Jon Snow is ready to give it both barrels in his new book.
He signed off his final Channel 4 News after 32 years at helm, in December 2021.
Snow concluded his final programme by saying: “It’s been wonderful and so rewarding after so long at the coalface of news.
“But in the end … I am nothing in this studio without the significant and skilled technical and journalistic teams that, night after night, ensure that Channel 4 News comes to you. The joy of working here is those teams and their skills, technicians and journalists.
“And thanks to the farsighted governments, regulators that have given us an hour of independent news – in primetime. Thank you to all the people who have trusted me with their stories all over the world too, in often appalling circumstances.
“But most of all, I’m so grateful to you at home. Yes, you, sitting there. It’s not always an easy watch and we don’t always get away with it, we don’t always get it right. But your hunger to know more about the world, to hear different voices, to get closer to the truth – it’s been the greatest privilege of my life to bring you the news.
“Thank you, stay safe. That’s Channel Four News. Good evening.”
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Brexit book
Jon Snow told the Standard ‘he is “off the leash” and plans to “go for goal”.
The State of Us, out next year, will survey politics and “criticise Brexit”.
His impartiality was questioned over the years.
He reportedly joined in with chants of “F**k the Tories” at Glastonbury festival in 2017.
He also made comments about the ethnic make-up of a pro-Brexit rally.
Privatisation
The chief executive of a trade body has urged the new Culture Secretary to reconsider the privatisation of Channel 4 as he feels it is a “brilliant way of taking private money from advertisers and pouring it into the UK economy”.
Following the resignation of Nadine Dorries from the role on Tuesday, the chief executive of Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (Pact), which represents the independent TV production sector, said it would be a “nonsensical” decision to proceed with taking the broadcaster, which is entirely funded by advertising, out of public ownership.
Liz Truss named Michelle Donelan as the new Culture Secretary late on Tuesday night.
Earlier this year, the Government announced its intention to privatise Channel 4, arguing the broadcaster will struggle to survive in a media landscape increasingly dominated by big streaming giants such as Netflix.
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