In the rapidly evolving world of broadcast news, few figures have witnessed the seismic shifts as closely as Esme Wren. Over a distinguished 25-year career, the former Newsnight editor has been at the forefront of covering era-defining stories, from the death of Princess Diana to Brexit and beyond. But in a candid interview, Wren reflects on not just the scoops, but the challenges facing journalism in an age of fragmented audiences and slippery politicians.
Newsnight’s Heyday and the “Paxman Test”
Wren’s journey began at Newsnight in 1998, a program she would later helm as editor from 2018 to 2021. She wistfully recalls an era when politicians relished the challenge of a tough interview.
Back then, politicians kind of enjoyed it – they felt like if they passed the Paxman test, it made them a better politician. And they answered the questions, they engaged, they felt that was their duty, to be accountable.
Esme Wren, former Newsnight editor
It’s a far cry, Wren laments, from today’s soundbite-driven, evasive political culture. “Everything’s five minutes,” she sighs. “Everything’s a clip. Everything’s tailored to different audiences. There’s no focal point of accountability.“
Chasing the Next Generation
Now as editor of Channel 4 News, Wren grapples with engaging younger, digitally native audiences. While 16-34 year olds only make up 5.7% of the program’s linear TV audience, its social media presence has surged, particularly on TikTok and YouTube.
“It’s important that we’re in their lives, and in their feeds, without diluting what we are for a digital world,” Wren explains. But she bristles at the suggestion she’s chasing the “woke” demographic. “Sometimes people dismiss younger audiences, but they do care about issues, and not just climate change. It’s about housing, it’s about women’s rights. Gaza, that’s where we see the [audience] growth. Ukraine, that’s where we see the growth.”
Scoops, Scandals and Serving the Public
Wren has steered coverage of many of the defining stories of the last decade, from Brexit to the Prince Andrew/Epstein scandal. On the infamous 2019 Newsnight interview where Andrew sealed his public disgrace, Wren is measured: “We told him it would represent accountability, and he bought it. Journalistically, it wasn’t the hardest thing we’ve ever done.”
She’s more animated discussing Channel 4’s BAFTA and Emmy winning coverage of the war in Gaza. “It is an outrage that we can’t access Gaza. There’s a blockade on journalism,” she fumes. “We haven’t shied away from the scale of the human tragedy, the loss, and the accountability around that.”
The Unresolved Matter of Impartiality
Perhaps surprisingly for such a news veteran, Wren still clings tightly to the increasingly battered notion of pure impartiality. “I’ve been in journalism for so long, I’ve only ever done public service broadcasting…I feel I have trained myself in that way, to genuinely have an open mind about what we witness, without being colored by any form of judgment.”
It’s a lofty, perhaps impossible ideal in an era of information overload and open suspicion of the “mainstream media.” But for Wren, it remains an article of faith. “You feel very privileged to be a journalist at this stage,” she reflects. “It’s a complex world that we live in, and it requires a lot of explanation.” In a time of hot takes and snap judgments, Esme Wren makes the case for cool-headed, clear-eyed reporting. But is anyone still listening?
