Conspiracy theories and chaos: a week watching GB News
When GB News launched in 2021 it planned to represent what it considered to be the country at large; one that had upended British politics by voting to leave the EU and then installing Boris Johnson as prime minister. Andrew Neil, the former BBC interviewer, was given a prominent role and the channel aimed to disrupt the more staid world of TV news.
As the Guardian’s special correspondent Heather Stewart tells Michael Safi, much has changed in the last two years. Neil has long since departed – along with many more of its most experienced broadcasters. In their place are hosts such as Nigel Farage and a slate of presenters who dabble in ‘anti-woke’ outrage as well as outright conspiracy theories. It makes for stark and sometimes dark viewing. Two years on, it is still making a loss and seldom breaking its own stories. But is it influencing the political landscape – and how long could it last?
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