Politics has always been a popularity contest
Long before social media, power belonged to those who could frame events, define the stakes, and capture public imagination. In Britain, from wartime broadcasts to the age of spin doctors and 24-hour news, political success has often depended less on manifestos and more on narrative control.
Today, in a fragmented media landscape shaped by algorithms, outrage, and AI-generated content, the question of what is true — and what is right — feels more contested than ever. Major events are now interpreted in radically different ways depending on political persuasion. The same moment can generate entirely opposing versions of reality, leaving voters disoriented, angry, and polarised.
While some political movements lean heavily on data, expertise, and institutional authority, others deploy emotion, identity, and repetition to powerful effect. Strategies designed to dominate the information space — overwhelming opponents and media alike — can shape public perception long before facts have settled. As media theorist Clay Shirky observed, “we brought fact-checkers to a culture war,” only to discover that facts rarely win on their own.
Join award-winning journalist James Ball and narrative expert John Yorke as they explore the mechanics of political storytelling across the spectrum, examining why some narratives stick while others falter. How are political stories constructed? Why do certain frames take hold? And in a digital world driven by offence, speed, and spectacle, is understanding narrative structure now as important as understanding the facts themselves?
The chair for the evening will be journalist and TV producer Rob Broomby.
JAMES BALL
James is an award-winning journalist and author whose work focuses on politics, power, and the impact of technology on democracy. A former reporter for The Guardian, he was part of the team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for reporting on the Edward Snowden revelations.
He is the author of several books, including Post-Truth: How Bullshit Conquered the World, and is a regular commentator on UK and international media, analysing how information, misinformation, and power shape public life.
JOHN YORKE
John is one of the world’s leading experts on narrative, known for his work analysing how stories function and why they resonate with audiences. His book Into the Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them has sold over 250,000 copies worldwide.
He is the former Controller of BBC Drama Production and former Head of Drama at Channel 4, and has won numerous awards, including BAFTAs and a Golden Globe.
Yorke founded the BBC Writers Academy in 2005 to train new screenwriting talent in the UK, and it has since produced a generation of successful writers.
CHAIR
Rob Broomby has been a broadcast journalist for almost three decades- mostly with the BBC as the BBC Berlin Correspondent and later a British Affairs Correspondent for the World Service. He presented radio news, current affairs and documentary programmes including and in recent years has been Senior Producer for ARD - German Television.