The Listening Post: Recent Episodes
Al Jazeera
A weekly programme that examines and dissects the world's media, how they operate and the stories they cover.
For decades, much of the United States media adopted Washington’s framing of US conflicts in the Middle East. But the US-Israel war against Iran is defying that trend. US news outlets are increasingly challenging President Donald Trump on his declarations of victory and absence of a clear strategy. Meanwhile, Iran’s military remains operational, Tehran retains control of the Strait of Hormuz and fears are mounting that the disruption to global energy supplies will drag on. Contributors: Mohamad Elmasry - professor of media studies, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Negar Mortazavi - host, Iran Podcast Maral Karimi - lecturer, Toronto Metropolitan University Sultan Barakat - senior professor in public policy, Hamad Bin Khalifa University On our radar Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign trips are usually tightly choreographed affairs. But his trip to Norway did not go according to plan when a journalist named Helle Lyng asked him an unscripted question. Lyng was later criticised by Indian news outlets for that exchange. Norway’s news media also came under fire after the country’s largest newspaper published an orientalist caricature of Modi. Tariq Nafi has been following the story. The dark side of Kenya’s digital age Kenya is the tech hub of East Africa and has built a thriving digital economy. But alongside that growth has come an expanding surveillance apparatus. After antigovernment protests in 2024, President William Ruto’s administration is accused of intensifying its monitoring of civilians. Critics say the government is trying to quell online dissent before it reaches the streets. Nicholas Muirhead reports on how surveillance tools designed to combat "terrorism" are being turned on Kenya's citizens. Featuring: Victor Ndede - Amnesty International Nanjala Nyabola - author, Digital Democracy Thomas Mukhwana - investigative journalist, Africa Uncensored
As criticism of Israel mounts over its wars on Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, along with the escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank, the country is ramping up its PR offensive. From a carefully managed appearance of Benjamin Netanyahu on CBS’s 60 Minutes to a major expansion of Israel’s Hasbara operation, the push includes pouring money into digital campaigns and media messaging. The goal is to reverse the collapse of public support for Israel, especially in the US, but no amount of spin can make audiences unsee what they have watched in real time. Contributors: Miriyam Aouragh - Professor of digital anthropology, University of Westminster Matt Lieb - Host, Bad Hasbara podcast Emily Schrader - Journalist, ILTV News Oren Ziv - Reporter, Local Call On our radar Israeli officials have dismissed a recent New York Times report on sexual violence against Palestinians as “blood libel”. But while the government denounces the allegations, many of the claims in the report have been openly discussed in the Israeli media. Nicholas Muirhead reports. Zaragoza Data Farms The generative AI boom is prompting a global race to build vast, energy-hungry data centres. In Spain’s Aragon region, authorities have welcomed tech giants and the jobs, investment and digital transformation they claim to bring. But behind the glossy narrative lies a different reality - one in which enormous facilities consume natural resources and exploit legal loopholes, often at the expense of the communities that live alongside them. Featuring: Alonso Llorente - Journalist, Arainfo Pablo Jimenez Arandia - Investigative reporter Mar Vaquero - Vice president, Aragon Minister of Economy, Employment & Industry
The information front has been central to the Iranian government’s war effort. For an external audience, there is an innovative online strategy that has consisted of AI Lego, memes and hip hop diss tracks directed at Donald Trump and the MAGA base. But this coexists with more brutal domestic tactics: crackdowns, arrests and internet blackouts. The result has been the Iranian authorities making use of the internet for PR internationally, while simultaneously preventing the Iranian people from openly accessing the net themselves. Contributors: Ali Hashem – Correspondent, Al Jazeera English Mehran Kamrava – Professor of Government, Georgetown University in Qatar Tara Kangarlou – Journalist & Author, The Heartbeat of Iran Maral Karimi – Lecturer, Toronto Metropolitan University On our radar The killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil unfolded in the manner that so many Israeli assassinations of journalists in Gaza have - minute by minute, hour by hour, in a pattern that has become shockingly familiar. There's the surveillance, the strike, the obstruction of rescue and then, the denial - Israel's insistence that it does not target journalists, medics or rescue workers. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Pakistan’s peacemaker moment and the missing stories Pakistan has found itself at the centre of one of the world’s most consequential stories - by hosting talks between the United States and Iran, brokering ceasefires, earning the very public praise of Donald Trump and making headlines around the world. But this PR moment is obscuring a great deal, including an undercover war with Afghanistan and a crushing cost-of-living crisis at home. We speak to Amber Rahim Shamsi about the domestic politics behind Pakistan’s diplomatic moment in the sun. Featuring: Amber Rahim Shamsi – Pakistan Editor, Nukta
A fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran holds - but the information war intensifies. At the centre: the Strait of Hormuz, where competing US and Iranian narratives have collided. During any truce, even when the bombs stop falling, the information war goes on. Moments like this test journalism. Because the job is not just to report on the messaging coming from all sides - but to decode and debunk it if necessary. Contributors: Abeer Al Najjar – Professor of Media & Journalism, American University of Sharjah Andrew Arsan – Professor of Arab & Global History, University of Cambridge Alireza Doostdar – Associate Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Chicago Nazila Fathi – Former Tehran Correspondent, New York Times On our radar Israel’s relations with its European allies are fraying, with increasingly sharp rhetoric from both sides playing out across political and media platforms. Meenakshi Ravi reports. The Iranian diaspora in the media: Interview with Narges Bajoghli The Iranian diaspora contains a wide range of often conflicting views. But judging by its representation in mainstream Western media, one might assume the dominant position is support for the war. We speak to Narges Bajoghli about how diaspora voices are weaponised in coverage of Iran. Featuring: Narges Bajoghli – Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University
The war on Iran has entered a much more damaging phase with more assassinations of the leadership in Tehran, the continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and major strikes on energy infrastructure across the region. As the war has escalated, pressure on news organisations in the United States, Israel and Iran is increasing. Contributors: Branko Marcetic – Writer, Jacobin Arta Moeini – Institute for Peace and Diplomacy Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya Mairav Zonszein – Senior Analyst, International Crisis Group On our radar This week, three more senior Iranian political leaders were killed by Israel. Coverage followed a familiar pattern - awe at the Israeli intelligence operation’s "sophistication", and little scrutiny of the legality of the actions. Meenakshi Ravi reports on how these killings have been reported in Israeli and Western media. War in Lebanon: Interview with Jean Kassir Millions of people in Lebanon are enduring the consequences of the Iran war with little media attention. Israel has now begun ground operations there and is openly boasting it will turn the country into a new Gaza. The cofounder and managing editor of Lebanese news website Megaphone spoke to us about the toll this war is having on his country. Featuring: Jean Kassir – Managing Editor, Megaphone
One week into the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, and the messaging coming from the White House is consistently chaotic and contradictory. From regime change and nuclear threat to preemptive attack - the Trump administration is struggling to juggle its narrative. And while the mainstream media is working overtime to legitimise the Trump-Netanyahu war at home, Americans remain unconvinced. Contributors: Negar Mortazavi – Host, The Iran Podcast Samira Mohyeddin – Host, On the Line Media Antony Loewenstein – Author, The Palestine Laboratory Borzou Daragahi – Writer, badlands, Substack On our radar Voices within the Iranian diaspora that support the US-Israeli bombing campaign are being given a disproportionate amount of airtime across Western mainstream media. One of the most prominent figures is Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s former shah, who has presented himself as someone who could “lead the transition” to a new government in Tehran. Meenakshi Ravi looks at how the one-sided coverage lends credibility to the war. Reporting under fire in the West Bank With the eyes of the world focused on Gaza and now Iran, far too little attention has been paid to another territory where Israel exercises near-total control: the occupied West Bank. Israel has intensified its policy of fragmenting the territory, carving it up and expanding control over the land. Journalists in the occupied West Bank have seen their movement severely restricted by hundreds of new checkpoints and barriers. And they face the constant threat of soldiers who are more aggressive and settlers who - protected by the army - are more emboldened and violent than ever. One of those journalists is Ameed Shehade, a correspondent for Al Araby TV, whose unflinching reporting frequently places him directly in harm’s way. Featuring: Ameed Shehade – West Bank correspondent, Al Araby TV
As Washington escalates threats of military action against Iran, negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme continue behind the scenes. But while the Trump administration insists that the standoff is about security, Iran’s state media are pushing a very different narrative: that the crisis is a deliberate distraction from the Epstein scandal that continues to implicate the US president. Contributors: Dina Esfandiary – Middle East Lead, Bloomberg Economics Fereshteh Sadeghi – Iranian journalist Jamal Abdi – President, National Iranian American Council Sina Toossi – Senior Fellow, Centre for International Policy On our radar: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Israel this past week in a carefully choreographed display of solidarity. While Modi’s trip was celebrated in the Israeli media, criticism by Indian journalists was blocked back home. Leaving the two leaders to sign arms deals that will boost an already significant military partnership. The Rise of Digital Micro-Bolsonaros Nearly two years after Jair Bolsonaro’s fall from power in Brazil, the movement he built is searching for a new figurehead. A rising generation of young, evangelical, and hyper-online politicians is stepping in. They are leveraging a sophisticated, decades-old religious media machine that evolved from radio and television into a powerful force on social media. Brazil’s political right is being reshaped for the digital age. Featuring: Anna Virginia Balloussier – Journalist, Folha de Sao Paulo Caro Evangelista – Executive Director, ISER Magali Cunha – Editor-in-Chief, Berreia Project
A series of warnings from artificial intelligence (AI) industry insiders shows how the debate around AI drives extreme news cycles, swinging between hype and alarm. The result is media coverage that overlooks the intricacies of this technology and its impact on everyday life. We examine the real risks, what’s being overstated, and what major tech companies stand to gain from all the fearmongering. Contributors: Rumman Chowdhury – Founder, Humane Intelligence Mutale Nkonde – Founder, AI for the People Chris Stokel-Walker – Author of the book How AI Ate the World On our radar Francesca Albanese, the United Nations' special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, has found herself in the middle of a political firestorm, all because of comments she never actually made. After a manipulated video of Albanese calling Israel the “enemy of humanity” went viral, there were calls for her resignation across Europe. The UN has labelled these allegations part of a wider smear campaign to discredit Albanese and the UN itself. A curated view of Israel for African journalists For decades, the Israeli government and pro-Israel organisations have sponsored trips for politicians, celebrities and journalists, inviting them to visit and, as they put it, tell the “real story” about Israel. In the past, those invitations largely targeted figures from Western countries. But since October 7th, there has been a noticeable shift towards African journalists and social media influencers. The objective is clear: to shape coverage in African media and influence audiences across the continent. The Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead reports on the African journalists taking part in these fully funded, tightly managed visits to Israel. Featuring: Hassen Lorgat – Media critic and activist Makhudu Sefara – Editor, Sunday Times Timnit Gebru – Founder, the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR) Njahira Gitahi – Reporter, The Standard
The latest tranche of the Epstein files contains more than three million documents - the largest release of its kind. In what appears to be a clumsy attempt at a cover-up by the US Department of Justice, the sloppily redacted names of high-profile perpetrators have failed to conceal the intricate web of global elites spanning politics, royalty, Hollywood and tech. The fallout in Europe has resulted in a string of resignations, but in the US, there has been limited accountability for the politicians named in the files, including Donald Trump. Contributors: Mehdi Hasan - Editor-in-chief and CEO, Zeteo News Chris Hedges - Host, The Chris Hedges Report Nikki McCann Ramirez - Politics reporter at Rolling Stone Danielle Moodie - Host, The Danielle Moodie Show On our radar: It’s been a month since Iranian authorities imposed a total internet blackout during a violent crackdown on antigovernment protesters. Since then, the state has ramped up the targeted repression of journalists and progressive politicians in Iran. The limited information that has managed to make it out of the country, via Elon Musk’s Starlink, is now struggling against what experts say are internet filtering technologies from Chinese companies. Tariq Nafi reports on Iran’s nationwide internet shutdown. How the US military took over American football From choreographed flyovers to flags stretching the length of the field, no other sports league has marketed patriotism as aggressively or successfully as the United States’ National Football League, the NFL. Militarism is embedded in sports and entertainment in the US, but, under the Trump administration, more state institutions are trying to get in on the act. Ryan Kohls reports on the power and the spectacle of the Super Bowl. Featuring: Howard Bryant - Sports journalist and author Kavitha Davidson - Podcast host, Sportly Gregory Daddis - Professor of history, Texas A&M University; retired colonel, US Army
