QAnon is the conspiracy theory that claims Donald Trump has been waging war on a cabal of satanic paedophiles who stole the 2020 US election. Supporters of the baseless theory were among the mob that stormed the US Capitol in January 2021. After nearly two years of silence, the anonymous message board user who signed off as "Q", has posted again. Also in the programme, why Bristol’s mayor is facing a boycott of his press briefings by journalists. Guests: Gabriel Gatehouse, International Editor, ...
Jun 29, 2022•28 min
The media regulator Ofcom has released a review of how the BBC operates. It's considered how the BBC deals with complaints, how it approaches impartiality, and how it decides which services to provide. Across all three, Ofcom wants an improvement. Guests: Kevin Bakhurst, Group Director, Ofcom; Owen Meredith, Chief Executive, News Media Association; Roger Mosey, former Head of TV News, BBC; and Alice Enders, Head of Research, Enders Analysis Producer: Steven Williams Presenter: Ros Atkins...
Jun 22, 2022•28 min
Carole Cadwalladr gives her first interview after Brexit campaigner Arron Bank loses his libel case against her. Mr Banks, the founder of the pro-Brexit campaign group Leave.EU, sued the investigative journalist for defamation over comments she made about his relationship with the Russian state. Guests: Carole Cadwalladr, investigative journalist, and Sarah Palin, barrister, Doughty Street Chambers Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Helen Fitzhenry Clarification: It has been drawn to our attenti...
Jun 17, 2022•19 min
GB News launched one year ago this week. It promised to disrupt - to hear people, places and issues that other media outlets weren’t paying attention to. The show’s design was certainly different. The opening monologue came from a studio that was almost entirely black. Viewers were noting this, they were noting sound issues too – the start of a range of technical issues for the network as a whole. Within weeks Andrew Neil was on holiday never to return. Within months, Nigel Farage had taken over...
Jun 08, 2022•29 min
Dan Walker has quit BBC Breakfast for a job presenting Channel 5’s flagship news show - what made him go? Also in the programme, as the media prepares for days of Jubilee coverage, are journalists who report on the Royal family capable of ever being truly critical? Guests: Dan Walker, Presenter, 5 News, Jonny Dymond, Royal correspondent, BBC News, Chris Ship, Royal editor, ITV News, and Dr Laura Clancy, Lecturer, Lancaster University Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Helen Fitzhenry...
Jun 01, 2022•28 min
Sue Gray’s report into what went on in Downing Steet during lockdown has finally been published. We now know that staff broke covid rules with the approval of their bosses. Excessive drinking, with people being sick, abuse of cleaning and security staff – events, Sue Gray says, that “should not have been allowed to happen”. Details of some of the events she investigated only became known to her because of reporting in the media. Ros Atkins asks what role the media has played in the whole saga. A...
May 25, 2022•28 min
This week we discuss the Wagatha Christie trial and what it told us about celebrity journalism. Simon Boyle, Executive Showbiz Editor at The Sun, tells us how the newspaper managed to keep their journalists out of court. John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg, on new UK expansion plans and who Britain's libel laws are really serving. Also in the programme: Jim Waterson, Media Editor at The Guardian and Pandora Sykes, co-host of Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV.
May 18, 2022•28 min
As Channel 4 approaches its 40th birthday it faces one of the most pivotal moments in its history. The broadcaster is funded by advertising but is publicly owned, for now. As part of the Queen’s speech this week the government confirmed its plans to privatise Channel 4 – despite the broadcaster’s opposition. In fact, Channel 4 has published an alternative showing us what it wants to become if it weren’t privatised – something the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said was based on "flawed a...
May 11, 2022•28 min
Two stories about power – and how it can be abused. The first is the tale of an MP caught looking at porn in the House of Commons and what it might tell us about the culture of political reporting at Westminster. The other is the joint BBC and The Guardian investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by the DJ Tim Westwood. Also in the programme, the future of tech regulation in the UK. Guests: Chi Chi Izundu, Reporter on "Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power", Katie Ferguson, Deputy Political Editor at...
May 04, 2022•28 min
Three major stories could change the way we get our news. The multi-million-dollar streaming service CNN+, once billed as the broadcaster’s future, has shut down after less than a month. Over in Silicon Valley, Elon Musk has signed a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter. And the UK has seen the launch of a new broadcast channel in Talk TV. These three models – streaming, social media, and broadcast – offer competing alternatives for how we’ll consume news-based content in the future, but which of the...
