� A staunch defender of the “wonderful institution” that is the BBC, Snow believes that any government looking to inflict major changes on it does so at its peril. “I think we’re incredibly lucky to have the BBC,” he says. “If there was ever a threat from anyone to the BBC, there’d be a lot of trouble with the voters.” Snow believes the diversity allowed by two state-owned public service broadcasters is crucial for guaranteeing truth. “I think the current mix is pretty damn good. And I don’t know any other country that has as good a mix as we have. We should certainly preserve it,” he says. As for the potential “Foxification” of British news that the arrival of GB News might signal, Snow isn’t losing any sleep over it. “I’ve not seen GB News. I haven’t met anybody who ever has,” he says. “I don’t lie in bed at night worrying about GB News. I think probably GB News worries itself about the future of GB News.” While he may be stepping back from his duties on Channel 4 News, Snow is by no means retiring. Alongside writing another book, the journalist hopes
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‘USE YOUR OWN QUALITIES TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD YOU’RE REPORTING’ to make some documentaries looking at inequality for the channel. “I don’t regard myself as retiring at all. I’m still locked into Channel 4 for one more year – I guess to ensure that I didn’t go off and work for someone else,” he says with a wry smile. “But, yes, I’m still part of the Channel 4 furniture. I might even try to challenge Bake Off for an audience.” Snow is a keen Bake Off fan: ‘Not because I’m interested in cooking, but because I’m actually interested in what it reveals about human beings. You find yourself laughing quite a lot, especially when things go wrong.” Would he ever take part in the show? “I think it’d be an unwise move. If I’m reasonably good as a hack, I
would definitely be terrible as a cook,” he jokes. As a “reasonably good hack”, the advice he offers to young journalists is this: “Stay original, be yourself. Don’t desert yourself. Use your own qualities to understand the world you’re reporting on, because you’ve got lots of qualities.” Snow has said that, to be a journalist, you have to be an optimist. In a year that has seen the pandemic rage on, a climate crisis that appears insurmountable and the refugee crisis worsening, is he still an optimist? “I am, absolutely, 100%. Definitely. People are really good, fundamentally,” he affirms. “I think the pandemic may leave people thinking more about the people they live among – I hope so.” As more than three decades in front of the camera at Channel 4 News draw to a close, what will he miss most? “I think it’s that community, not the product, not the time, not the diary, but the people. And I’ve never worked in a place where there are more rewarding people to be among,” he says. “It’s a family, and great grandpa is about to step off.” n
Channel 4
Jon Snow with his fellow Channel 4 News presenters
