British Voices, American Ears: A Shift in News Consumption

David Olajide (00:01):

Before we begin, consider this when the noise gets too loud. Sometimes the clearest view comes from just far enough away. Here's a story about guidance perspective and why sometimes it takes an outsider to help us find our way home. Take a listen.

Farzana Baduel (00:26):

You've lived in the city your whole life. You know its streets, you know its shortcuts, you know its sounds, even the ones that used to soothe you, but now seem sharp. But lately things feel different. The city doesn't hum the way it used to. It roars. Every block feels divided. Every neighbour has planted flags you didn't notice before. You try to make sense of it all. Turning to the familiar voices around you. They shout directions loud, urgent, absolute, but none of them lead you to where you need to go. So you stop asking the neighbors. Instead, do you find someone else, someone who doesn't claim a corner or wear a team's colours, a guide who walks the same streets, but sees the patterns from a higher view. They don't tell you which side to take. They show you the format and ask you where you want to end up.

(01:19):

That's what British media has become for many Americans. When local voices blur into a battle of volume, outlets like the BBC or the Guardian offer something steadier. They're not invested in the block by block fights, but they do care enough to explain them clearly without shouting. And for those who call this place home, but no longer recognize the root that matters, sometimes it takes an outsider to help the local see the city as a whole. Again today on stories and strategies, why more Americans are tuning in to British coverage of their own country's news and how this outside perspective is helping them read the room without shouting across it.

(02:19):

My name is Farzana Baduel

Doug Downs (02:22):

And my name is Doug Downs our guest this week. Helena Humphrey, joining today from DC Hi Helena.

Helena Humphrey (02:29):

Hello. Great to be with you. How are you? Doing great

Doug Downs (02:31):

To be with you. Cherry blossoms out. I've been to DC I love it. It's beautiful, but I'm told I got to go when the blossoms are out.

Helena Humphrey (02:38):

Look, I'm afraid, Doug, you've actually missed them. They've gone. And perhaps if this tells you anything about the frenetic pace of life in DC right now, normally I see them every year. This is the first time I have to admit that I haven't just too busy. It's just been a bit crazy. Yeah,

Doug Downs (02:55):

Right. Even the Pope's American now, it's all America all the time.

Helena Humphrey (02:58):

It's all America. Yeah, it does feel like that.

Doug Downs (03:00):

Helena, you're a BBC news anchor and correspondent based in DC with a reporting career spanning 16 years on both sides of the Atlantic. You've worked with major networks including C-B-S-N-B-C, and M-S-N-B-C, British Born. You bring a global lens to the stories that you cover shaped by your work as a journalist and former humanitarian aid worker across Europe, Africa, Asia, and now the United States.

Farzana Baduel (03:25):

Now we have been hearing that more and more Americans, particularly of a higher education level, are moving away from domestic news sources. And interestingly, I hear they've been tuning into British outlets like the BBC and the Guardian. Are you hearing the same thing and from your perspective on the ground, who is making the shift and why?

Helena Humphrey (03:48):

Well, it's a bit of a humble brag, but yes, we have been hearing the same thing, which is great news for us. I think one good example is I think that we've gone from, I mean, there's always been the name recognition for the BBC. We're over a hundred years old, but we're seeing that engagement now as well. If you just think about the first interview President Biden, granted post White House, it was to the BBC

(04:13):

When we are out and about. I mean, most recently in Washington, we had the spring meetings at the IMF and the World Bank, and anecdotally speaking to a lot of CEOs and economists and so on, they say that they're turning to us, particularly when they're in the US because as you well know, we are living in such a fractured society right now, polarized media landscape. And BBC has always had these values of impartiality and fairness and accuracy, and they might not sound that sexy, but I think all of a sudden people are finding when they don't want the spin that there's this renewed interest, which is great for us because we've doubled our staff size in newsrooms recently.

Doug Downs (04:56):

Wow.

Helena Humphrey (04:57):

Yeah. In the DC

Doug Downs (04:57):

Bureau. How against the trend is that?