Apr 27, 2022•28 min
Piers Morgan is the star signing for Rupert Murdoch's new TalkTV channel in the UK. His show, "Piers Morgan Uncensored", will also be streamed on Fox Nation in the US and air on Sky News Australia. It represents a significant bet on one man's ability to transfix a global audience. But is it money well spent? Piers Morgan discusses his departure from Good Morning Britain, "cancel culture" and the limits of free speech, his record on holding Donald Trump to account, and changing business models in...
Apr 20, 2022•1 hr 6 min
The government’s plan to privatise Channel 4 has now been revealed. But who is lining up to buy the broadcaster and what could a change in ownership mean for viewers? Also in the programme, the French newspaper Le Monde is hoping to capitalise on interest in the elections by launching a English language edition. But is there a market for it? Guests: Chris Curtis, editor-in-chief of Broadcast; Elvire Camus, editor of Le Monde in English; Dominic Hinde, lecturer in Media and Communication at Glasg...
Apr 13, 2022•28 min
Ira Glass is the presenter and producer behind This American Life, the first ever radio programme to win a Pulitzer Prize. Its spin off podcast, Serial, is credited with revolutionising podcasting and, in 2020, Glass sold Serial Productions to the New York Times for a reported $25 million. Ira discusses the inspiration behind his shows, the changing audio landscape, and responds to accusations of liberal bias in his journalism. Presenter: Katie Razzall Sound engineer: Bob Nettles Producer: Dan H...
Apr 06, 2022•28 min
As peace talks between Ukraine and Russia get underway, the war on the ground continues. How is the war being reported differently by Ukrainian and international media? And is there a danger that the public is losing interest in the war? Guests: Oleksiy Sorokin, political editor at the Kyiv Independent; Iryna Matviyishyn, freelance journalist and producer; Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist; Lyse Doucet, BBC Chief International Correspondent; Cristina Nicolotti Squires, direc...
Mar 30, 2022•28 min
The Media Show is in Hollywood this week, ahead of the 94th Academy awards. Netflix’s The Power of the Dog is nominated for 12 Oscars, including the coveted Best Picture. Katie Razzall meets Scott Stuber, Netflix's Head of Global Film, to find out how the platform continues to disrupt the film industry. Scott discusses his beginnings in the business with a cameo appearance in Free Willy 2, his strategy for luring legendary directors like Steven Spielberg to the platform, and his response to crit...
Mar 23, 2022•27 min
As governments around the world race to sanction associates of Vladimir Putin, the British media turns its attention to the role Russian oligarchs have played in public life. This week an edition of Panorama aired allegations about the source of Roman Abramovich's wealth. At the weekend The Sunday Times reported that Evgeny Lebedev was made a peer despite the concerns of the security services. But why is it only now that the mainstream press has put the oligarchs in the spotlight? What stopped t...
Mar 16, 2022•26 min
A media crackdown in Russia, including a new law against ‘fake news’, has led many independent news outlets to shut down. Some major western media have pulled out of the country completely. But the BBC is not only staying - it is actually increasing its services aimed at Russians. So what news can ordinary Russians access? And what impact is that information is having? Guests: Jamie Angus, Controller of BBC News Output & Commissioning; Peter Pomerantsev, author of This Is Not Propaganda; Ver...
Mar 09, 2022•28 min
Alongside fighting in Ukraine, an "information war" is playing out. While Western media on the ground are describing a brutal war, Russian media offers a very different narrative. Journalists are not even allowed to describe the situation in Ukraine as a "war". So how will the latest crackdown on independent Russian media affect what people in the country see? And what does that mean for the future of this conflict? Guests: Ivan Kolpakov, Editor-in-Chief at Meduza; Olga Malchevska, Journalist at...
Mar 02, 2022•28 min
What are the limits of free media? The Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries is calling on regulator Ofcom to consider action against Russian "propaganda" in the UK, shining a spotlight on TV channel RT. Elsewhere in the UK, the Supreme Court has stopped Bloomberg from publishing an investigation, on privacy grounds. Some have condemned this as threat to journalists’ ability to investigate. So when should a state or the law intervene in press freedom? Guests: Erika Solomon, Berlin Correspondent at th...
Feb 23, 2022•28 min
How much power do our newspapers really have? John Witherow has been at the heart of Fleet Street for decades, He is one of the longest-serving national newspaper editors, first at the Sunday Times and now The Times, exposing cash for honours, abuse in Rotherham and corruption at Oxfam. But what role has his paper played in exposing the Partygate scandal that could bring down the Prime Minister? And what does this tell us about the relationship between the press and those running the country? Gu...