The Epstein files dump has led to days of intense media coverage, revealing how powerful elites around the world engaged in either illegal or morally reprehensible behaviour. But even as journalists sift through millions of documents, one of the most significant stories remains largely missing from the mainstream narrative. Contributor: Murtaza Hussain - National security and foreign affairs reporter, Drop Site News The farce of the ‘ceasefire’ coverage in Gaza More than 500 Palestinians have been killed since a US-brokered "ceasefire" was signed, which begs the question: Should journalists, in contextualising the story, really be calling this a “ceasefire”? As Israel signals it’s preparing to resume full-scale war, we examine how media silence, selective framing and restricted access help keep Gaza off the world’s screens. Featuring: Shaiel Ben-Ephraim - Senior analyst, Atlas Global Strategies Diana Buttu - Palestinian lawyer Muhammad Shehada - Visiting fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations Daniel Levy - President, U.S./Middle East Project
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the fatal shooting of a protester by border control agents triggered mass demonstrations and presented the Trump administration with an unexpected test of its immigration strategy. Footage captured by onlookers has undercut official statements and intensified questions about the level of force and use of high-tech tools being used to crack down on dissent. Contributors: Julie Millican – Vice president, Media Matters Qasim Rashid – Human Rights lawyer and founder, Let's Address This Naureen Shah – Director of government affairs, ACLU Prem Thakkar – Reporter, Zeteo News On our radar Just days after ownership of TikTok in the US changed hands, with several of the investors linked to President Trump, users reported widespread censorship of content critical of the administration and its allies. Tariq Nafi reports on the allegations, the tech backlash and the rise of rival platforms. Bangladesh’s election and the media under threat Bangladesh’s first post-Hasina elections are approaching amid deep political turbulence and growing fear within the country. After major newsrooms were attacked and journalists targeted by disinformation-driven violence, the country’s media finds itself on the front line of a volatile transition. Mahfuz Anam, the editor of a large English daily, tells us what that’s like. Featuring: Mahfuz Anam – Editor, Daily Star
Donald Trump’s latest attempt to seize Greenland shows that the president is willing to use US force to determine international borders, even at the expense of sovereignty. Western allies - NATO countries included - publicly formed a united front, but private messages have revealed a more deferential approach to dealing with Trump. This latest crisis may have been averted, but the question remains: Does the so-called rules-based international order apply to Trump? Contributors: Louise Bokkenheuser - Writer and editor Branko Marcetic - Staff writer, Jacobin Anchal Vohra - Columnist, Foreign Policy Ulrich Bruckner - Professor for European studies, Stanford University On our radar: Donald Trump launched his highly-publicised "Board of Peace" initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. The signing ceremony followed a familiar pattern for this White House - a carefully staged event centred on Trump, his overblown claims of peacemaking, and speeches in praise of him. But the turnout appears to have fallen short of the hype. A conversation with Ellie Leonard Trump’s Justice Department was ordered to publish documents from the Epstein files more than a month ago. Only 1% of the heavily redacted material has been made public. While the Trump administration floods the zone with news that mainstream outlets have been chasing, an unconventional team of investigators is digging into the Epstein files to see what’s there. They are led by online investigator Ellie Leonard in New York City. Featuring: Ellie Leonard - Contributing editor, Blue Amp Media
This past week, Iranian protesters were labelled “terrorists” and “saboteurs” by the state. That rhetoric was accompanied by an internet blackout and a surge in violence, with the death toll still unclear. Simultaneously, tensions between the United States and Iran escalated, raising the stakes in what has become one of the most serious political upheavals in the country in years. Contributors: Tohid Asadi – Correspondent, Al Jazeera English Narges Bajoghli – Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University Roxane Farmanfarmaian – Lecturer, University Of Cambridge Farzan Sabet – Managing Researcher, Global Governance Centre On our radar In the US, the shooting - in public - of a woman two weeks ago by immigration officers has spiralled into a case of outright lying that is remarkable even by the standards of the Trump administration. Ryan Kohls reports on how official accounts, allied media and even AI-generated spokespeople were deployed to defend the shooting. Cory Doctorow: The AI hype machine Artificial intelligence is routinely framed as unstoppable - a technology the world must adapt to, not question. But as companies invest hundreds of billions and the hype accelerates, scrutiny has fallen away. Cory Doctorow on who controls the story around AI and why past tech “revolutions” offer a warning. Featuring: Cory Doctorow – Author and activist
The horrific Bondi Beach attack in Australia was pulled into Israel’s global information war this past week. As blame was directed towards pro-Palestine politics, media narratives blurred Jewish identity and Israeli state policy - raising urgent questions about who is put at risk when Israel’s anti-Palestinian messaging travels beyond its borders. Contributors: Naama Blatman – Executive member, Jewish Council of Australia Ori Goldberg – Academic and political commentator Antony Loewenstein – Author, The Palestine Laboratory Ramia Sultan – Palestinian Australian lawyer On our radar The outspoken and irreverent Hong Kong media mogul - Jimmy Lai - was convicted this week of conspiring with foreign forces. Tariq Nafi reports on how the Chinese Communist Party is tightening its grip on Hong Kong through its media. The pervasiveness of Hindutva pop In India, Hindu nationalism, or "Hindutva", has spread into a variety of media platforms. Meenakshi Ravi explores its musical subgenre, Hindutva pop, and speaks to one of its biggest names. Featuring: Kanhiya Mittal – Musician Kunal Purohit – Author, The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars Samriddhi Sakunia – Journalist and current affairs Instagrammer
For more than a century, Warner Bros has been one of Hollywood’s biggest players, a legacy studio that helped define the Golden Age of cinema with iconic blockbuster movies. Now, it’s at the centre of a contentious, billion-dollar bidding war between Netflix, the world's leading streaming platform, and Paramount Skydance, owned by the powerful Ellison family, which has close ties to President Trump. Whichever way this goes, the outcome isn’t looking great. Contributors: Matt Craig - Reporter, Forbes Daheli Hall - Writer and director Lee Hepner - Antitrust lawyer Dominic Patten - Executive editor, Deadline On our radar This week, Australia became the first country in the world to impose a social media ban for children less than the age of 16. The Australian government says it is taking on Big Tech and safeguarding children, but some young people were able to quickly bypass the new rules. Ryan Kohls reports. The Imran Khan rumour mill Despite being in jail for more than two years, Imran Khan continues to occupy airtime in Pakistan. After the army restricted access to Khan, rumours of his death ricocheted across social media. Pressure from his supporters and family forced the military to lift the restrictions and grant Khan’s sisters access to speak to him. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the showdown between Imran Khan and powerful Field Marshal Asim Munir, and what it reveals about power, politics and narrative control in Pakistan. Featuring: Amber Rahim Shamsi - Pakistan Editor, Nukta Moeed Pirzada - Political YouTuber Mohammed Hanif - Author and journalist
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is asking for a pardon over a range of corruption charges laid against him after repeatedly telling Israeli journalists that he would clear his name in court. The prime minister has long described the case against him as a witch-hunt led by the media and the judiciary. If he succeeds in sidestepping the courts, Israeli journalists and judges will wonder what he might have in store for them. Contributors: Daniel Levy – President, US/Middle East Project Dana Mills – Writer, Local Call & +972 Magazine Jonathan Ofir – Writer, Mondoweiss Dan Perry – Author, "Ask Questions Later" Substack On our radar: This week, former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton insisted Israel’s PR problems have more to do with TikTok than with the genocide Israeli forces have inflicted on Gaza. Ryan Kohls looks at a persistent myth still making the rounds in American political circles. The phenomenon of Kim Ou-Joon Kim Ou-Joon is part journalist, part activist, part political performer. An outspoken and sometimes controversial voice who leans to the left ideologically, Kim leads South Korea’s biggest YouTube-based news network, primarily through a political podcast. The Listening Post’s Meenakshi Ravi reports on what Kim Ou-Joon - and others like him - reveal about the world of politics and media in South Korea. Featuring: Kim Ou-Joon – Founder and host, News Factory Jane Yeahin Pyo – Assistant professor, Tulane University Shreyas Reddy - Lead correspondent, NK News Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
The United States’ deadly “counter-narcotics mission” off Venezuela’s coast hinges on an unproven drug-smuggling narrative - a familiar pretext for regime change, and one the mainstream media have been quick to echo. Meanwhile, Venezuelans face escalating repression at home. Contributors: Spencer Ackerman - Author, Reign of Terror and Waller vs Wildstorm Abby Martin - Journalist, The Empire Files Miguel Tinker Salas - Professor, Latin American history, Pomona College "Pablo" - Anonymous Venezuelan Journalist On our radar: New leaks, from a disputed 28-point peace proposal to a secretly recorded call between Trump’s envoy and a Russian official, have upended the delicate Russia-Ukraine negotiations. Meenakshi Ravi explores what these revelations mean for any future deal. Israel’s settlers: From margin to mainstream Israeli settler violence in the West Bank has surged to unprecedented levels, driven by a fringe movement whose far-right ideology has been amplified and normalised across Israeli news outlets. The Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead reports on the movement’s growing power and the media ecosystem enabling its rise. Featuring: Hilla Dayan - Sociologist, University of Amsterdam Nimrod Nir - Political psychologist, Hebrew University of Jerusalem / Director, AGAM Labs Oren Ziv - Photojournalist, +972 Magazine
In the West Bank, record levels of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians are unfolding with little mainstream coverage. The few journalists who try to report on it often face attacks themselves. When the violence is covered, the settlers are often framed as fringe actors, despite clear backing from the Israeli state. A de facto annexation is under way in the West Bank, and yet much of the international media continues to look away. Contributors: Ben Reiff – Senior editor, +972 Magazine Jasper Nathaniel – Journalist Leila Warah – Bethlehem-based journalist Mariam Barghouti – Ramallah-based journalist On our radar As the rhetoric coming out of the Trump administration calling for the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro intensifies, much of the United States media is echoing that language. And with journalists branding Venezuela a “narco-state,” critics warn that the news media - much like in the lead-up to the Iraq War - is making the case for US military intervention. Defossilising the truth: Fighting fossil fuel disinformation As the COP30 climate summit in Belem wrapped up this week, we spoke with UN Special Rapporteur on climate change and human rights Elisa Morgera about a major barrier to real climate action: disinformation. Her latest report lays out how climate justice activists and policymakers are battling decades of coordinated greenwashing by some of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies - efforts that continue to delay and undermine meaningful progress at this critical moment. Featuring: Elisa Morgera – UN Special Rapporteur on climate change and human rights
The BBC is in turmoil. A leaked dossier exposing a misedited speech of United States President Donald Trump and other editorial concerns has triggered resignations at the top - and a $1bn lawsuit threat from the US leader. Why the leak surfaced now, and who steps in next, are still open questions. Most importantly, will the BBC be able to recover from this moment? Contributors: Ben de Pear – Former editor, Channel 4 News Jane Martinson – Professor, University of London Karishma Patel – Former newsreader, BBC Tom Mills – Author, The BBC: Myth of a Public Service On our radar This week, Ahmed al-Sharaa became the first Syrian president ever to set foot in the White House. A landmark diplomatic trip filled with photo ops and political theatre, marking his transition from a US-designated terrorist to an ally. Meenakshi Ravi reports. AI slop tsunami: Is the internet now a junkyard? Elettra Scrivo explores how social media platforms are rapidly changing with the surge of AI content. Low-quality, mass-produced, artificially generated content, otherwise known as AI slop, is designed to trigger the algorithms and generate revenue for Big Tech companies. Featuring: Drew Harwell – Technology reporter, The Washington Post Mark Lawrence Garilao – AI video content creator Myojung Chung – Associate professor, Northeastern University