Helena Humphrey (04:59):

So it is against the trend. You're right. And we've gone from live programming of one hour every night to four hours. We've got newsletters which are targeted at US audiences as well. So we've really been expanding our footprint. Hopefully it's paying off.

Doug Downs (05:15):

Okay, so you've doubled the newsroom, expanded your newsletters as well, right? Yes. So there's more outreach. So how has that strategy helped the BBC build trust and grow its footprint in such a polarized media environment? Americans want news from sources they consider to be just like them. But Helena, you don't sound just like them.

Helena Humphrey (05:38):

I mean, it's a really good question. I mean, I guess for reporters, it's all about access, isn't it? That's what you want. You want to be able to go on the ground, you want people to tell you their stories. And I think for the most part, during the campaign, for example, that we've had recently in the presidential election, I've been able to say, Helen Humphrey, BBC news, do you have a moment to share how you are feeling? And they've said, oh yeah, sure. We know the BBC, we're also simulcast on PBS here. So they know us from that angle, which has been great. But then also I think for people who are globally curious in that way, BBC offers something different. I think for us as reporters and as anchors, it's a tremendous privilege to be able to have breaking news if it's in Sudan or Syria or Ukraine. And actually literally within minutes get one of my esteemed colleagues up on air to tell us the latest, we don't have to wait for them to fly in. We've got more correspondence around the world than any other network. And so I think it's also a meeting place for people in that regard as well who want to get out of this, their echo chamber or what we're seeing in the US right now.

Farzana Baduel (06:56):

Really phenomenal and such a good news story because you never hear of newsrooms expanding. And so that's wonderful news to hear ate last, touch wood, touch wood. Now, if more Americans are consuming news through a British lens, how might this influence American culture over time and how may it actually influence A BBC in turn and its editorial approach?

Helena Humphrey (07:23):

That's such a good question. I mean, I'd be reluctant to say that as proud of the BBC as I am, that we are necessarily influencing such a vast diverse country like the United States. But certainly, I mean, you see that cultural recognition because the BBC obviously is more than just its newsroom and so on. You bond with people over things like Killing Eve or Peaky Blinders, I mean, which are of course produced by the BBC. So there are those kind of cultural touchstones I would say there. But I also think, and again, when I talk about that polarized environment in the us, I mean we're talking about friends and families not speaking right now. I'm sure you've heard about that. People not having Thanksgivings together for example. It's so sad. And so it's this kind of, I think in some cases, journalistic detox if you will, where you can come. And again, it's no spin facts first. And I think that's what we offer. And I think we are seeing more people come to us for that.

Doug Downs (08:35):

I'm a big believer that we change as a result of those around us. You've been in the US is it four years now? A little longer,

Helena Humphrey (08:42):

Yeah, three and a half years, yeah.

Doug Downs (08:43):

Right. Okay. So how have you changed? Do you say folks now? Has that worked its way in?

Helena Humphrey (08:49):

Yes.

Doug Downs (08:51):

How are you folks?

Helena Humphrey (08:52):

I almost feel slightly embarrassed saying it, but you do change and you do find yourself

(08:58):

Becoming a bit of a cultural chameleon. I mean, journalism's also about connecting with people, isn't it? And that kind of empathy. So when you are asking people to speak to you about a sensitive topic like politics or unfortunately sometimes oftentimes in journalism, you're speaking to people on some of the worst days of their lives. You are saying, oh, I'd love to know what you folks think. And you feel a bit like Tim Walz doing it, but it's a way of being kind of down to earth, isn't it? And I think that works quite well compared to, I think there's a difference between American society is perhaps a little bit more optimistic, I think, than British society. I think some people question whether it's authentic. Some Europeans will say, well, do Americans really mean it when they say have a great day? I don't really mind whether they do or not. And I think for the most part they do actually. It's a tough world out there, and I'll take a bit more optimism where I can get it. So yeah,

Doug Downs (09:58):

Sorry, just let me follow up on that. In the three and a half years, as impartial as the BBC is, absolutely, we're all human and we all have perspectives that's inevitable. Can you share anything where your perspective, your empathy, your understanding has changed a little bit, at least as a result of having lived in America for those years? Aretha? Ah, see those folks, I didn't realize they are thinking and they are caring about something in a different way completely than I thought before I got here.

