor at Newsnight, who now works for new and exciting "slow news" venture, Tortoise Media. Tortoise is pitching to those who feel overwhelmed by digital news and are willing to pay subscriptions for curation and expertise. The project promises “open journalism” and a “different kind of newsroom” which will hold daily open news conferences called “Thinkins”. Is this the future of news? Listen for an exclusive insight.

For this episode we are joined by Peter Heneghan, Head of Communications at LADbible. With a reach of one billion users per month, LADbible is the world’s largest social publisher. It’s the tenth most-visited website in the UK and has matured into a media powerhouse that spans editorial, paid, documentary and live video. In this episode you will hear about how LADbible shifted their reputation, their mission to empower young people, social publishing and the complex world of social media algorithms.

Portland’s fourth study into ‘How Africa Tweets’ has found African governments are not immune from global issues such as fake news, the rise of bots and external influence on elections. Portland’s Robert Watkinson, Partner and Head of Portland Africa is interviewed by Jessica Lea, an Account Director in our Philanthropy team. Tune in to hear them discuss the recent study, the context of social media in Africa and the role of Twitter in recent elections. To find out more, please visit: www.howafricatweets.com/

On 3rd May, voters in the capital go to the polls for the council elections that are likely to drastically shake up London's local government. With campaigns in full flow, we are joined by Dave Hill, the Founder of OnLondon.co.uk to discuss the key issues facing political parties in London. Dave provides us with his insights into how things might unfold on election night and the impact of Momentum in the different boroughs.

For our second Behind the News event, we were joined by Politico’s Westminster-based Political Correspondent Annabelle Dickson. The Brexit special, hosted a year to the day before the UK officially leaves the EU, gave attendees a political view from both sides of the debate. The insightful discussion also provided an exclusive look behind the publication process and examined the different policy areas of Brexit, and to what extent it is dominating the news agenda in other European countries.

The internet has transformed the news landscape beyond recognition and yet long-form journalism is resurgent, radio is thriving, and newspapers continue to be influential. How does it all work and what’s it like to be a journalist in today’s digital environment where everyone has a voice and a view? And what does it mean for companies and organisations who want to engage? LBC presenter and political commentator Iain Dale is interviewed by former Sky News Correspondent and Account Director at Portland Richard Suchet. The lively discussion examined recent news headlines including the Oxfam scandal, as well as how LBC's audience is changing and the impact of social media to traditional broadcasting. Not shy of controversy Iain shares his humorous career highlights.

How can you regulate the future if you don’t know or understand exactly what new technologies, issues and trends may arise? Now try regulating long-term issues on the horizon for the current government such as artificial intelligence or the growth of the cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. These are the issues discussed in Portland’s latest podcast on, 'Regulating the future' where we talk to Portland’s Chief Policy Adviser, William Tanner, about the long-term issues facing governments and how they should approach them. Will provides strategic counsel to Portland's corporate clients on UK government policy and political strategy. He works across a range of policy areas, having previously advised the Prime Minister on all of government policy, from Brexit to industrial strategy to mental health, as Deputy Head of Policy in 10 Downing Street.

Portland’s Deirdre Livingston investigates the true meaning and consequences of social media echo chambers, and how they influence us in positive and negative ways. In this podcast she interviews a range of experts including Natalie Fenton, Professor of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London, Alex Krasodomski-Jones, Researcher at Demos and the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media, and James Temperton, Digital Editor at Wired UK.

In the month between the local elections and the General Election, Labour’s fortunes changed dramatically. From the disappointment of returning just two Labour mayors out of a possible six, to derailing the strong and stable leadership of Theresa May in the space of five weeks, it was quite the reversal. Our recent polling, commissioned from YouGov, reveals that three quarters of business leaders think that a Corbyn Government could come about within five years, and a third of them say they have made at least some preparation for it. In our latest podcast, Portland's Local Partner, Chris Hogwood outlines why the possibility of a Labour Government cannot be ignored and why business should start engaging seriously with Labour policies. The podcast also includes insights from our distinguished panel during Portland’s recent 'Labour - a Government in Waiting?' breakfast event. Our expert panel considered how business should seek to engage with the new reality of Labour party policy and explored what a Labour Gove

Fake news is a topic that came to real prominence during the US presidential election. For the first time, people began to question the media and who they could really trust as a reliable news source. In this podcast we discuss this growing issue with Portland’s Gregor Poynton, Partner and Head of Content and Brand, where we try to define what fake news actually means and what it means for communications agencies. We also speak with Portland’s Eleanor Dickinson about our “Fake News in Kenya” report commissioned in the run up to the Kenyan election. The report examined the prevalence of fake news and the impact this is having on what Kenyans see as trustworthy news sources. To read the full report, please visit: https://portland-communications.com/publications/reality-fake-news-kenya/    

A panel discussion with Sunday Times Political Editor, Tim Shipman, Harriet Harman, a long-running Labour MP, James Cleverly, a Conservative MP and Joe Twyman, Head of Political and Social Research for YouGov. The discussion was chaired by Portland's Chief Advisor, George Pascoe-Watson. The panel gave their reaction to the General Election results and the formation of the new government, as well as their expectations for the next parliament.

We speak with James Helm, a Partner in Portland's Philanthropy & Disputes team about future of government policy on international aid, future of the UK's 0.7% commitment, the reappointment of Priti Patel and more.

A discussion with Alastair Campbell, Senior Advisor at Portland on the importance of reputation management in modern sport. Alastair is interviewed by James Helm, Partner at Portland, and former BBC Sports correspondent. They debate the similarities and differences in reputation management for politics and sport, what has driven sport from the back to the front pages, and who does reputation management best in sport. 

The panel explore how the upcoming General Election could affect the Brexit process and impact your business. Hosted by Portland Chief Adviser George Pascoe-Watson, the panel includes Sir Vince Cable, Anna Turley MP, Jesse Norman MP and Tim Shipman, Sunday Times Political Editor. 

We speak with Dr Tristen Naylor on the communications strategy behind Donald Trump’s rise to the White House. We dig into the successes of Trump’s campaign strategy, but also the ways in which he will need to adapt this strategy now that he has assumed office. Dr Naylor is a lecturer in Diplomatic Studies at the University of Oxford and the Managing Director of Diplomatic Solutions.

Following on from what will be remembered as one of the most disruptive years' in political history, the panel from Portland's Destination Brexit event provide a valuable insight into how we can navigate our way towards a successful Brexit that works for all. Read our publication Destination Brexit in full.

Portland’s Head of Insights Emily Hunt sat down with the Echo Chamber podcast to discuss Donald Trump’s Presidential Election win, how the pollsters got it so wrong, and what this means for the 'fetishization' of big data.

We’re joined by Christophe Mallet, a virtual reality (VR) creative strategist and producer at London-based VR production studio Exzeb, to discuss what VR is, how it can be used to transform communications campaigns, and what the future of the technology looks like. Portland are able to advise on how VR could benefit your business's communications strategy.

Portland’s Noah Black, a Director in the Washington, DC office, sat down with us to talk about the US elections and what a Trump presidency might look like.