Latest news with #mediainfluence
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
As US retreats, is there a ‘soft power' opportunity for UK?
The US is retreating from international cooperation, cutting support for free media abroad and reducing financial aid. Russia and China are spending up to £8bn on their global media activities to boost their influence. Amid these global tensions, the UK government recognises the dangers of a western retreat – but is struggling to fund a response. With such huge shifts in world politics, it is no wonder that some politicians fear the west is losing the 'soft power' battle – a phrase coined by the academic Joseph Nye in the 1980s to describe the ability to influence other nations through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion. While it may seem a frustratingly abstract concept, recent world events suggest its use has very real consequences. China was viewed favourably by 29% of people studied across 18 countries in 2021. After huge soft power efforts, the figure has now increased to 40%, according to a study by the BBC and Tapestry Research. The study separately surveyed a group across 10 countries made up of people involved in business decisions. Among that group, China's favourability had increased from 39% to 51%. It found that watching CGTN or RT, the respective state broadcasters of China and Russia, made viewers more favourable to those countries. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has been defunding independent media overseas such as Voice of America, known for delivering independent journalism to countries with restricted press freedoms. Overseas aid is being targeted. Over a longer period, Britain's traditionally potent soft power has been misfiring. 'The UK's soft power has been in decline roughly since Brexit, for the last 10 years, but we're still a top-tier player,' said Jonathan McClory, an expert on soft power who recently authored a report on the issue for Labour Together, a thinktank with close ties to Downing Street. 'We haven't managed to establish a compelling narrative of who we are and where we're going since Brexit … We've got a proper change in government, which gives the opportunity to do that. We have a willing audience, but we have to say what it is we're good at and act accordingly,' McClory said. UK ministers have recognised the urgency of the situation and also realise the opportunity for Britain's economy in fostering stronger international ties. The government set up a soft power council earlier this year and populated it with figures from across media, education, defence and beyond. It was a widely welcomed initiative, plugging in soft power to the top of government. A formal strategy is expected to follow this autumn. However, there is also a conflict at the heart of government. It is clear to most insiders that even the best-designed strategy will require funding. Key soft power institutions are struggling to cope with financial pressures, most notably the BBC World Service, the British Council and universities. Members of the newly formed soft power council are treading carefully, conscious that many ministers are sympathetic to the need for funding but have a tough task in securing it from the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, who is facing a myriad of pressing demands. Tristram Hunt, the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum and a member of the council, said: 'There is an importance in a growing age of autocracy to have that voice [of liberal, democratic values] heard. Budgets are strained and it's hard. We can't pick up all the slack left by a retreating America. But if we believe in these values, it's important to be on the front foot with them as far as we can.' Others on the council are more bullish, arguing that the US retreat creates a strategic opening for Britain. 'We have this incredible opportunity,' said Neil Mendoza, who served as a culture commissioner under the previous government. 'You have a threat on the one hand but also this opportunity because America has withdrawn. It is also cheap as chips – and can work in close partnership with hard power. Why wouldn't you invest in soft power?'
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Britain losing influence as Russian and Chinese media outspend BBC
Britain is losing influence to Russia and China as the hostile states' spending on media eclipses the BBC. Foreign Office officials have privately warned that the UK is at 'high risk' of losing global influence 'without harder-edged approaches'. They said: 'The UK still retains top rankings for strong influence within G20 countries, based on trustworthiness and independence of institutions – critical prerequisites for achieving hard goals of investment and security cooperation – but is losing influence in the Global South and emerging powers to Russia and China.' The comments, which were made in a presentation to the Government's soft power council (a body designed to help boost UK growth and security) earlier this year, were obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by soft power research agency CreativePower. The soft power council was launched in January with the aim of boosting Britain's global influence. It is chaired by Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, while members also include former ITV chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette, V&A boss Tristram Hunt and PR executive and former Remain campaigner Roland Rudd. While the officials did not explicitly mention the BBC, a separate report by CreativePower found that cuts to the BBC's World Service were opening the door to Russian and Chinese propaganda. Russia and China are believed to be spending as much as £8bn a year on growing media audiences, primarily in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. The BBC has significant reach in those regions, but the amounts being spent by hostile states dwarf the budget of the World Service, which stood at £366m last year. The report said the heavy media spending 'demonstrates the value foreign states place on controlling global narratives', adding that they were ready to move in as soon as the BBC cedes ground. The research warned the World Service was facing a 'perfect storm of competition, demand and decline'. It added that the service was 'at a crossroads' and faced a choice 'to either pursue sustained growth or accept managed decline'. In January, the BBC said it would cut 130 jobs from the World Service as part of a plan to strip out £6m of costs. While the Government this year increased its funding of the World Service from £104m to £137m, this was still £20m below the BBC's demands. Mr Lammy is now looking to slash the budget further as part of the spending review and has reportedly asked BBC bosses to find savings of up to £70m. The CreativePower report argued that the World Service should not be funded by the licence fee but should instead receive 'long-term, stable funding' primarily from the Government. It added that ministers and the BBC should draw up a strategy for growth for the World Service, including pursuing audiences on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok and developing a more coherent strategy for international TV news. The BBC combined its UK and international news channels in a cost-cutting measure in 2023. However, the move has proved controversial, and Lord Sedwill, the former cabinet secretary and national security adviser, said the BBC was 'making a mistake with its TV news channel'. It came as Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the culture select committee, wrote to the Government asking for reassurances over the future funding of the World Service and urging ministers not to overlook the role it plays in national security. She said: 'Through its foreign language services, it is on the frontline of the global fight against mis- and disinformation, but unless it is properly funded, we risk handing the microphone away and giving free reign to media backed by hostile states to become the dominant voice around the world. 'Ministers have told us that the World Service bolsters UK security. Cutting its funding now would undoubtedly make us all less safe.'