Helena Humphrey (10:29):

Yeah, that's a really good question. I think one thing that struck me the most when I moved to the US was the convening power of religion in terms of, I think people are more likely to show up and to practice their beliefs, to identify with their religion more openly. I think religion filters into political debate

(10:56):

Often in terms of the kind of conversations we're having about laws in this country. And I think coming from the uk, I think more often we don't look at it with that same level of seriousness that I think that you have to here in the United States. And so that's definitely something that's kind of, I've recognized over time. This is important to a lot of people.

Farzana Baduel (11:22):

What do you say about the difference between British and American culture really resonates? Because one of the reasons why I love going to the US is I actually love the friendliness of Americans and how you make conversation if you're on a lift and people say Good morning. And I think in the UK you could get arrested if you're a bit too friendly, especially on the tube. Don't look at anyone on the cheap. Absolutely. And I quite like also the optimism and a lot of friends of mine who are entrepreneurs, they always say that they just feel that the US has such a wonderful regard for entrepreneurs, and particularly the attitude to failure. It's like, yeah, you felt get up again and try again. Whereas I think in the UK we can be a little bit snarky about failure, but that's what I love. I find it's quite infectious, the optimism, the positivity, and just how strangers are friendly. And I think that's just lovely. I think we should do it more. We should do it more. Now you mentioned about polarization and it's really extraordinary what's happening when I dive into the world of TikTok.

(12:29):

You also talk about these complex forces shaping women's roles, for instance today. And you've got something I stumbled across on TikTok a few years back, the T trad wife movement to the growing, and you've got the growing economic pressures that women face, and you have obviously the feminists of yesteryear and the many waves of feminism that we've had. How do you see these trends influencing broader societal debates, particularly in the current political climate?

Helena Humphrey (12:58):

Well, I mean, how long do you have? I mean, this is a huge one, isn't it, to unpack? I think women in America are definitely a crossroads right now. And I think if you look back at the last election for the Democrats, they definitely thought that reproductive rights were going to be this potentially winning issue. And I don't think it necessarily landed in the same way, but then you've got the trad wives movement. People have got a lot to say about it. But one thing I will say is you've also got women monetizing wives content online, but women have gone through a lot here in the United States. Even if you just think back to the pandemic and how that impacted with what people called women doing, the bulk of, I'm loathed to say invisible work. I actually hate that term invisible work because it's only invisible if you don't look at it and you don't acknowledge it.

(13:50):

And this is a country that is one of the few industrialized nations that has no federally mandated parental leave right now. And so when we were discussing, okay, I was in the Haley camp at one point following Nikki Haley around in the primaries, and she had her ardent supporters and with Harris as well. And even when you sort of asked the question to women, is America ready for a woman in the White House? Even people who desperately willed it. So I honestly don't think I ever really got like a hell yeah, people would say, oh, well yeah, I really hope so. I really hope it'll be time soon, and I want to show my daughter and my granddaughter and so on. But I didn't get that resounding, let's go. And I think that's pretty interesting about an indicative of where women are in the United States right now.

Doug Downs (14:50):

You work in, you're a woman, women get judged, I know from my time in tv, so I'm not going to ask about what sort of texts and social media comments you get because I'm sure they're wow all over the road, the judgment. Is it different from British audiences as opposed to American audiences? And please give us the real

Helena Humphrey (15:15):

If

Doug Downs (15:15):

It's much worse one way or the other. I'm actually dying to hear

Helena Humphrey (15:19):

It. I think you've nailed it, Doug. I mean, you could win a Pulitzer and someone's going to say, didn't like a hair that day. That will

Doug Downs (15:28):

Happen. Look at that dress.