The Israeli government is facing what it calls a “public relations disaster” after a video surfaced showing soldiers torturing and sexually assaulting a Palestinian prisoner - a clear war crime under any legal system. Public outrage in Israel has focused less on the abuse itself and more on the leak. And the military’s chief prosecutor, who admitted leaking the footage, has been arrested and branded a traitor. The saga is yet another example of Israeli society’s unwillingness to confront what it has become. Contributors: Chris Doyle - Director, Council for Arab-British Understanding Mairav Zonszien - Senior Israel analyst, International Crisis Group Ori Goldberg - Academic and political commentator Yara Hawari - Co-director, Al-Shabaka On our radar: After an 18-month siege, the Sudanese city of el-Fasher has fallen to the RSF, triggering mass atrocities under a near-total media blackout. With journalists killed, captured, or missing, satellite imagery has become one of the few remaining windows into the violence. Ryan Kohls reports on the city’s fall and the growing evidence of a potential genocide in Darfur. Kenya’s most nicknamed president In Kenya, political satire often takes the form of sharp, witty nicknames - and President William Ruto has earned plenty. As his popularity wanes, young Kenyans online are using these nicknames to mock and challenge his leadership in ways that traditional media cannot. The Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead reports on Ruto’s long, growing and politically problematic list of nicknames. Featuring: Paul Kelemba (Maddo) - Cartoonist Nanjala Nyabola - Political analyst and writer Wandia Njoya - Professor of literature, Daystar University Producers: Soumayya El Filali & Nicholas Muirhead Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
In this special episode of The Listening Post, we examine the rise of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. A democratic socialist and outspoken critic of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Mamdani has faced a barrage of hostility from US mainstream media, the political donor class and the democratic establishment alike. The press has been particularly relentless, questioning not only Mamdani’s progressive policies but also his identity as a Muslim and an immigrant. But Mamdani is a digital native with an international following and a double-digit lead in the polls. His victory would reverberate far beyond New York City, shaking up the Democratic Party nationwide. This episode exposes how the media and the wealthy political class attempted to discredit Mamdani and how, against all odds, he turned their attacks into the foundation of a movement. Contributors: Kate de Gruyter - Senior director of communications, Third Way Adam Johnson - Podcast co-host, Citations Needed Briahna Joy Gray - Podcast host, Bad Faith Jon Paul Lupo - Consultant, Vocable Communications Presenter: Richard Gizbert Produced by: Elettra Scrivo, Ella Willis & Meenakshi Ravi
El-Fasher, Sudan: a city besieged, starving and largely unseen. As journalists come under fire in Sudan, a lack of international media interest is helping to conceal one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Contributors: Hassan Berkia – Journalist Kholood Khair – Director, Confluence Advisory Khalid Medani – Associate Professor, McGill Institute of Islamic Studies On our radar: In the occupied West Bank, American journalist Jasper Nathaniel filmed Israeli settlers – backed by soldiers – attacking Palestinians during the olive harvest. Ryan Kohls speaks to Nathaniel about what he witnessed and what it reveals about Israel’s culture of impunity. Why India’s media faces scepticism beyond its borders India’s news channels were once symbols of a vibrant democracy. Today, they’re seen by many of India’s neighbours as propaganda tools - exporting jingoism, sensationalism and Hindutva politics across borders. Meenakshi Ravi reports on rising anti-India sentiment in the region and a crisis of credibility that no longer stops at home. Featuring: Roman Gautam – Editor, Himal Southasian Deepak Kumar Goswami – Filmmaker & actor Smita Sharma – Journalist
As Donald Trump tries to take credit for a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel continues to kill Palestinians. And as both Israeli and Palestinian captives are released, the glaring double standards in coverage lay bare how this genocide was allowed to go on for so long. Contributors: Tahani Mustafa – Visiting Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya Kenneth Roth – Former Executive Director, Human Rights Watch Oren Ziv – Journalist, +972 Magazine On our radar This year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, chose to dedicate her award to Donald Trump. Meenakshi Ravi reports on what motivated the Venezuelan opposition leader to pander to the United States president. All the president’s women: the rise of the ‘womanosphere’ For years, the right-wing media space has been dominated by men. But the 2024 election shone a light on a rising parallel force within Donald Trump’s MAGA movement: the so-called "womanosphere". Across YouTube channels, social media and podcasts, conservative women are rebranding right-wing politics for a female audience. Featuring: Annie Kelly – UK Correspondent, QAA Podcast Nicole Kiprilov – Republican Party strategist Eviane Leidig – Author, The Women of the Far Right
For the past couple of months, the billionaire father-son duo of Larry and David Ellison have been making deals involving major media brands. Having acquired Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, they appointed Bari Weiss - an outspoken supporter of Israel - as the network’s editor-in-chief. The moves by the Ellisons are not just about growing their media empire, but about shaping the narrative around Israel in the US, where public support continues to decline. Contributors: David Klion - Columnist, The Nation Danielle Moodie - Host, The Danielle Moodie Show Ryan Grim - Reporter, Drop Site News On our radar: Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire, ending two years of genocide. It’s a moment that brought relief to Palestinians in Gaza. But for Donald Trump, it was an opportunity for self-congratulation - with both he and his allies emphasising how pivotal he was in making things happen. Tariq Nafi has been following the story. Chega: How Portugal's media gave populism a megaphone In Portugal, the far-right party Chega, once on the fringes, is leading the polls, and its leader, Andre Ventura, has become one of the country’s most recognisable political figures. Ventura’s rise has been spurred by his television background and carefully crafted media persona. The onetime football pundit has become a political showman. And he’s been amplified by the country’s mainstream media, who have been chasing ratings over accountability. Ryan Kohls reports. Featuring: Miguel Carvalho - Journalist Ines Narciso - Disinformation researcher, Iscte-Iul Anabela Neves - Journalist, CNN Portugal
In this special episode, we examine the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza during two years of Israeli genocide. With international media barred from freely reporting in the Strip, local journalists have risked their lives to document the unprecedented killing, destruction and displacement around them. Since October 7, 2023, more media workers have been killed in Gaza than in any modern conflict. Families have been torn apart, homes and offices destroyed, and reporters have been wounded, seen their families killed or have been killed themselves. This episode reveals the extraordinary playbook employed by Israel to threaten, intimidate, smear and target Palestinian journalists. Contributors: Wael Dahdouh – Gaza Bureau Chief, Al Jazeera Jodie Ginsberg – Chief Executive, Committee to Protect Journalists Sharif Abdel Kouddous – Journalist & Editor, Drop Site News Rachel Shabi – Journalist and author Presenter: Richard Gizbert Produced by: Soumaya El Filali, Monazza Farooqi, Ella Willis, Tariq Nafi, Meenakshi Ravi
After almost 2 years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Western powers have issued synchronised declarations recognising Palestinian statehood - a diplomatic move seemingly born out of the immense public pressure they face. What’s missing from the story is the concrete measures those governments could take to stop the slaughter in Gaza, as well as their complicity by continuing to supply weapons to Israel. Contributors: Ines Abdel Razek – Co-director, Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy Michael Lynk – Former UN special rapporteur, occupied Palestinian territory Michael Omer-Man – Director Israel-Palestine, DAWN Seamus Malekafzali - Journalist On our radar: Three years into a civil war, Sudan is one of the most underreported stories in the world. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the near-collapse of the country’s media industry and the journalists trying to break the information blockade. How Palantir got techno-militiarism trending Silicon Valley CEOs are increasingly making the case that their technologies can transform the way that wars are fought. And of all the companies involved in this military-tech boom, one stands out: Palantir. Branding itself as America First, the data analytics firm has won billions of dollars in contracts and makes no apologies for the need to kill people - if that's what it takes to protect Western interests. Tariq Nafi reports on how the company sells a sleek, one-click solution to warfare. Featuring: Juan Sebastian Pinto – Former Palantir employee Matt Mahmoudi – Researcher, Amnesty Tech Elke Schwarz – Author, Death Machines: The Ethics of Violent Technologies
It’s been just more than a week since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and in death, as in life, the far-right podcaster is proving divisive. While his supporters mourn, many critics have seized the moment to call out his polarising legacy - a legacy now being weaponised by far-right leaders from DC to Tel Aviv. Contributors: Jeffrey Sharlet - Professor, Dartmouth College Jude Russo - Managing editor, The American Conservative Kyle Spencer - CEO, The Pro-Democracy Information Lab Meredith Clark - UNC Hussman School of Journalism & Media On our radar: This week, the UN formally declared what Palestinians have long been saying: That Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. In English, Israeli officials are indignant at the charge. But in Hebrew, they continue to provide more evidence of their genocidal intent. Ryan Kohls reports. Russia, Ukraine and The Trump Effect Donald Trump’s second term has injected unpredictability into the Russia-Ukraine war: Unsettling Kyiv, emboldening Moscow and forcing media on both sides to recalibrate. The Listening Post hears from an exiled Russian journalist and a Ukrainian media scholar on how the conflict is being framed - and what both sides fear will come next. Featuring: Dariya Orlova - Associate professor, Mohyla School of Journalism Mikhail Fishman - Journalist, TV Rain
Israel’s rampage through the Middle East continues, with an attack on United States ally, Qatar. As Arab nations evaluate the value of a US security guarantee, we examine the fallout in the region and beyond. Contributors: Elham Fakhro – Research Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Laleh Khalili – Professor of Gulf Studies, University of Exeter Yossi Mekelberg – Senior Fellow, Chatham House Yousef Munayyer – Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC On our radar: A youth-led social media movement over the luxurious lifestyles of Nepal’s "nepo kids" culminated this week in the ouster of the country’s prime minister and days of violent unrest. Meenakshi Ravi examines the government’s unsuccessful effort to control the narrative. Covering corruption in South Africa Thirty years after the end of apartheid in South Africa, the African National Congress’s rampant corruption has widened inequality. Those trying to expose that corruption - whistleblowers - are paying the ultimate price - with their lives. Featuring: Devoshum Moodley-Veera – Whistleblower activist Pieter-Louis Myburgh – Investigative Journalist, Daily Maverick Songezo Zibi – Leader, Rise Mzansi
Israel’s renewed offensive in Gaza City - the largest Palestinian population centre - is being framed as an assault on Hamas’s “final stronghold”. But behind that narrative lies a campaign of expulsion and erasure that bears all the hallmarks of an endgame. Contributors: Dana Mills - Writer, Local Call & +972 Magazine Muhammad Shehada - Journalist Saree Makdisi - Professor of English & Comparative Literature, UCLA Tahani Mustafa - Visiting fellow, ECFR On our radar: A new AI-generated website unveiled by an Israeli minister claims to “uncover the hidden ties” between Palestinian journalists and Hamas. And despite its amateurish feel, it follows a pattern of dangerous smears against Palestinians. Post’s Tariq Nafi reports. The sci-fi obsessions of the tech elite Silicon Valley’s tech titans often say they are shaping a better tomorrow. This is a clique of men - names like Musk, Zuckerberg, Thiel and Altman - who all say they’ve been heavily influenced by science fiction. But those imagined sci-fi futures often come with a dystopian side, warnings that tech billionaires have seemingly failed to understand. Featuring: Alex Hanna - Director, Distributed AI Research Institute Max Read - Senior editor, New York magazine Tim Maughan - Author and Journalist
India is expelling Bengali Muslims - stripping citizenship, detaining and deporting them to Bangladesh. The crackdown has spread nationwide, prompted by years of BJP propaganda and a news media all too willing to sell the story of a Muslim "enemy within". Contributors: Shoaib Daniyal - Political editor, Scroll Fatima Khan - Political journalist Vaishna Roy - Editor, Frontline magazine Paranjoy Guha Thakurta - Journalist and filmmaker On our radar: The images of starving Palestinians in Gaza have provoked global outrage. Israel has launched a PR campaign to deflect blame. Ryan Kohls reports. An interview with Alex Shephard Alex Shephard of The New Republic explains how Donald Trump is putting unprecedented pressure on US media outlets. After CBS was forced to settle out of court with the president, Trump is now suing the Wall Street Journal and its owner - Rupert Murdoch - as well as politicising the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Featuring: Alex Shephard - Senior editor, The New Republic