Feb 16, 2022•40 min
Open-source investigators forensically analyse digital evidence - social media posts, eyewitness videos, satellite imagery - to find the truth behind news events. Their techniques are now increasingly used by investigative journalists to achieve big impact. An investigation by The New York Times into civilian deaths from air and drone strikes has resulted in a policy change by the US military. Also in the programme - in the west it's headlined as "the Ukraine crisis", but how is the situation be...
Feb 09, 2022•28 min
One of the world's most popular podcasters has given Spotify a headache. Some critics and musicians claim that Joe Rogan is promoting COVID misinformation in his podcasts, which are exclusive to Spotify after a reported $100m deal in 2020. So how did Spotify - originally a music streaming service - become embroiled in a free speech debate? Also in the programme, BBC Three returns as a traditional TV channel, six years after the BBC decided it should be online only. Guests: Elizabeth Dwoskin, Sil...
Feb 02, 2022•28 min
A major trial will take place this year in the US. Elshafee El Sheikh is accused of being a member of the Islamic State group, and of being one of the notorious IS Beatles, so named by their hostages because of their British accents - and accused of torturing and beheading journalists and aid workers. ITV News’ Rohit Kachroo secured interviews with El Sheikh and another of these men before they were transferred to US custody. Those interviews are expected to form part of the trial. So what are t...
Jan 26, 2022•28 min
The Prime Minister is under intense scrutiny, with political journalists reporting on backbencher unrest and a fiery PMQs. But is there really a government media strategy called "Operation Red Meat", using headline-grabbing policies to distract the media? Should we worry about the apparent cosy relationship between those in government setting these policies – and those in Fleet Street reporting on them? And amidst all this - what does the new BBC licence fee deal mean for the industry? Guests: H...
Jan 19, 2022•28 min
A bold new media start-up plans to create from scratch a news provider that will rival the likes of CNN, the New York Times and the BBC. The people behind it are Justin Smith, boss of Bloomberg Media, and Ben Smith, former editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed News and media columnist at the New York Times. And with those two at the helm, journalists around the world are paying attention... But what does this new company tell us about the state of global journalism, the aftermath of the Trump years and de...
Jan 12, 2022•27 min
A year on from the storming of the US Capitol and the media is still coming to terms with what happened. Some US news outlets have been accused of "obsessing over" the scenes on 6 January 2021. Others have condemned parts of the media for "normalising" the violence. So how can these divisions be healed? And in the week that several political figures were banned from Twitter, what role do the tech giants now play in our democracy? Guests: David Folkenflik, Media Correspondent at NPR; Robert Costa...
Jan 05, 2022•28 min
Their voices resound in living rooms across the country, but how much do we really know about the people who talk between the programmes? From impeccable composure to a catchy turn of phrase, there’s a lot that goes into good continuity. So what does the future hold for this familiar feature of TV and radio – is it set to go the same way as teletext or the Red Button? Guests: Duncan Newmarch, announcer for BBC One and BBC Two; Andrea Fox, ITV announcer; Jeanna Gallagher, announcer for Channel 4 ...
Dec 29, 2021•41 min
Decisions about how we should behave at Christmas are heavily influenced by the media – from online Twitter threads and infographics to interviews with scientists and public health officials. As a result of the pandemic, certain scientists and journalists have themselves become well-known characters in the Covid story – but is it a role they welcome? Guests: Professor Neil Ferguson, epidemiologist and member of SAGE; Professor Christina Pagel, Director of UCL’s Clinical Operational Research Unit...
Dec 22, 2021•28 min
Jon Snow is the longest-running presenter of Channel 4 News and one of the most famous faces in broadcasting. Over the course of three decades, he has grilled every prime minister from Margaret Thatcher to Theresa May. He drew the iconic words ‘Let bygones be bygones’ from Nelson Mandela, shared a plane with Idi Amin, and reported on wars in Iran and crises in Vietnam. But he has also been accused of being partisan, of having political views that were too obvious – and which undermine the networ...
Dec 15, 2021•28 min
Was there a Christmas party in 10 Downing Street last year during lockdown? The Mirror received a tip-off from an anonymous source, alleging that a party took place. ITV News then secured footage of Downing Street aides joking about a party. How did the journalists involved get hold of these stories, and what did they do to "stand them up"? These two scoops dominated Prime Minister's Questions and every news bulletin. So what is the relationship between the government and the Lobby? Guests: Pipp...
Dec 08, 2021•28 min