Helena Humphrey (15:29):

Yeah, and that's true or that's true for both sides of the Atlantic. But honestly, in my experience, I would say one of the things I appreciate about the United States is I think there's an ability to hold women in a more complex way in terms of women can dress in a way that I think is powerful or glamorous or choose not to. I don't think necessarily that you get the same judgment with regards to their intellect all the time. Whereas I have to say, coming up as a journalist in the UK, I feel that the messaging I got was more try not to stand out, tone it down. Oh wow. In some cases, shrink yourself or cut your hair. That was when I was told all the time, cut your

Doug Downs (16:27):

Hair, cut your hair or don't

Helena Humphrey (16:28):

Cut your hair one the other. Yeah, it was always cut your hair. And I always thought, what does my long hair or whatever, it could be shaved head or braids, what does that have to do with the power of that journalism? And I think for people, if that really does impact how you view journalism and a certain piece of reporting that might be a you problem, maybe you should think about. I just think that hopefully we're moving past that point. But that was some of the messaging that I got that I'm kind of determined to plow on past that time is over hopefully. But that's just some of the differences I think that I noticed.

Farzana Baduel (17:13):

I think that's really true because I think sometimes in the UK for instance, if you want to go down as sort of an intellectual route, they expect you to dress like Angela Merkel, and if you don't, then they're just instantly dismissive and they have this sort of really odd view that you have to be one or the other. And so it's almost like women can't be glamorous and enjoy makeup and hair in clothes and

Helena Humphrey (17:39):

Fashion, express themselves,

Farzana Baduel (17:40):

However, and express themselves. And you have to almost take this Margaret Thatcher masculine energy to the work that you do in order to be seriously. It's

Doug Downs (17:52):

Interesting. Do you see that when you're in the US as well? Do you get a different feel from the atmosphere?

Farzana Baduel (17:57):

Yeah, I think at the US you see these incredibly glamorous women who are unapologetic about their fashion and they're grooming and they are, they're in these great public spaces with high level politicians or policymakers, entrepreneurs. And so I think the US just seems a little bit more forgiving in that respect.

Doug Downs (18:19):

There's a bit more Go for it. Yeah, go for it.

Farzana Baduel (18:22):

And fun enough, even when I was doing a lot of work in Ukraine, I think even 10, 11 years ago, and I was absolutely astonished how you had these incredible Ukrainian women who were so feminine, beautifully dressed, love fashion, and they had a PhD in aeronautical engineering, and they were like assistant minister of this department, and they didn't have to compromise their femininity

(18:47):

For the profession, and they were taken seriously. So it always struck me as I travel around the world that some cultures allow women to be operating at high levels professionally and leaning into the femininity, whereas others sort of want you to bring on that masculine energy sort of aesthetically the way that you dress and the way that you carry yourself. And if you don't, they'll sort of perceive it as something that they just don't take you seriously. It becomes a bit undermining, and they can't quite balance both of them in their mind that a woman who likes fashion can also be a woman with a brain and good at her job and so forth. I think it can be quite reductive at times.

Doug Downs (19:28):

I've got one last one for you, Helena. You work in television, television news. The average age on CNN, sorry, mentioning a competitor is 67. The average age of a viewer on Fox is 69 television. I mean, come on. Nobody's watching anymore.

Helena Humphrey (19:47):

Yeah, I know. And we wrestle with this all the time, and how are we going to be digital first and so on. And I think you were talking about those differences between or how the US has shaped me. I've also worked at US media networks for a long time, CBS and NBC and M-S-N-B-C. There are no wasted words in American TV or reporting. You have to be pithy to the point you are competing with TikTok and INTA and so on. And I think maybe it seems funny to bring up someone like Hemingway when you are talking about something like this, and it's a bit of a journalism cliche, isn't it? But short sentences, no wasted words. When we are doing reporting, often for US networks, we are boiling things down that are very complex to one minute 30, for example. And I think we're going to have to keep carrying that forward into our TV news because otherwise people will be turning off. We are competing with these phones, and that's the challenge of our generation, I think. And we haven't necessarily worked out how to do it. All ideas welcome, but it's a huge, huge one. So listeners, answers

Farzana Baduel (21:03):

On a postcard, please. Yes, please.