The Epstein saga has flipped the script within the MAGA movement. Having spent years accusing the Democrats of an establishment cover-up, many right-wing influencers are now turning against their idol, President Trump, as he resists calls to release the files. Contributors: Joan Donovan - Director, CriticalNet Mehdi Hasan - Editor-in-chief, Zeteo News Miles Klee - Culture writer, Rolling Stone Danielle Moodie - Host, The Danielle Moodie Show On our radar: For 21 months, mainstream media outlets have avoided calling Israel’s assault on Gaza a genocide. But this past week has seen a notable shift - prompted not by Palestinian voices, but by an Israeli scholar. Tariq Nafi reports on The New York Times, the breaking of a media taboo, and why, for many, it’s too little, too late. Palestinians are being erased in German media Mass surveillance, a crackdown on protest, and a media unwilling to question power: In Germany, pro-Palestinian voices are being silenced. Nicholas Muirhead reports from Berlin on the mounting assault on free expression. Featuring: Wael Eskander - Berlin-based journalist Martin Gak - Former Deutsche Welle journalist Sabine Schiffer - Director, Media Responsibility Institute
As Netanyahu courts Trump with peace prizes and platitudes, divisions over Israel in the MAGA media space are deepening. Contributors: Laura Albast – Fellow, Institute for Palestine Studies Mitchell Plitnick – Author, Except for Palestine Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya Jude Russo – Managing editor, The American Conservative On our radar: Since the US-Israeli GHF took over the distribution of aid, more than 800 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to collect it. New reporting uncovers the foundation’s links to plans for Gaza’s ethnic cleansing. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Georgia under fire: The crackdown on protests and the press Mass protests, a tightening grip on media and a creeping authoritarianism; eight months on, the struggle over Georgia's democracy is intensifying. Elettra Scrivo reports from Tbilisi on the mounting crackdown on journalists and independent voices. Featuring: Irakli Rukhadze – Owner, Imedi TV Nestan Tsetkhladze – Editor, Netgazeti Nino Zautashvili – Former host, Real Space
At Glastonbury, Britain’s biggest music festival, two artists called out Israel’s genocide in Gaza and accused the British government of complicity. On-stage remarks by one of them - Bob Vylan - plunged the country's public broadcaster, the BBC, which livestreamed the performance, into yet another Gaza-shaped row. Contributors: Des Freedman – Author, The Media Manifesto Peter Oborne – Journalist and broadcaster Karishma Patel – Former newsreader, BBC Justin Schlosberg – Professor of Media and Communications, University Of Westminster On our radar: In the United States, Zohran Mamdani has secured the Democratic nomination for New York mayor, despite relentless media attacks that focus less on his policies and more on his outspoken stance against Israel’s war on Gaza. Tariq Nafi reports. Palestinians are seen as some sort of existential threat, just for being there While debates rage in international media over phrases like “from the river to the sea” and “death to the IDF,” far less scrutiny falls on the anti-Palestinian abuse that has become normal inside Israel - from pop songs to viral chants. Palestinian analyst Abdaljawad Omar joins us from Ramallah to unpack this everyday Israeli racism. Featuring: Abdaljawad Omar – Lecturer, Birzeit University
From negotiating with Iran to bombing its nuclear facilities and then brokering a ceasefire, Trump’s erratic pivots appear to be driven more by optics than coherent diplomacy. Mainstream Western news outlets, however, are making the job easier - painting Iran as an existential threat while downplaying Israel’s illegal actions. Contributors: Roxane Farmanfarmaian – Senior fellow, European Leadership Network Seamus Malekafzali – Journalist Mohsen Milani – Author, Iran’s Rise and Rivalry with the US Samira Mohyeddin – Journalist, On the Line Media On our radar Few atrocities compare to the massacres Israel is perpetrating, repeatedly, against starving refugees in Gaza - yet they are receiving minimal attention in mainstream media. Nic Muirhead reports on the latest developments at the aid distribution sites that have turned into death traps. Assal Rad: "It's really important to get headlines right" Over the past 20 months, historian Assal Rad has been correcting misleading mainstream news headlines on Israel’s genocide in Gaza. She talks us through the unmistakable parallels she has noticed with the coverage of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran. Featuring: Assal Rad – Non-resident fellow, Arab Center Washington DC
Israel's war on Iran was one that many have expected, and yet with nuclear talks between the United States and Iran ongoing, few saw it coming. Propaganda from the Netanyahu government and credulous reporting in the Western media have played a major part in how we got here. Contributors: Narges Bajoghli – Author, Iran Reframed Matt Duss – Executive Vice President, Center for International Policy Assal Rad – Non-Resident Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC Mohammad Ali Shabani – Editor, Amwaj Media On our radar As Israeli media cheerlead for the war on Iran, military censors are tightening their grip on local and foreign media outlets alike. Ryan Kohls reports. Chris Hedges on the media coverage of Israel’s war on Iran The war on Iran feels eerily familiar – from justifications that hold no water to the uncritical reporting in the media. Chris Hedges joins us to unpack the unsettling parallels with the 2003 Iraq War. Featuring: Chris Hedges – Former Middle East Bureau Chief, The New York Times
Israel has launched an unprovoked assault on Iran, including strikes on nuclear facilities and assassinations of several senior military commanders and scientists. In front of the world’s media, however, the Netanyahu government is spinning the attack as “preemptive”. Contributor: Negar Mortazavi – Host, The Iran Podcast On our radar: This past week, phone and internet services virtually collapsed across Gaza, as Israel repeatedly bombed transmission stations and communication towers. Meenakshi Ravi explains how Gaza now risks digital isolation. Showdown in LA: A very Trumpian spectacle President Trump has turned Los Angeles into an ideological battleground amid protests against anti-immigration raids. His mobilisation of the National Guard and marines - without the approval of California's state government - has produced made-for-TV images of the kind likely to appeal to the MAGA faithful. For many others, it is yet another sign of a dangerous turn away from civil liberties under his presidency. Featuring: Branko Marcetic – Staff writer, Jacobin Sarah Mehta – Senior policy counsel, ACLU Jose Olivares – Investigative journalist Will Swaim – Podcast host, Radio Free California
Throughout the various ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, western news outlets have repeatedly blamed their failure on Hamas. This week, we hear a perspective that rarely features in the coverage - the group's own - on the negotiations and the media narratives that surround them. Contributors: Tahani Mustafa – Senior Palestine Analyst, International Crisis Group Basem Naim – Politburo member, Hamas Julie Norman – Associate Professor, University College London Abdaljawad Omar – Lecturer, Birzeit University On our radar: Ukrainian drone strikes on multiple Russian airfields have further escalated the conflict, as peace talks come up short. Tariq Nafi reports on the messaging on the airwaves both sides of the border. Is logging off the cure for ‘brain rot’? After decades of increased connectivity, screen time and addictive algorithms, more and more young people are logging off. The Listening Post’s Ryan Kohls looks at the community-based movements reevaluating their relationships with digital technology. Featuring: Monique Golay – Barcelona Chapter Leader, Offline Club Hussein Kesvani – Technology and culture journalist Adele Walton - Author, Logging Off
More than 600 days into its genocidal war in Gaza, some of Israel's closest allies have begun to condemn its actions. Alongside the changing global narrative, growing opposition in Israel to the Netanyahu government's war methods has seeped into the media coverage - fracturing a consensus that dates back to October 7, 2023. Contributors: Yara Hawari – Co-Director, Al-Shabaka Natasha Lennard – Contributing writer, The Intercept Orly Noy – Editor, Local Call Muhammad Shehada – Visiting fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations On our radar: Over the past couple of weeks, dispatches coming out of Gaza’s hospitals have grown more and more desperate. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the healthcare workers getting the story out and filling the vacuum in the news coverage. Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: 'Aid washing' in the Gaza Strip Formed a matter of months ago, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a United States-Israeli coalition of private military contractors that includes former CIA and military personnel. We speak with Jeremy Scahill, co-founder of Drop Site News, who has investigated the GHF, together with Palestinian journalists on the ground. Featuring: Jeremy Scahill – Co-Founder, Drop Site News
The images coming out of Gaza are apocalyptic, depicting the latest - and perhaps final - chapter in a genocide. Under an operation called Gideon’s Chariots, the Israeli military is forcing Palestinians into tiny corners of the besieged enclave. Its next phase: another full-scale invasion aimed at taking complete control of the territory. Contributors: Hani M Abuishaiba – Gaza correspondent, Al Jazeera English Sari Bashi – Israeli human rights lawyer Gideon Levy – Columnist, Haaretz Yousef Munayyer – Senior fellow, Arab Center Washington DC On our radar: When a documentary about Palestinian medics is commissioned by the BBC, made for the BBC, but never makes it to air, it begs the question: what is stopping the United Kingdom’s publicly-funded network from broadcasting it? Ryan Kohls reports. Pakistan’s military rides a wave of nationalism In the wake of its weeklong conflict with India, Pakistan's military is riding a wave of patriotic fervour. Waging a war of memes, music and messaging, the armed forces have had a brand refresh - and reminded the country who is really in charge. Featuring: Farieha Aziz – Podcast host, Dawn News English Wajahat S Khan – Journalist and author Maria Rashid – Author, Dying to Serve
United States President Donald Trump's tour of the Middle East this week is his first international trip since he started his second term. Conspicuously absent from his itinerary, however, was Washington’s closest ally in the region: Israel. In the US and Israeli media, the apparent snub has fuelled talk of a growing rift between Trump and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. Contributors: Diana Buttu – Human rights lawyer and analyst Dana Mills – Writer, +972 magazine and Local Call Jeremy Scahill – Cofounder, Drop Site News On our radar: Tariq Nafi reports on the killing this week of one of Gaza’s best-known journalists - and why it represents a new low in Israel’s unparalleled war on the press. Are India’s news channels helping or harming? The tit-for-tat conflict between India and Pakistan lasted only a week before a ceasefire deal was reached, but it was long enough to provide an insight into the role the media might play in a longer war. We speak with Indian journalist Hartosh Singh Bal about mainstream media under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government - from misinformation to hate speech - and the alternative news outlets trying to provide the antidote. Featuring: Hartosh Singh Bal – Executive editor, The Caravan magazine
One might think that images of starving children, as political leaders withhold aid and openly call for ethnic cleansing, would be topping news agendas everywhere. In the case of Gaza, the failure of many in the international media to meet the moment has made them part of the story. Lead contributors: Chris Doyle – Director, Council for Arab-British Understanding Daniel Levy – President, US/Middle East Project Muhammad Shehada – Visiting fellow, ECFR Sarah Leah Whitson – Director, DAWN On our radar: As India and Pakistan go toe-to-toe in their most intense fighting for decades, a flood of disinformation is fuelling the sense of panic on both sides. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Seeking justice on Ghana's courtroom shows If you are dealing with something personal and painful - a broken marriage or a family dispute - you might turn to a friend. For something as serious as sexual assault, it might go to trial. But in Ghana, more and more people are turning somewhere else: live radio. The so-called "justice-style" shows promise swift, public resolutions. But they are also controversial, with critics accusing them of turning private pain into primetime theatre. Featuring: George Sarpong – Executive secretary, National Media Commission Menenaba – Ghanaian writer Oheneni Adazoa – Host, Sompa Nkomo Show Zakaria Tanko Musah – Lecturer in media law and ethics, Journalism Institute
A deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir shattered a narrative Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has spent years constructing - that Kashmir was safe, open for business, and back to “normal”. In response, Indian officials have launched a sweeping crackdown and spurred nationalist rhetoric. Much of the media is echoing the government line. Too busy demanding revenge to ask the most basic of questions: How did this happen? Contributors: Anuradha Bhasin – Managing editor, Kashmir Times Sreenivasan Jain - Journalist and author Swasti Rao - Associate professor, Jindal Global University; consulting editor, The Print Nirupama Subramanian - Journalist On our radar In Pakistan, the media narrative on what happened in Kashmir has been dominated by powerful military and intelligence figures. But on social media, users are pushing back with satire and scepticism. Ryan Kohls reports. The White House and the memefication of cruelty Donald Trump has completed the chaotic first 100 days of his second term, marked by aggressive policies, talk of annexing neighbouring countries, and declarations of war against the mainstream media, universities and law firms. His administration’s online presence, filled with brash language and often cruel memes, reflects and amplifies his confrontational political style. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Featuring: Meredith Clark – UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media Jon Roozenbeek – Professor of psychology and security, King’s College London Jude Russo – Managing editor, The American Conservative
As tech billionaires infiltrate the White House, the question looms, “Who really rules us, the government or Silicon Valley?" This film examines the influence and ideology of technocrats over the last century, and asks whether they pose a threat to democracy. Contributors: Gil Duran – Tech journalist Siva Vaidhyanathan – Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia Payal Arora – Digital anthropologist Cori Crider – Senior Fellow, Open Markets and the Future of Tech Institute
