It is a sacred tenet for populists that they alone know what the people want. “Common-sense” Britain has, they insist, had enough of the “woke,” liberal nonsense peddled by an out-oftouch mainstream media which tells people what to think and what not to say. If they’re right, then there should be money in providing an alternative. Hence the idea for GB News, a new, Brexit-flavoured TV channel founded by telecoms executives Andrew Cole and Mark Schneider (both close to the right-wing American cable TV billionaire John Malone) and chaired by legendary ex-BBC journalist Andrew Neil.
Despite panic from hyperventilating liberals, it wasn’t exactly meant to be a British Fox News—Ofcom regulations preclude that—but hoped to serve “neglected” viewers beyond the supposed metropolitan bubble, airing arguments not broadcast elsewhere. The idea was to ditch conventional news bulletins for punchy debates likely to go viral on social media. There would be an upbeat patriotic twist—no more talking Britain’s post-Brexit prospects down—and dedicated “good news” slots. It launched on 13th June with a bang, although arguably not the one it wanted.