Media Masters

Christine Hayes is group editor-in-chief of BBC Good Food and olive magazine. The “cook’s choice” for over three decades, they recently won ‘Media Brand of the Year’ at the PPA awards, praised by the judges for their “promotion of diversity and building their subscription business during lockdown” with nearly 9 million daily page views. In this in-depth interview, Christine discusses the opportunities and issues presented by the pandemic, with interest in home cooking growing exponentially, and her team rising to the challenge to deliver under lockdown - creating, testing and photographing the recipes themselves in their own homes; discusses the changes in people’s eating habits - and those that will remain post-pandemic; and shares their corporate drive to boost inclusion, by introducing new contributors and “giving a platform to voices that aren’t heard in food.”

Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a historian and expert on authoritarianism, propaganda, abuse of power and threats to democracy. A prolific media commentator, Ruth brings a historical perspective to current events across major media outlets on TV, print and online. A regular CNN contributor, and one of the few academics to accurately predict the insurrection of January 6th 2021, she joined New York University in 2000, and her work is supported by Fulbright, Guggenheim and other fellowships. In this in-depth interview, Ruth discusses her best-selling book, ‘Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,’ which examines the methods that authoritarian leaders past and present use to stay in power - “corruption, violence, propaganda and outright machismo,” and why (with a few exceptions) this leadership style usually results in failure; shares her blistering analysis of former President Trump as a “dictator in the classic vein” with both “hoarder” and “victim” traits and a “manic desire to control everyone and everything;” and discusses the launch of ‘Lucid’ - a subscription publication which shines a light on, among many other things, sexual harassment - “a common factor among these types of abusive leaderships.”

Miles Copeland is an icon in the music business, known primarily for managing The Police, Sting, Jools Holland and The Bangles, and as founder of I.R.S records, launching the careers of The Go-Go’s, R.E.M., Fine Young Cannibals and The Alarm. In this in-depth interview, Miles reveals how the music industry really works behind-the-scenes, detailing some of the extraordinary things the job of a music manager involves; with a childhood spent in Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria, he reflects on his deep affection for the Middle East, which resulted in him introducing Arabic music to the US, and even advising the Pentagon on how to win over Arab hearts and minds after the Gulf War; and discusses his just-released memoir ‘Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: My Life in the Music Business,’ which shares practical, real-life advice for aspiring entrepreneurs on recovering from the inevitable setbacks along the way - including how Miles himself built his whole career from the ashes of near bankruptcy.

Professor Jay Rosen has taught journalism at New York University since 1986. Widely regarded as a global authority on the relationship between media and politics, in 2003 he started PressThink, an influential thought-leadership platform which addresses the big-picture challenges faced by the media. In this in-depth interview, Jay argues the Trump administration still “casts a shadow” over US politics - stating “we live in a two-party system… one of the two is anti-democratic, and the other is not sure that’s a problem;” attacks Fox News for the “corrosive” role it plays in America - by “deliberately and cynically” provoking “rage or loyalty;” and condemns the “ungovernable” Facebook - which is now “a danger to democracy around the world.”

Joshua Foer is co-founder of Atlas Obscura. Founded in 2009, the online guide to the world’s “wonders and curiosities” has a reach of 6m monthly visitors, is one of the most popular travel websites in the world and boasts a submission-based catalogue of more than 22,000 places, 11,000 stories told and over 1,000 global experiences. In this in-depth interview, Joshua discusses how Atlas Obscura began, its growth into an online phenomenon, the upcoming launch of their app, and how they have tackled the impact of the pandemic; talks about his non-profit ‘Sefaria,’ a living library of Jewish texts - and his hopes to “bring the platform to life” and connect the wider Jewish community; and reflects on how he accidentally became a global expert on the science of memory - a journalist assignment in 2005 to attend the US memory championships, ended up in him taking part in the competition itself and winning -  and going on give a popular TED talk and best-selling book ‘Moonwalking with Einstein.’

Warren Webster is chief executive of Atlas Obscura. Founded in 2009, the online guide to the world’s “wonders and curiosities” has a reach of 6m monthly visitors, is one of the most popular travel websites in the world and boasts a submission-based catalogue of more than 22,000 places, 11,000 stories told and over 1,000 global experiences. Joining in 2020, he previously held senior leadership roles at Coveteur, goop and Patch - and in 2010 was named one of the ‘Most Powerful People in Media’ by Arianna Huffington. In this in-depth interview, he shares an exciting new chapter for the business, following Airbnb’s recent $20m investment; argues the global pandemic has somewhat counter-intuitively given them their strongest financial and audience success so far; and reveals their exciting plans to grow the scope of the company - with a new app and a book ‘Gastro Obscura.’

Lorna Willis is chief executive of Archant. Founded in 1845, they are publisher of 140 local, regional and national media brands; with a monthly reach of 5 million in print, and 9m online with 37m unique page views.  She joined a decade ago as digital sales director after a career spent at the Financial Times and The Guardian, and became chief executive in 2021. In this in-depth interview, Lorna reflects on a decade of “disruptive methodology,” modernising the company and tackling its old-fashioned “hierarchical nature” - recalling that in the early days she was sent home for not wearing a suit; describes how many know Archant as a newspaper publisher, but don’t realise the “huge consultancy side” of the firm, providing marketing and audience insight services for over 37,000 commercial customers; and shares her optimism for the future of regional news - with Covid-19 fostering a “renewed level of appreciation” for the value of local journalism.

Douglas Murray is a provocateur, prolific debater, best-selling author, political commentator, and associate editor of The Spectator.  In this in-depth interview, Douglas decries the “asymmetry of wokeness” - a shift from “reportable, objective truth” to so-called “personal truth” - meaning “feelings trump facts” and a growing propensity to shun voices of disagreement; argues we are witnessing a “great mass derangement” in society - a weaponised “rise of victimhood” and decline of the “British attitude” to tackling problems; and celebrates the “success” of Brexit - and the “democratic opportunities” it has created.

Yaakov Katz is editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. Founded in 1932, with a reach of over 12 million, it is regarded as one of the world’s leading Israeli-English voices. Appointed in 2016, and previously the paper’s reporter and defence analyst, he is also a prolific author - his latest book is titled ‘Shadow Strike: Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power.’  In this in-depth interview, Yaakov discusses the “vital role” of the Post for readers both in Israel & around the world, and the importance of the trust placed in them as “a reliable source of information;” argues that Israel must “win the narrative war” and renews his commitment to holding all parties to account, including the Israeli government & security services; and shares his optimism that despite the current hostilities, peace will one day come to the region.

William Cash is an award-winning publisher, journalist and author, and is currently editor-in-chief of both the Catholic Herald and Mace magazine. Twice winner of ‘Editor of the Year,’ he spent ten years in Los Angeles as a correspondent for The Daily Telegraph and then The Times, and upon returning to the UK founded a number of publications - including the ‘Westminster Index’ and ‘Spear’s’ - a business and culture magazine aimed at high-net-worth individuals. In this in-depth interview, William fondly recalls a lively decade of adventures reporting from Hollywood; reflects on the Catholic Herald’s long history - founded in 1888 and sold only within churches, now reaching a global audience and considered Britain’s most influential religious title; and shares ambitions for his new cross-party political magazine ‘Mace’ - with a focus on the business of politics itself, and an attempt to reduce political division.