The renewal of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza has unleashed yet more death, destruction and displacement, but Palestinians remain determined to make the world witness their plight. Contributors: Shahd Abusalama – Palestinian scholar and artist Omer Bartov – Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Brown University Abdaljawad Omar – Lecturer, Birzeit University; writer and analyst The art of the political podcast interview The 2024 United States presidential race was the first "podcast" election - and given the millions of views and votes a podcast appearance can bring, it won’t be the last. Ryan Kohls reports on the allure of - and the problems with - the political podcast interview. Featuring: Susie Banikarim – Media strategist and consultant Max Tani – Media editor, Semafor Cenk Uygur – Creator and host, The Young Turks
Over the past month, hundreds of international students in the US have either been detained, deported, or stripped of their visas for protesting Israel’s war on Gaza. The Trump administration’s crackdown is being described as an assault on political dissent - one that has been enabled by mainstream news outlets and pro-Zionist pressure groups. This story is about more than just visas. It’s about who gets to speak in Trump’s America. Contributors: Adolfo Franco – Republican strategist and lawyer Eric Lee – Immigration lawyer Yumna Patel – Editor-in-chief, Mondoweiss Prem Thakker – Reporter, Zeteo News On our radar: The German government is attempting to deport four foreign students - none of whom have been charged with a crime - over their pro-Palestinian activism. Ryan Kohls reports. The media outlets in the Serbian president’s corner For the past five months, Serbia has been in the grip of historic protests against President Aleksandar Vucic's government. Young people have led the way, demanding political reform. But in doing so they've faced a powerful adversary - not only in government, but in its collection of loyalists in the media. Meenakshi Ravi reports from Belgrade on the narrative they have been spinning and the pushback they are getting from Serbian citizens. Featuring: Snjezana Milivojevic – Professor, University of Belgrade Vesna Radojevic – Reporter, KRIK Suzana Vasiljevic – Media adviser to the president of Serbia
Turkiye is witnessing its largest protests in more than a decade. Millions have taken to the streets after the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu - who is seen as the biggest challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s presidency. Nearly 2,000 people have been detained so far, including journalists. But despite myriad official efforts to suppress news coverage, protesters keep pouring onto the streets. Contributors: Mehmet Celik – Editorial Coordinator, Daily Sabah Onur Erim – Political Adviser and President, Dragoman Strategies Ece Temelkuran – Author and Journalist Amberin Zaman – Chief Correspondent, Al-Monitor On our radar: Israel this week killed another two journalists in Gaza - Al Jazeera Mubaser's Hossam Shabat and Mohammed Mansour from the newspaper Palestine Today. The death toll of Palestinian media workers since October 7 now stands at more than 230. Tariq Nafi reports. Milei vs the media: the war on Argentina’s press freedom One year into Javier Milei’s presidency, Argentina is reeling from his radical economic policies and his escalating war on the press. Milei has targeted journalists, shut down the state news agency, and bypassed traditional media in favor of online platforms. As his government tightens its grip on information, Argentina’s media landscape is shifting. We hear from two journalists on opposite ends of the political spectrum about what Milei’s crackdown means for press freedom in Argentina. Featuring: Marcelo Longobardi – Journalist Julia Mengolini – Founder and presenter, Futurock
The ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump in January barely lived up to its name. Despite the deal, Israel continued its attacks on Gaza, killing more than 150 Palestinians in just eight weeks. The last remnants of hope were shattered as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched one of the deadliest bombing campaigns since the genocide began - followed by a ground invasion. Israeli outlets have largely ignored the human toll while Western journalists, despite mounting criticism, remain stuck in familiar patterns of reporting. Contributors: Dalal Iriqat – Associate professor, Arab American University Palestine Haggai Matar – Executive director, +972 Magazine Assal Rad – Middle East scholar and author Nathan Thrall – Jerusalem-based writer On our radar The arrest of Istanbul’s mayor and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strongest challenger, Ekrem Imamoglu, has set off a political firestorm in Turkiye. As mass demonstrations erupt nationwide and social media platforms are throttled, Meenakshi Ravi reports on one of the biggest protest waves Turkiye has seen in a decade and how it's testing the limits of the government’s control. Israel’s settlers: from margin to mainstream From rampaging through the occupied West Bank to setting their sights on colonising Gaza, Israel's settlers wield more power now than ever before. Once unthinkable to many Israelis, their calls to re-establish settlements in the Gaza Strip have entered the mainstream media discussion. The Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead reports on how the Israeli media have helped catapult the settlers from the margins to the mainstream. Featuring: Hilla Dayan – Sociologist, University of Amsterdam Nimrod Nir – Political psychologist, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Oren Ziv – Photojournalist, +972 Magazine
Just months after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, Syria has been rocked by an eruption of violence. Coastal towns have turned into killing fields, with forces aligned with the government accused of massacring hundreds of civilians from religious minorities. The Syrian online space is also littered with misinformation - part of an information war that is inciting sectarian fear and deepening divisions, in a country still raw from years of civil war and decades under a brutal regime. Lead contributors: Zaina Erhaim – Journalist Ahmad Primo – Founder, Verify Syria Ola Suliman – Campaigns lead, The Syria Campaign Rim Turkmani – Syria research programme director, LSE On our radar: The Trump White House is waging an unprecedented crackdown on pro-Palestine activism on university campuses. Meenakshi Ravi reports on Mahmoud Khalil - a Columbia graduate and, in theory, permanent US resident, who now faces deportation. ICE’s PR blitz: Immigration raids as entertainment In Trump’s America, immigration enforcement isn’t just policy - it’s a spectacle. With ICE raids increasingly staged for the cameras, and journalists given front-row access to capture dramatic arrests, is it law and order or a made-for-TV performance? The Listening Post’s Tariq Nafi explores the media’s role in shaping the immigration debate. Featuring: Patrick Bet-David – Host, PBD podcast Michelle Garcia – Journalist and author Abraham Paulos – Deputy director, Black Alliance for Just Immigration
Seven weeks into the Gaza ceasefire deal, Israel openly resumes its war crimes in Gaza - blocking humanitarian aid - with the tacit support of the international mainstream media. Lead contributors: Daniel Levy – President, US/Middle East Project Saree Makdisi – Professor of English and comparative literature, UCLA Samira Mohyeddin – Founder, On the Line Media Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya On our radar: The LA Times' new AI "bias meter" - which offers a counterpoint to the paper's opinion pieces, has stirred controversy. Tariq Nafi explores its role in a changing media landscape that's cosying up to Donald Trump. Are the ADL's anti-Semitism stats credible? The Anti-Defamation League is one of the most influential and well-funded NGOs in the US - and it's getting more media attention than ever. The Listening Post’s Meenakshi Ravi reports on the organisation, its high-profile CEO, and its troubling stance: Conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. Featuring: Omar Baddar – Political and media analyst Eva Borgwardt – National spokesperson, If Not Now Emmaia Gelman – Director, The Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism
With international media’s attention on the captive exchange, the Israeli military and settlers are forcibly displacing tens of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank. Meanwhile, Israeli journalists are parroting military talking points of security operations. Contributors: Abdaljawad Omar - Assistant professor, Birzeit University Jehad Abusalim - Co-editor, Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire Ori Goldberg - Academic and political commentator Samira Mohyeddin - Founder, On the Line Media On our radar: This week, the return of the Bibas family bodies dominated Israeli media coverage. Tariq Nafi reports on how their deaths have been used for "hasbara", after the family accused Netanyahu’s government of exploiting their grief for political purposes. The Kenyan ‘Manosphere’ Populated by loudmouths, shock artists and unapologetic chauvinists, the Kenyan "manosphere" is promoting an influential - and at times dangerous - take on modern masculinity. Featuring: Audrey Mugeni - Co-founder, Femicide Count Kenya Awino Okech - Professor of feminist and security studies, SOAS Onyango Otieno - Mental health coach and writer
The far-right AfD threatens to breach the political "firewall" that has long kept it out of power, as election disinformation from both the US and Russia disrupts the German media’s election coverage. Contributors: Olaf Böhnke - Berlin director, Alliance of Democracies Foundation Ulrich Brückner - Political analyst Michaela Küfner - Chief political editor, DW On our radar: This week, US President Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for starting the war with Russia, kicking off an exchange of barbs with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the diplomatic fallout and the Russian media’s gleeful response. Bukele's media machine: Controlling the narrative in El Salvador Mass arrests, silencing dissent, and prisons for hire; six years on, President Nayib Bukele’s unique brand of populism remains wildly popular in El Salvador. The Listening Post’s Elettra Scrivo reports on the price some journalists have had to pay for it. Featuring: Sergio Arauz - President, the Journalist Association of El Salvador Jessica Ávalos - Investigative journalist Víctor Barahona - Community journalist Andrés Guzman - Presidential commissioner, human rights and freedom of expression
It’s an alarming moment in US politics. Developments have been fast and furious, with Donald Trump flooding the news space at a rate journalists find hard to handle. His plan for an American takeover of the Gaza Strip, the reshaping of federal agencies and the unchecked power handed to Musk all beg a question: Who is really running the country? Contributors: Danielle Moodie – Host, The Danielle Moodie Show Jon Allsop – Journalist, Columbia Journalism Review Max Tani – Media editor, Semafor Mehdi Hasan – Editor-in-chief, Zeteo News On our radar As Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, embarks on a global PR blitz, Syrians wonder if meaningful change will follow. Tariq Nafi reports. Cameroon: The red lines around the world’s oldest leader As Cameroon’s 92-year-old president nears another birthday, his prolonged absences from office have prompted rumours. Rather than quashing them, Biya has simply banned Cameroon’s media from reporting on his health. Featuring: Ana Aremeyaw Anas – Head, Network of African Investigative Reporters and Editors Eugene Ndi – Journalist Kah Walla – Politician and social activist Paul Chouta – Exiled journalist
The return of more than half a million displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, having survived war, siege and starvation, is a historic moment. For right-wing media outlets in Israel, however, it's a humiliation. Contributors: Abdullah Al-Arian – Associate Professor, Georgetown University in Qatar Jehad Abusalim – Executive Director, Institute for Palestine Studies Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man – Director of Israel-Palestine Research, DAWN Yara Hawari – Co-Director, Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network On our radar The new White House press secretary gives the media briefing a Trumpian makeover. Ryan Kohl reports. Black Myth: Wukong - China’s journey to the west Merging traditional Chinese folklore with modern technology, the video game Black Myth: Wukong is revolutionising China’s gaming industry - and politicians in Beijing are reaping the rewards. Featuring: Daniel Camilo – China Gaming Consultant Lizzi Lee – Host, The China Project Tingting Liu – Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney
A year into the civil war in Sudan, the humanitarian costs have been staggering - but the news coverage has been minimal.
A conflict on this scale should top the news agenda but it has been relegated to the back pages – in part – because of what is happening in Gaza and Ukraine. And it is increasingly difficult to deny that the lack of media interest in this war comes down to where it is being fought and how it is understood.
Contributors:
Hager Ali – Research fellow, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)
Kholood Khair – Founding director, Confluence Advisory
Matthew Benson – Sudan research director, London School of Economics
Yassmin Abdel-Magied – Editor, Eyes on Sudan
On our radar:
Silencing the voices of dissent at United States universities over Israel and Gaza. Producer Tariq Nafi reports on what that says about freedom of speech in the US.
Poland’s media revolution
Restoring the independence of state-owned news outlets in Poland has not exactly gone according to plan. Producer Ryan Kohls on Donald Tusk’s media overhaul in the country.
Featuring:
Daniel Tilles – Editor-in-chief, Notes from Poland
Dorota Nygren – Journalist
Maciej Czajkowski – Deputy director, TVP
Michal Adamczyk – Former head, TVP
The algorithms that Big Tech designed - and the genocide they assisted. The Listening Post explores how Israel’s killing campaign of Palestinians has relied on artificial intelligence to choose its targets. A dystopian nightmare serves as a marketing campaign for technology flawed by design, and deepens the global digital divide.
Contributors:
Sophia Goodfriend – Researcher, Duke University
Mona Shtaya – Digital rights scholar
Matthew Mahmoudi – Researcher, Amnesty Tech
Sebastian Ben Daniel – Journalist, +972 Magazine
On our radar:
Nicaragua put Germany in the dock at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of facilitating genocide in Gaza. Germany is the second largest weapons supplier to Israel.
