Remember a few years ago when the big discussion on television was whether the media had some public obligation to broadcast the political party conventions at all? Blame Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders for whatever you want, but they turned this year’s convention coverage into a reality television and social media festival. (Česká verze uvnitř.)

The British people opted for change when they voted on June 23 for the U.K. to negotiate an “exit” from the European Union. Such a choice is the sovereign right of any member of the EU, but it is also without precedent: The EU has expanded but never shrunk since the 1952 founding of its precursor, the European Coal and Steel Community. Now comes the hard part. Whether this break with the status quo benefits the U.K. in the long run will depend chiefly on the choices awaiting newly installed Prime Minister...