Could Ros Atkins’ viral explainers be the future of news?
Dressed in his trademark blue suit, in front of the camera with his calm but confident demeanour, the BBC News explainer-in-chief Ros Atkins has redefined how news is reported.
Whether he’s unpacking the chaos behind the US elections or breaking down the war in Ukraine in under five minutes, Atkins prioritises the core stories for viewers: “What’s happened, what are the facts of the story, and to give the consumer of your journalism, an insight into the thinking of the protagonists in that story,” he tells Artefact.
Recognised for his viral explainer videos, Atkins draws upon complex topics and breaks them down into digestible segments, earning a place in classrooms as a trusted teaching tool.
“The volume of information coming at us in our lives, not just with reference to the news, but in our lives more broadly, is enormous,” he said.
In today’s world the amount of news coverage that is available to us is overwhelming, but with the rise of platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, the spread of fake news has also seen a significant increase, which can be hard to navigate through.
According to Atkins the success of his explainer videos lies in their ability to condense the most crucial facts: “We’ve sifted all the information and we’ve distilled down what we think is the most important information for you, if you give us five minutes of your time, we’ll give you a lot in return.”
Staying informed about global current affairs can be quite the challenge, when most articles or channels have a clear left or right-leaning bias, which often leaves readers even more confused.
“I think that’s something that people have found useful, especially on subjects where they are interested in, but perhaps don’t feel they have the time to consume all of the different pieces of information around that subject to understand it clearly,” Atkins adds.
“If you give us five minutes of your time, we’ll give you a lot in return.”
Ros Atkins
In his book The Art of Explanation: How to Communicate With Clarity and Confidence, published in August 2024, Atkins addresses this need for clarity and communication discusses how to not only capture but hold onto your audience, by mastering the skill of choosing the right words and visual cues when telling a story.
“As I’ve gone through my career, I’ve understood that being able to explain yourself, both when doing stories, but also when trying to get support for an idea,” Atkins explains.
“For example, how you go about explaining that can really make the difference as to whether the telling of that story goes well, or whether an idea gets support or not. And so I kind of put those two things together and thought, perhaps writing a book would be of interest.”
“A lot of it for me is about preparation,” he admits, confirming the secret to rising above last-minute challenges. Whether it’s a job interview, maybe you’re giving a talk or making an appearance at a panel event, anticipating what could potentially go wrong, and planning accordingly can make all the difference.
“If I was about to begin a really important programme that I was presenting, I would definitely think in advance about, what are the subjects I’m likely to be talking about? What are the phrases that I might want to use when I am talking about that?
“I would probably say them out loud to myself and experiment with which turns a phrase feel clear and helpful, which ones are perhaps in need of some improvement,” he tells us.
“That doesn’t mean that in those pressured moments when you’re live on radio and television, that pressure evaporates. Absolutely not, as it is a pressured environment, and it’s normal to sometimes feel nervous when those big moments come along, but if you’ve prepared for those moments and have anticipated the kind of things that you might need to see, that can bring you a lot of confidence.”
For more than 20 years Atkins has worked for the BBC which is known for its promise of impartiality, which is what we want to be seen honed by those who keep us up to date whether on TV or in the media we consume, but with the BBC’s reputation under greater scrutiny in the digital age, is the traditional role of the organisation under threat?
“There are always people who have strong opinions on the BBC. It’s one of the country’s most high-profile institutions, and you would expect people to have a range of range of opinions,” Atkins admits.
“By the acknowledgement of Deborah Turness (head of BBC News) and Tim Davie (the BBC’s director-general), there are things that are specific to the moment that we’re in now that require the BBC to evolve.”
And what about Atkins himself? What can we expect to see from him next as he leaves the door open for a possibility of a sequel to his first book? “Maybe in 2025 I’ll turn my mind to see if there’s a second book in me.”
Featured image courtesy of BBC/Jeff Overs