The Monocle Minute

One question that often comes up in US political campaigns is: which candidate would you rather have a beer with? In other words, which is more like the average American? The same thing is also asked about TV news presenters, some of whom seek to become media sensations in their own right – celebrities who we might watch not so much for their grasp of current affairs as for their shiny personality.

European public broadcasters such as Germany’s ARD are among the last bastions against this trend. Germans are familiar with the names of their news announcers but these journalists are mostly known for their professionalism and interviewing skills. But now it appears that ARD might be tinkering with its model. Marcus Bornheim, head of the broadcaster’s flagship news programme, Tagesschau, recently said that he wants his presenters to use simpler language. As he explained during an interview with online outlet DWDL, he wants them to sound as though they were “explaining the news to one’s neighbour across the garden fence or to one’s family at dinner”. He claimed that surveys had shown that viewers felt that ARD was “preaching from the pulpit”.

I don’t doubt that viewers occasionally find ARD preachy but I am struggling to see why that’s a problem. Do we no longer want our media personalities to be experts? Are they not supposed to be something of an authority?

There is a middle ground, though. On Monocle Radio, we offer friendliness and familiarity, while still valuing respect and expertise. I pride myself on being accessible as a presenter, explaining complex issues with the guiding hand of our guests, who are specialists in their subjects. I can do that without adjusting my language – though I’d gladly go for a beer with any of our listeners.

Christopher Cermak is Monocle Radio’s senior news editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten announced this week that he will step down from his namesake label in June, after 38 years in the industry. In 2018 he sold a majority stake in the label to Barcelona-based luxury conglomerate Puig, whose portfolio includes big-name brands such as Byredo, Nina Ricci and Jean Paul Gaultier. Following the sale, Van Noten continued to be a minority stakeholder in the label, serving as its chief creative officer and chair of the board.

Van Noten rose to fame as part of the Antwerp Six, a collective of fashion designers who trained at Belgium’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the 1980s and gave the port city a strong fashion identity. Today he is known for his vibrant colour palette, clashing patterns and distinctive artistic approach. Though his successor has yet to be named, the next generation of designers to take the helm will surely keep Van Noten’s legacy alive.

When Pakistani-American entrepreneur Umaimah Sharwani was at university, her mother, Paro, would send her Ziploc bags of spices, lentils and rice so that she could make her favourite South Asian comfort foods. By adding water, a hearty meal would be ready in 20 minutes. After working in product development and distribution for companies such as Google and Glossier, Sharwani is now applying her knack for building direct-to-consumer products to South Asian pantry staples. The result is Paro, a US-based food brand that currently consists of a trio of larder essentials: a red daal, kitchari (a porridge-like dish) and tarka seasoning oil.

“If a barrier to entry to South Asian dishes is time or access to ingredients, I want to remove that for consumers,” says Sharwani. She launched Paro in February 2023 and the business has been growing steadily ever since. Her advice for those who want to start their own consumer-products business is simple. “Look at who you can bring on the journey with you,” she says. “And have a good understanding of where you want to go because it will help you prioritise.”

For more unlikely finds, insights and business ideas from our global network of reporters, buy a copy of our March issue, which is out now.

Glassblower John Pomp and luxury bag designer Marina Raphael join us in the studio. Plus: we meet Maxime d’Angeac, the architect reinterpreting the historic Orient Express train.