Meenakshi Ravi dissects the reaction from Berlin and the German media to the case.
Truth to power in wartime Ukraine
Three years into Ukraine’s war with Russia, journalists are feeling the pressure. Where once investigative outlet Bihus.info was relied on to expose Russian war crimes, they’re now undergoing Soviet-style surveillance by security services for exposing corruption in Ukraine.
Featuring:
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn – Ukrainian Member of Parliament and chair, Freedom of Speech Committee
Natalia Ligachova – Editor-in-Chief, Detector Media
Maria Zemlyanska – Investigative journalist, Bihus.Info
Denys Bihus – Founder, Bihus.Info
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It is election season in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems set to win a third successive term in the national elections — for good reason, say his supporters. They claim 10 years of the Modi government have transformed India, from lifting millions out of poverty to elevating India’s global status, but his critics say Modi’s record is far from perfect.
In this episode of The India Report, we analyse how India has fared in the past decade on the foreign policy and economic policy fronts.
Featuring:
Jayati Ghosh - Professor of economics, University of Massachusetts
Anand Gurumurthy - BJP spokesperson and economist
Suhasini Haider - Diplomatic affairs editor, The Hindu
Raghuram Rajan - Former governor, Reserve Bank of India
Veena Sikri - Former external affairs diplomat for India
With international reporters locked out, Palestinian journalists have made huge sacrifices to keep the world informed of the unprecedented killing and destruction in Gaza.
More media workers have been killed by Israel since October 7 than in any other conflict in modern history.
Like the rest of the population, Gaza's journalists have also been maimed, arrested or threatened, have seen their homes and offices destroyed and are grieving over the loss of those close to them.
The Listening Post spent time with three Al Jazeera journalists between February and March 2024.
Contributors:
Anas al-Sharif – Reporter, Al Jazeera Arabic
Hind Khoudary – Reporter, Al Jazeera English
Marah Elwadiya – Journalist, Al Jazeera Digital
A Listening Post/Ain Media co-production.
Tariq Nafi – Senior Producer
Shrouq Aila – Gaza-based Producer
Ahmed Madi – Producer
Kit Harwood – Editor
Meenakshi Ravi – Executive Producer
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Six months into Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, the United Nations Security Council has finally passed a resolution demanding a ceasefire. The United States’s abstention marks a pivotal moment in Israel’s increasing international isolation.
In the Israeli media, the opposition to the UN vote is near-unanimous and unsurprising. More striking is the lack of interest from American news outlets. The implications this story raises are perhaps a little uncomfortable for them - they hit too close to home.
Contributors:
Ramzy Baroud - Editor, The Palestine Chronicle
Ardi Imseis - Former UNRWA official
Daniel Levy - President, US-Middle East Project
Sarah Leah Whitson - Executive Director, DAWN
On our radar:
A New York Times piece has revealed more information about the mass surveillance Israel has deployed on Palestinians in Gaza. Producer Tariq Nafi reports on how facial recognition is being used to collect and catalogue the faces of Palestinians, “without their knowledge or consent".
Modi’s messaging machine
In a few weeks, India will launch a six-week-long process of voting for the next national government - and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to win an historic third term in office. Producer Meenakshi Ravi explores the all-encompassing information ecosystem that is likely to help put Modi back in the prime minister’s office.
Featuring :
Neerja Chowdhury - Contributing editor, Indian Express
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay - Author, Narenda Modi: The man, the times
Saba Naqvi - Author, The Saffron Storm
With India amid a national election campaign, its news media is in sharp focus. Until recently it was believed that the sheer diversity of outlets ensured a range of perspectives, but now, India’s mainstream media has largely been co-opted by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Just how did the media in India get to this point and what does it mean for the upcoming elections?
Featuring:
Ravish Kumar - Former Host, NDTV
Shashi Shekhar Vempati - Former CEO, Prasar Bharati
Pramod Raman - Chief Editor, MediaOne
Amy Kazmin - Former South Asia Bureau Chief, Financial Times
Meena Kotwal - Founder, The Mooknayak
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The threat to ban TikTok in the United States has prompted an online backlash. Critics question the premise that Chinese ownership poses a security risk and suggest the real reason may be the surge in pro-Palestinian content since October 7.
Contributors:
Julia Angwin - Tech Policy Writer, New York Times; Founder, Proof News
Russel Brandom - Tech Editor, Rest Of The World
Marwa Fatafta - MENA Policy and Advocacy Director, Access Now
Evan Greer – Director, Fight for the Future
On our radar:
In yet another deadly raid on Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital, Israel abducted Palestinian journalists covering the story – including one of Al Jazeera’s own. Producer Nicholas Muirhead reports.
Why Russia has looted Ukraine’s art
Following Vladimir Putin’s expected re-election this week, we’re revisiting a story about the Russian military’s targeting of Ukraine’s heritage. Producer Tariq Nafi explores how Russia’s war on Ukrainian culture is designed to rewrite history and weaken the country’s resistance.
Featuring:
Milena Chorna - Head of International Exhibitions, War Museum in Ukraine
Alina Dotsenko - Director, Kherson Regional Art Museum
Ihor Poshyvailo - General Director, Maidan Museum
Elections are weeks away in India and opposition parties are attempting to take on the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking a third consecutive term.
The opposition claims that Modi’s success rate has very little to do with his governance – but more because scores of his political rivals have been arrested or charged on questionable grounds. They say it has kneecapped the opposition and gamed the political arena in favour of the governing party.
In this episode of The India Report, Sreenivasan Jain examines whether these actions are – as the Prime Minister claims – part of his crusade against high-level corruption, or an unprecedented campaign against of the opposition which is deeply dangerous to India’s democracy.
Featuring:
Derek O’Brien - Member of Indian Parliament
Adish Aggarwala - President, Supreme Court Bar Association
Anjali Bhardwaj - Founder, Satark Nagrik Sangathan
Priyanka Kakkar - Chief Spokesperson, AAP
Maya Tudor - Professor, Blavatnik School of Government
With the global media’s attention trained on Gaza since October 7, things have worsened for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and near impossible for journalists to cover.
With their movement severely restricted, dozens of Palestinian journalists have been arrested, often held without trial or charge.
Contributors:
Anan Quzmar - Journalist
Assal Rad - Middle East Scholar and Author
Mariam Barghouti - Writer and Journalist
Oren Ziv - Journalist, +972 Magazine
On our radar:
Ahead of an upcoming election in India, there has been a slew of movie releases built around key Modi government talking points. Producer Tariq Nafi discusses Bollywood’s role in electioneering.
George Soros - Financier, philanthropist Or bogeyman?
Hungarian-American billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros has been at the centre of countless conspiracy theories. Flo Phillips sifts through fact and fiction to understand how the crusade against Soros became one of the most destructive smear campaigns of the 21st century and a blueprint for others.
Featuring:
Emily Tamkin - Author, The Influence Of Soros
Hannes Grassegger - Reporter and Founder, Polaris News
Marius Dragomir - Director, Center For Media, Data and Society (CMDS)
Credits: George Soros images courtesy of the Open Society Foundations
The politics of Hindu nationalism have played a central role in the dramatic rise of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As the elections have neared, the Modi regime has turbocharged its Hindu-first agenda - best exemplified in the inauguration of the Ram Temple in the city of Ayodhya.
Veteran journalist Sreenivasan Jain explains how the opening of this temple - and the whitewashing of its controversial past - illustrates how Modi and his party have made their brand of Hindu supremacism not only acceptable, but a key part of Narendra Modi’s appeal to Indians.
Featuring:
Asaduddin Owaisi - Member of the Indian Parliament
Uma Bharti - Former Vice-President, Bharatiya Janata Party
Hartosh Singh Bal - Political Editor, The Caravan
The United States' airdrops of aid into Gaza are a textbook case of cognitive dissonance on the part of the US administration - dropping food while continuing to send Israel bombs with which to pulverise Gaza. And the gulf between what’s happening on the ground and the mainstream media’s reportage continues to widen.
Contributors:
Laura Albast - Fellow, Institute for Palestine Studies
Mohamad Bazzi - Professor, New York University
Antony Loewenstein - Author, The Palestine Laboratory
Mouin Rabbani - Co-editor, Jadaliyya
On our radar:
Since Israel launched its assault on Gaza, the war has been a delicate subject for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The war has led to censorship of news coverage and suppression of public protest. Meenakshi Ravi reports.
Israel's cultural annihilation in Gaza
The Listening Post has covered Israel’s war on Gaza through the prism of the media, including the unprecedented killing of Palestinian journalists. But there’s another level to what’s unfolding in Gaza: the genocidal assault on Palestinian history, existence and culture.
Featuring:
Jehad Abusalim - Executive Director, The Jerusalem Fund
In December 2023, The New York Times published an explosive article - now widely discredited - that detailed Hamas’s agenda to weaponise rape and sexual violence on October 7. We reveal the controversies surrounding the article along with the broader issue of Western media outlets’ pro-Israeli/anti-Palestinian bias.
Lead contributors:
Ali Abunimah - Director, Electronic Intifada
Chris Hedges - Former Middle East Bureau Chief, The New York Times
Yumna Patel - Palestine News Director, Mondoweiss
On our radar:
After they won an award at the Berlinale film festival, the reaction to a speech by filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra has become the latest example of Germany’s toxic debate on Gaza. Meenakshi Ravi reports.
Genocide in Gaza through the eyes of Israeli soldiers
For months, Israeli soldiers in Gaza have been documenting their own war crimes against Palestinians and sharing them on social media.
The Listening Post collected and reviewed hundreds of items. We asked three experts on human rights and torture to examine the material.
Featuring:
Basil Farraj - Assistant Professor, Birzeit University
Lisa Hajjar - Professor of Sociology, UC Santa Barbara
Sarah Leah Whitson - Executive Director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
Producers: Tariq Nafi and Elettra Scrivo
With thanks to: Younis Tiwari and Tali Shapiro
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With Alexey Navalny’s death and Julian Assange’s extradition appeal happening within a week of each other, we look at the selective treatment of the two dissenters in the Western media.
Lead contributors:
Chip Gibbons - Policy Director, Defending Rights & Dissent
Matt Kennard - Chief Investigator, Declassified UK
Branko Marcetic - Writer, Jacobin
Rebecca Vincent - Director of Campaigns, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
On our radar:
Usually silent in the face of the suffering in Gaza, Israeli TV channels broadcast segments on the abuse of Palestinian captives - with a positive spin. Tariq Nafi reports.
Namibia’s (mis)remembered genocide
Germany’s genocide in Namibia early in the 20th century has long been a misremembered episode in colonial history. Despite efforts to correct that record, many are yet to hear the testimonies of the victimised communities: the Herero and Nama peoples.
Featuring:
Christina Haritos - Communications Scholar
Suzie Ndaundika Shefeni - Researcher and Journalist
Jephta Nguherimo - Herero Activist and Poet
More than a million Palestinians have been crammed into the city of Rafah - which is being bombed by Israel with the imminent threat of a ground invasion. Western media, however, has once again failed to communicate the severity of this moment.
Contributors:
Laura Albast - Media Analyst, Institute for Palestine Studies-USA
Nabih Bulos - Middle East Bureau Chief, LA Times
Adel Iskandar - Professor of Global Communication, Simon Fraser University
Jacob Magid - US Bureau Chief, The Times of Israel
On our radar:
Haaretz newspaper published an article about Israeli soldiers cooking food in Palestinian homes– the same homes these soldiers chased them out of, all while Palestinians themselves are being starved by Israel. Nic Muirhead on the mocking of Palestinian suffering.
The Kremlin’s youth militarisation push
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has invested considerably in managing domestic perceptions of the war - including among younger citizens.
With the war dragging on, the government’s youth propaganda has escalated. Educational institutions have become part of an orchestrated effort to shape loyal militarised nationalists and passive media consumers.
Contributors:
Alexander Borodikhin - Editor, Mediazona
Ekaterina Kotrikadze - Anchor, TV Rain
Ian Garner - Professor, Queen’s University Centre for International and Defence Policy
This past week’s elections in Pakistan were meant to be a formality, the outcome - a win for the PMLN - predetermined by the Pakistani military and intelligence apparatus.
