On Thursday 25th February, Hampton School live streamed the latest instalment in their ‘Thursday Night In’ series of talks. This week it was an interview with journalist, Nick Bryant, who is most notable for being the BBC’s New York and UN correspondent.
The interview consisted mainly of questions sent in by Hampton students and parents, with Nick Bryant’s responses giving an insight into his life as a journalist. He talked extensively about his time in America, where he still lives, reporting on the 2016 presidential election and the rise of Donald Trump.
He noted that the 2016 election was one of the most exciting points of his career, saying that ‘we were watching what was going on with open jaws’. He recounted the story of how he had gone to what he thought would be Hillary Clinton’s victory party, only to slowly realise that Donald Trump was winning and that he was in the wrong place. ‘I will never forget the moment when Donald Trump became President Elect’, he said.
He was critical of the media’s role in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, saying ‘we facilitated his rise’. This honesty made his interview fascinating as he seemed to take partial responsibility for the news’ part in Donald Trump’s Presidency. He talked about the mania of Trump’s term in office, saying that ‘those late-night tweets were like drinking Red Bull from a fire hydrant’. Despite being critical of Trump, he did say, ‘he knew how to play the media’ and that ‘we played by his rules’.
He was careful to emphasise that he believed that ‘America has to heal’, but followed that by saying ‘I’m very pessimistic about that’. Having reported in America in both New York and Washington over his long career, he is an expert in American politics. Listening to him gave an interesting insight on the USA, with him saying that ‘the country doesn’t want to heal’. He continued by saying that Donald Trump is still ‘a dominant presence in the conservative movement’, illustrating why he is pessimistic about Biden’s chances of succeeding in his goal to unite the country.
Nick Bryant ended his interview by encouraging anybody who wanted to become a journalist to follow that dream because ‘once you get in a newsroom, things can start to happen’.
Hampton School’s interview with Nick Bryant was part of their ‘Thursday Night In’ series, which had previously seen the school’s head chef, Chef Paulie, host a cook along on how to make posh nachos and is set to continue with another on how to cook the perfect burger.
“Everyone has enjoyed this unique opportunity to hear from some of the top names in the entertainment industry streamed into their kitchens and living rooms,” said Sarah Dearden, Hampton School’s PR manager. The series has been extremely popular among Hampton pupils and parents, with Sarah Dearden saying, “Hundreds of people are booking to watch the transmissions and the feedback has been excellent.”
By Jamie Reger