Doug Downs (21:06):

Small postcard.

Farzana Baduel (21:09):

Thank you so much for your time today. We know you are incredibly busy and taking time out to share your incredible perspective as a Brit in DC, and it's such a pivotal time for the BBC.

Helena Humphrey (21:21):

Well, thank you. Real pleasure to chat to you both, so thanks a lot.

Doug Downs (21:25):

Oh, hey, Helena. In our last episode, our guest Sarah Waddington, she left a question for you.

Sarah Waddington (21:32):

Well, I'm going to link it to how I feel about things, so I'm going to ask the next person if they also believe we have a personal responsibility to help change society for the better.

Helena Humphrey (21:42):

It's a lovely question. It's an important question.

Doug Downs (21:45):

How do you do that and be objective?

Helena Humphrey (21:47):

And you've nailed it, haven't you? I think as a member of a community and a neighbour and a sister and a friend and a daughter, yes, there is that kind of obligation that we all have. Personally, I think as a reporter, again, maybe it sounds old fashioned, but I don't think that's my role. I honestly think that our role is to gather the facts, present a mirror to society, and then people can judge as they will and then act accordingly. And if that means that they go out and change society in some way, so be it. But that's not my professional calling calling. That's

Doug Downs (22:38):

Just as a former journalist. Thank you so much for saying that.

Helena Humphrey (22:41):

Okay.

Doug Downs (22:41):

I'm tired of journalists trying to influence how things be.

Helena Humphrey (22:44):

Definitely things are changing, I think in terms of journalism and how people regard that. I think maybe younger generation feels differently to me than that, but yeah, I'm still pretty old school in that way.

Doug Downs (22:58):

Okay, your turn now, what question would you like to leave behind for the next guest?

Helena Humphrey (23:02):

Well, we were talking about attention spans, weren't we? And how much information, exactly how much information there is out there, and it's something I grapple with all the time. How do you make sure that your message cuts through and resonates when we are faced with a surf fit of content on a daily and hourly basis? So I'd love to know.

Doug Downs (23:29):

Yeah, me too.

Farzana Baduel (23:30):

Yep. I'll get in line for that one as well. Brilliant. Thank you. Lovely to be with you. Thanks so much. Here are the top three things we got today from Helena Humphreys. Number one, BBC's growing us influence amid polarization. Helena highlighted that more educated Americans are tuning in to British news outlets like the BBC and the Guardian, due to growing disillusionment with polarized domestic media. She attributes BBC's appeal to its longstanding reputation for impartiality accuracy and expanded US presence, including a doubling of newsroom staff, and increased programming tailored to American audiences. Number two, cultural observations and personal transformation. Helena shared how living in the US for over three years has shaped her personally and professionally. She observes deeper American religious engagement and optimism compared to the UK and noted how these cultural dynamics influence political and journalistic interactions. Number three, complex pressures on women in the media and society. Helena discussed how American women, especially in media and politics, are navigating a contradictory landscape shaped by both feminist progress and regressive pressures. So for instance, lack of parental leave, trad wife, content judgment on appearance. She also contrasts British and American attitudes towards women's presentation in professional settings, praise in the US for being more accepting of women who blend professionalism with glamor and femininity.

Doug Downs (25:06):

I got a big dose of optimism from that. If more Americans are choosing what they consider to be objective news and they're not just disillusioned with their own domestic news outlets, that's all positive for me.

Farzana Baduel (25:20):

Yeah, I think it was a good news story.

Doug Downs (25:23):

Let's hope it stays that way. If you'd like to send a message to our guest, Helena Humphrey, we've got her contact information in the show notes, check her out on BBC too, stories and Strategies as a co-production of Kerin Public Relations, JGR Communications and Stories and Strategies podcast. If you like this episode, please leave a rating, possibly a review. Thanks to Gold Star producers Emily Page and David. Lastly, do us a favor forward this episode to two friends. Thanks for listening.