But despite their attempt to manage the narrative and meddle with politics, former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party, the PTI, had an unexpected pull with the people.
Contributors:
Amber Shamsi - Director, Centre for Excellence in Journalism
Asma Shirazi - Anchor, HUM News
Fahd Husain - President, AIK News
Moeed Pirzada - Journalist and YouTuber
On our radar:
Two weeks after the International Court of Justice concluded Israel may be committing genocide in Gaza, Israeli soldiers continue to film and upload evidence of their own war crimes. Tariq Nafi examines the material being posted online.
John Kirby: US messenger on the Gaza War
For Israel’s primary backer in its war on Gaza, the United States, getting the messaging right has not been easy. The face of the White House’s policy is US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
Despite some uncomfortable exchanges with reporters, Kirby has maintained an aggressive approach in his delivery. Whether audiences are buying it is another matter.
Meenakshi Ravi explores the figure of the spokesperson and the challenges of being President Biden’s messenger on Gaza.
Featuring:
John Nichols - National affairs correspondent, The Nation
Kristian Denny - Associate professor, Columbia University
Prem Thakker - Politics reporter, The Intercept
Israeli intelligence accuses a UN refugee agency of collusion with Hamas – and the media take it at face value.
Israel has for years been claiming that the United Nations refugee agency (UNRWA) is in cahoots with Hamas. The latest allegations – which coincided with the International Court of Justice’s order for Israel to prevent genocide – bear the hallmarks of a distraction tactic. So far, the media have taken the bait.
Contributors:
Diana Buttu – Palestinian lawyer
Tal Mimran – Former Israeli government adviser
Abdaljawad Omar – Academic, Birzeit University
Kenneth Roth – Former executive director, Human Rights Watch
On our radar
Last month, a New York Times investigation carried Israeli allegations of sexual violence by Hamas during its October 7 attacks. Meenakshi Ravi explains why that story is being called into question.
Germany’s ‘Palestine exception’ to free speech
Historical guilt and the stifling of pro-Palestinian dissent in Germany.
Contributors:
Hebh Jamal – Palestinian journalist
Hanno Hauenstein – Journalist and former editor, Berliner Zeitung
Wieland Hoban – Chair, Jewish Voice for Peace
Part 1: What does the ICJ ruling mean for Israel?
Judgement day at the International Court of Justice. The court has ruled the people of Gaza must be protected from genocidal acts carried out by Israel.
Richard Gizbert is joined by producer Tariq Nafi to discuss the impact this ruling could have on how the media discuss the war in Gaza.
Part 2: Mohammed el-Kurd on Palestinian resistance
Writer and journalist Mohammed el-Kurd in a video essay on Palestinian resistance and the Western media’s warped coverage of Palestine.
Contributor:
Mohammed el-Kurd - Writer and journalist
Part 3: India: Temple opening or election campaign kickoff?
A long-anticipated – and deeply contentious - consecration of a Hindu temple in India this past week featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi front and centre.
The country's mainstream media enthusiastically played along, giving Modi valuable airtime in what is an election year.
Contributors:
Apoorvanand - Professor, Delhi University
Seema Chishti - Editor, The Wire
Pamela Philipose - Author, Media's Shifting Terrain
Sreemoy Talukdar - Deputy executive editor, Firstpost
The ICJ hearings have drawn scorn as well as shock from Israel’s media punditry. In the West, however, the case has emboldened journalists to ask tougher questions of the Israeli narrative.
Lead contributors:
Oren Ziv - Reporter, +972 Magazine
Mouin Rabbani - Co-editor, Jadaliyya
Selma Carmey - Human rights lawyer
Gideon Levy - Columnist, Haaretz
Daniel Levy - President, US/Middle East Project; Former Israeli political adviser
On our radar:
Australia’s public broadcaster- ABC - fired a radio host after she shared a report on Gaza’s humanitarian crisis to her social media. Meenakshi Ravi reports on a leak showing a pro-Israel pressure group may have been involved.
Feature: Top marks for Finland
Finland’s educational drive around media literacy offers a model for educators, broadcasters and countries around the world.
Feature contributors:
Leo Pekkala - Deputy director, National Audiovisual Institute
Mari Vesanummi - Media education producer, YLE
Valtteri Kela - Finnish language teacher, Helsinki French Finnish School
Valentina Uitto - History teacher, Helsinki French Finnish School
With the International Court of Justice deliberating over South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, we look at how the proceedings could affect reporting on the war.
Contributors:
Qaanitah Hunter - Journalist, News24
Nimer Sultany - Editor-in-Chief, The Palestine Yearbook of International Law
Daniel Levy - President, US/Middle East Project
Tony Leon - Political commentator
On our radar:
In Ecuador, masked gang members break into the studio of the state broadcaster, firing at staff and taking hostages. Tariq Nafi explains the country’s gang violence crisis and why the media has become a target.
Feature - Sudan: 2023’s Forgotten War
Thousands killed, millions displaced - the crisis in Sudan continues unabated and underreported. Two Sudanese journalists reflect on the coverage of Sudan’s civil war.
Contributors:
Yassmin Abdel-Magied - Editor, Eyes on Sudan
Isma’il Kushkush - Sudanese-American journalist
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Israel #Palestine #Gaza #SouthAfrica #News
After three months of destruction, displacement and the killing of Palestinians, we take a deep dive into the way the Gaza story has been covered.
Since the attacks on October 7, The Listening Post has interviewed a range of experts on the news coverage – what’s missing in it, and how it has helped enable the crimes being waged on Palestinians in Gaza.
In this special edition, we’ve compiled three interviews – with one journalist, one expert on human rights and another on digital rights. They talk us through the way the media – through their news coverage – have helped pave the way to a genocide.
Contributors:
Francesca Albanese – United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Marwa Fatafta – MENA Policy and Advocacy Director, Access Now
Mariam Barghouti – Writer and journalist
In 17 years of The Listening Post, we have never seen a story anything like Israel’s war on Gaza.
It has been a turning point for the world order as we know it and its media ecosystem – which is why, since October 7, we have covered nothing else.
In this special edition, we compiled our reporting on the Gaza war over the past 12 weeks. The extent of the brutality, a genocide unfolding in plain sight; the sheer volume of disinformation, designed to defend the indefensible; and the complicity of so many Western news outlets – repeatedly exposed for failing to question Israeli propaganda, then spreading it.
Contributors:
Ariella Aïsha Azoulay - Professor of Modern Culture & Media, Brown University
Azad Essa - Author, Hostile Homelands
Daniel Levy - President, US/Middle East Project
Orly Noy - Journalist, Human Rights Advocate
Omar Al-Ghazzi - Associate Professor of Media & Communications, London School of Economics
Rami Younis - Journalist; Former host On the Other Hand, Makan 33
Ramzy Baroud - Editor-in-Chief, Palestine Chronicle
Sarah Leah Whitson - Executive Director, DAWN
Swasti Rao - Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses
Yara Eid - Palestinian Journalist in Gaza
Yumna Patel - Palestine News Director, Mondoweiss
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According to Gaza’s government media office, Israel’s military has now killed 97 journalists in the Strip. Israel has barred international media from entering Gaza, firsthand reporting on the onslaught there has been left to Palestinians already locked into the occupied territory - documenting their own genocide.
Contributors:
Amahl Bishara - Professor of anthropology, Tufts University
Arwa Damon - Former senior international correspondent, CNN
Sari Bashi - Program director, Human Rights Watch
Wael Dahdouh - Gaza bureau chief, Al Jazeera Arabic
On our radar:
The settler movement - which has placed 700,000 Israelis on the West Bank in complete contravention of international law - now has its eyes on Gaza. Producer Flo Phillips on Israeli developers' plans in post-war Gaza.
The war in Gaza & the end times - the Christian Zionist view:
Evangelicals in the United States - many of whom call themselves Christian Zionists - are some of the biggest supporters of Israel in the US, and they broadcast their support on TV and radio networks that have huge audiences.
Contributors:
Chrissy Stroop - Senior correspondent, Religion Dispatches
Melani McAlister - Author, The Kingdom of God Has No Borders
Sarah Posner - Journalist and author, Unholy
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Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Gaza is being witnessed in real time, with Palestinian civilians broadcasting their own bombardment; Israeli soldiers streaming sadistic acts of humiliation - proof of an historic crime. The question Palestinians are asking - urgently - is whether it will make any difference.
Contributors:
Ariella Aisha Azoulay - Professor of Modern Culture & Media, Brown University
Omar Al-Ghazzi - Associate Professor of Media & Communications, LSE
Ramzy Baroud - Editor-in-Chief, Palestine Chronicle
Yumna Patel - Palestine News Director, Mondoweiss
On our radar:
Eighty-nine journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7. Producer Tariq Nafi on the targeting of journalists, and their families, in Gaza.
Silenced and surveilled: Palestinian citizens of Israel:
Hundreds of Palestinian citizens of Israel have been arrested for social media posts criticising Israel’s assault on Gaza. Rami Younis talks about the clampdown on Israel’s Palestinian citizens.
Contributor:
Rami Younis - Journalist, Former host of ‘On the Other Hand’, Makan 33
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More than 60 days into the Israel-Gaza war, two Israeli news outlets - +972 magazine and Local Call - published a report on The Gospel, a new artificial intelligence system deployed in Gaza.
The AI helps generate new targets at an unprecedented rate, allowing the Israeli military to loosen its already permissive constraints on the killing of civilians.
Contributors:
Marwa Fatafta - MENA Policy and Advocacy Director, Access Now
Omar Shakir - Israel and Palestine Director, Human Rights Watch
Sophia Goodfriend - Journalist
Tal Mimran - Former legal adviser, Israeli Ministry of Justice and Israeli military
On our radar:
The exchange of hostages between Israel and Hamas late last month created some challenges for the Netanyahu government - and its messaging. Producer Meenakshi Ravi looks at how Israeli media has been reporting on the story.
Mariam Barghouti: “The media is complicit in the Gaza war”:
As the world is focused on the events unfolding in Gaza, Israel has also escalated its attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where Hamas has no authority or military presence. Journalist Mariam Barghouti joins us to discuss the intensification of surveillance technologies, the clamp down on speech and the rise of violence in the West Bank.
Contributor:
Mariam Barghouti - Palestinian Writer and Journalist
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If the United States has aided and abetted Israel’s campaign of ethnic cleansing in Gaza, the European Union’s role has been one of quiet complicity.
In a special edition of The Listening Post, we examine the discourse around the conflict in three EU countries: Germany, where shows of support for the Palestinians have been heavily suppressed; France, where television news channels have distorted the debate to suit their own agendas; and the outlier that is Ireland, where there has been probing criticism of Israel’s actions - from politicians and in the media.
Segment 1: Germany
Contributors:
Hanno Hauenstein - Journalist and former editor Berliner Zeitung
Wieland Hoban - Chair, Jewish Voice for Peace
Hebh Jamal - Palestinian journalist
Segment 2: France
Contributors:
Rima Hassan - International Lawyer and President, Refugee Camps Observatory
Thomas Legrand - Radio Host, France Inter
Daniel Schneidermann - Founder & Columnist, Arrêt Sur Images and Columnist, Libération
Segment 3: Ireland
Contributors:
Brendan Ciarán Browne - Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution and Fellow of Trinity College Dublin
Una Mullally - Columnist, The Irish Times
Shona Murray - Europe Correspondent, Euronews
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Forty-eight days of bloodshed later, a truce lasting 96 hours - between Israel and Hamas - has come into effect, giving Palestinians in Gaza some temporary room to breathe. But in the information war, there is no ceasefire in sight.
Contributors:
Abboud Omar Hamayel – Academic, Birzeit University
Hussein Ibish – Arab Gulf States Institute
Mia Bloom – Professor, Georgia State University
Shashank Joshi – Defence Editor, Economist
On our radar:
This past week has been one of the most devastating for journalists in Gaza. This, in a war that has already been described as the “deadliest period on record” for the media. Meenakshi Ravi has the details.
Francesca Albanese: Western media living in ‘alternative reality’:
In recent weeks, there has been an alarmingly small number of official voices calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. One exception has been Francesca Albanese - the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian territories. She joins us for an interview on terminology, context and the blindspots of mainstream media.
