In this episode, Brooker examines the evolving role of anchors and newscasters in the media, from their positions as simple "news-readers" in the early days of television to their current position of more serious and driven journalists. Also examined is the role of anchors as both ideologues (such as Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity on Fox News, and Keith Olbermann on MSNBC) and approachable, familiar figures on early morning television. A tongue-in-cheek piece was also produced by filmmaker Adam Curtis, which charted how the news became an excellent tool for the radical left of the 1960s to motivate politicians to action, before becoming what Curtis now describes as a simple tool of "oh-dearism" which drives audiences to apathy and helplessness.
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