By Peter Preston

It doesn’t matter that After the News, ITV’s newsy night chatshow, is running 100,000 viewers or so ahead of Newsnight. It’s about as sensible as saying the Daily Express sells more than the FT.

After the News has one thing going for it: a relaxed half-hour of not very challenging discussion that doesn’t cut restlessly from item to item. It’s cheap as chips. Indeed, it might be just as good on radio, where its two presenters, Nick Ferrari and Emma Barnett, flourish. (At least, then, we wouldn’t have to see Nick writhing unhappily inside an expensive black suit.)

Newsnight, by contrast, ranges far and wide. It has truly expert correspondents such as Mark Urban. It presents social policy issues with a fine analytical flourish (Chris Cook). Its main man, Evan Davis, often knows more about economics than the politicians he interrogates. There’s a full cast and a budget that allows innovation. In the context of BBC news, it’s a continuing boon.

Did Newsnight make a mistake in August when it let Ferrari do a presentation gig in place of LBC’s James O’Brien? Of course. Added confusion.

Barnett asks poised questions. Ferrari is an infinitely experienced old bludgeon from the Tabloid University of Hard Knocks. After the News may find a niche. But it’s not quality analysis in quality time. It needs taking on its own terms, not as some kind of nocturnal monster threatening the BBC.

Mail Online can’t have it both ways
At the start of last week Oxford University was getting a tousing. Only 15% of places for students from the north. Thirteen colleges had made no offer to a black student six years in a row. “Social apartheid”, cried the Mail Online as it echoed David Lammy MP. But scroll forward a few days and everything changes. “Why is every new Oxbridge head a leftie?” wails the Mail, putting Alan Rusbridger, Helena Kennedy, Mark Damazer and Will Hutton first in some sinister Remainer firing line.

Huff puff. You can run the whole apartheid course – or you can trip over your Brexit bootlaces. But you really need to choose.