Contributor:
Francesca Albanese - UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Territories
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The evidence provided by Israeli forces to justify their attacks on Gaza's hospitals has come up short - and so has the news coverage.
Contributors:
Alice Rothchild - Health Advisory Council, Jewish Voice for Peace
Diana Buttu - Palestinian Lawyer
Meron Rapoport - Editor, Local Call
Yumna Patel - Palestine News Director, Mondoweiss
On our radar:
Israeli politicians are calling for the transfer of Palestinians from Gaza. Producer Tariq Nafi reports on how they’re using the media to transmit the message loud and clear.
The Israeli anti-war Left: Where to next, after October 7?:
A special interview with journalist and human rights activist Orly Noy on the pain and loneliness of the Israeli anti-war Left, post-October 7th.
Contributor:
Orly Noy - Chair, B’Tselem
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Freedom of expression is under the gun in the Land of the Free. We look at what media in the United States is missing in Israel’s war on Gaza - and why it matters.
Contributors:
Noura Erakat - Associate Professor, Rutgers University
Abdallah Fayyad - Journalist; Former Member, Boston Globe Editorial Board
Alex Kane - Senior Reporter, Jewish Currents
Jack Mirkinson - Acting Senior Editor, The Nation
On our radar:
The vast majority of mainstream outlets in the US are corporate-owned. Nic Muirhead reports on how publicly-funded broadcasters in the Anglosphere are taking heat over their coverage of the Gaza story.
‘India Stands With Israel’:
Indo-Israeli relations have been on the upswing for the past few years. And in this war, Indians have been showing their support through posts online, and rants on TV with some disinformation thrown in, to skew how this conflict is understood. Meenakshi Ravi reports.
Contributors:
Azad Essa - Author, Hostile Homelands; Journalist, Middle East Eye
Pooja Chaudhuri - Researcher and Trainer, Bellingcat
Swasti Rao - Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
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After three weeks of a punishing Israeli bombardment of Gaza, Israel is still refusing to allow international journalists in.
News outlets and audiences are entirely reliant on local Palestinian reporters, who risk their lives to provide a window into the war.
Contributors:
Tal Schneider - political and diplomatic correspondent, Times of Israel
Nathan Thrall - author of A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: A Palestine Story
Joshua Leifer - journalist, Dissent Magazine
Omar Baddar - deputy director, Arab American Institute
On our radar:
The ethnic cleansing of the occupied West Bank intensifies. Meenakshi Ravi reports on how Israelis are documenting and sharing the evidence online.
Israel's automated occupation: Hebron
Tariq Nafi examines Israel’s use of AI-powered surveillance in Hebron, which has entrenched the Israeli government’s control over Palestinians.
Contributers:
Izzat Karaki - activist and volunteer, Youth Against Settlements
Sophia Goodfriend - researcher, Duke University
Matt Mahmoudi - researcher and adviser, Amnesty International
After three weeks of punishing Israeli bombardment of Gaza, Israel is still refusing to allow international journalists in. News outlets and audiences are entirely reliant on local Palestinian reporters, who risk their lives to provide a window into the war.
Contributors:
Mouin Rabbani - Co-editor, Jadaliyya
Omar Shakir - Human Rights Watch, Israel and Palestine director
Yara Eid - Gazan journalist
On our radar:
The online space has been a significant arena of battle throughout this war. Flo Phillips reports on the power that social media companies wield when it comes to what can and cannot be seen from Gaza.
Ghassan Kanafani and the era of Palestinian revolutionary media:
Silencing Palestinian voices is not new for Israel. We take you 50 years back for a historical case in point - Ghassan Kanafani. Reporter Tariq Nafi explores Kanafani’s work as a journalist and the era of Palestinian revolutionary media.
Contributors:
As’ad Abukhalil - Professor of political science, California State University
Elias Khoury - Novelist and literary critic
Refqa Abu-Remaileh - Professor of modern Arabic literature and film, Free University Berlin
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Two weeks into Israel’s war on Gaza, what the world is witnessing - from Israeli leaders' racist and genocidal rhetoric to the mass killing of Palestinian civilians - bears the hallmarks of a historic crime. This episode looks at how the media are responding - in Israel and beyond.
Contributors:
Neve Gordon - professor of international law and human rights, Queen Mary University
Tariq Kenney-Shawa - US policy fellow, Al-Shabaka
Antony Loewenstein - Author of books such as The Palestine Laboratory
Yousef Munayyer - senior fellow, Arab Center Washington, DC
Sherine Tadros - deputy director of advocacy & UN representative, Amnesty International
From disinformation to 'shadow banning': Marwa Fatafta on the digital front line
With journalists locked out of the Gaza Strip, social platforms have become a vital means of finding and sharing information as well as another front in the propaganda war. Marwa Fatafta, a Palestinian digital rights analyst, talks us through the online dimension of this conflict - including disinformation, hate speech and the censorship of Palestinian voices.
Contributor:
Marwa Fatafta - MENA policy manager, Access Now
What we are seeing in the occupied Gaza Strip and Israel has no precedent - the
barbarism, the talk of vengeance, the war crimes. And the signs, all too familiar ones, of journalists succumbing to the pressures under the powers that be.
In this special episode, we delve into the news coverage of the war in Palestine and Israel. We examine the narratives that have emerged since Hamas’s surprise attack - a seismic news event that is destined to take ownership of the date on which it happened - October 7, 2023.
Contributors:
Mariam Barghouti - Writer and Journalist
Daniel Levy - President, US/Middle East Project
Mouin Rabbani - Co-editor, Jadaliyya
Meron Rapoport - Editor, Local Call
Sarah Leah Whitson - Executive Director, DAWN
With a week to go until elections in Poland, the ruling Law and Justice Party has used its control of the public broadcaster to drown out opposition voices and push its anti-European Union, anti-migrant messaging.
Contributors:
Jan Cienski - Senior Policy Editor, Politico Europe
Paulina Lenik - Assistant Professor, Kozminski University
Anita Prazmowska - Professor in International History, LSE
Wojciech Przybylski - Editor-in-Chief, Visegrad Insight
On our radar:
Police in Delhi raided the offices of news website NewsClick, detaining journalists over accusations of spreading Chinese propaganda. Johanna Hoes reports on the climate of tense Sino-Indian relations behind the arrests, and the unlikely source of the tip-off.
Why Russia is looting Ukraine’s art:
From the moment the Russian invasion began, museum workers in Ukraine knew they were coming for their collections. Tariq Nafi looks into the war being waged against Ukraine’s heritage and history.
Contributors:
Milena Chorna - Head of the International Exhibitions Department, National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War
Alina Dotsenko - Director, Kherson Regional Art Museum
Ihor Poshyvailo - General Director, Maidan Museum
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The resignation of 92-year-old media magnate Rupert Murdoch has set in motion the long-awaited succession of his empire. What effect will his son Lachlan’s leadership have on media - and politics - worldwide?
Contributors:
Kerry Flynn - Media Reporter, Axios
Des Freedman - Professor, Goldsmiths, University of London
Matt Gertz - Senior Fellow, Media Matters for America
Paddy Manning - Author, The Successor
On our radar:
With a general election just two weeks away, a Polish film telling the story of Syrian and Afghan refugees has drawn the ire of the country’s ruling party. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the campaign targeting the film’s director.
The Mafia’s TikTok takeover:
Elements of the Italian underworld are surfacing … online. Flo Phillips reports, from Rome, on the Mafia’s new stomping ground - TikTok.
Contributors:
Alessandra Dolci - Deputy Prosecutor, Milan Anti-Mafia Directorate
Nico Falco - Journalist, Fanpage
Marcello Ravveduto - Professor of Public and Digital History, University of Salerno
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As the residents of the city of Derna count their dead, authorities in eastern Libya expel news crews from the city and evade scrutiny of their role in the disaster.
Contributors:
Elham Saudi - Co-founder & director, Lawyers for Justice in Libya
Sami Zaptia - Editor-in-chief, Libya Herald
Anas El Gomati - Director, Sadeq Institute
On our radar:
Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch announced his resignation this week aged 92, handing over the reins of his empire to his son. Reporter Johanna Hoes explains the implications of the long-awaited move.
Archiving Nigeria’s past in print:
Fu’ad Lawal is a Nigerian journalist on a mission; to make a free online archive of the country’s newspapers since 1960. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the ambitious project aiming to bring Nigeria’s past to life.
Contributors:
Fu’ad Lawal - Founder, Archivi.Ng
Ruth Zakari - Editor-in-chief, Zikoko
Toyin Falola - Author, Decolonizing African Studies, Professor, University of Texas at Austin
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Saudi Arabia’s massive spending on sport is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s strategy to diversify the petrostate’s economy and re-shape its brand.
Contributors:
Abdullah Al-Arian - Author, Football in the Middle East
Gregg Carlstrom - Middle East Correspondent, The Economist
Kristin Diwan - Senior Research Scholar, The Arab Gulf States Institute
Rayhan Uddin - Journalist, Middle East Eye
On our radar:
This week saw the launch of the biggest antitrust trial of the century against tech behemoth, Google. Flo Phillips explains what’s at stake, and why governments in the US and Europe are taking big tech to task.
God and atheism on YouTube:
Religious evangelists of all stripes have long enjoyed large platforms on social media - now, atheism is growing online. The Listening Post’s Ryan Kohls reports from the US on the country's Godless apostles on YouTube.
Contributors:
Seth Andrews - YouTuber, @TheThinkingAtheist
Drew McCoy - YouTuber, @GeneticallyModifiedSkeptic
Chrissy Stroop - Senior Correspondent, Religion Dispatches
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Politicians have long had a tendency to frame the past in a way that suits their political agenda in the present and the Holocaust is no different.
In this special episode of The Listening Post, Johanna Hoes reports on historical revisionism in Poland; the governing right-wing Law and Justice party’s attempts to portray all Polish people as heroes or victims while concealing an uncomfortable truth: that some Poles collaborated with the Nazis and were complicit in crimes against Jews.
Contributors:
Nelly Ben-Or - Holocaust Survivor & Pianist
Mindu Hornick - Auschwitz Survivor
Pawel Sawicki - Press Officer, Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
Jan Grabowski - Professor of History, University of Ottawa
Katia Patin - Multimedia Editor, Coda Story
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A military takeover in Niger as the Kremlin and Russian mercenaries lurk on the sidelines and the airwaves. But would Russia be any less exploitative than Niger’s old colonial masters?
Contributors:
Alexis Akwagyiram - Managing editor, Semafor Africa
Mathieu Oliver - Journalist, Jeune Afrique
Aanu Adeoye - West Africa correspondent, Financial Times
Delina Goxho - Security analyst
On our radar:
China wants its citizens to be on the lookout - online - for spies. Johanna Hoes looks at their tips and tricks for spotting the difference between work and espionage.
India’s media whistleblower:
"India’s media is one of its biggest problems right now," says veteran Indian journalist Ravish Kumar, offering a sobering temperature check on the country's news media ahead of an upcoming election.
Contributor:
Ravish Kumar - Former host, NDTV India
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A viral video revealing a shocking case of sexual assault has put the northeastern Indian state of Manipur on the radar and shed light on a place that the mainstream media has paid scant attention to.
Contributors:
Anubha Bhonsle - founder, Newsworthy
Samrat Choudhury - journalist and author, Northeast India: A Political History
Patricia Mukhim - editor, The Shillong Times
Sushant Singh - consulting editor, The Caravan; senior fellow, Centre for Policy Research
On our radar:
Israelis are describing the fight over judicial reform as a looming civil war. Producer Tariq Nafi looks at how the Israeli media has covered the story.
Satellite imagery: the final frontier for news?:
Satellites have entered the newsroom, but are they the all-seeing eye their makers claim them to be? Producer Ahmed Madi reports on the stories they are telling - and the stories they aren't.
Contributors:
Michael Cruickshank - geospatial analyst and open-source journalist
Chris Quilty - satellite and space industry analyst; CEO, Quilty Analytics
Lisa Parks - director, Global Media Technologies & Cultures Lab; author, Cultures in Orbit: Satellites and the Televisual
For the first time in 63 years, Hollywood actors have joined writers in a double strike against studio powerhouses, demanding better pay, fairer working conditions, and protections from present and future AI threats.
Contributors:
Miranda Banks - Media professor, Loyola Marymount University's School of Film and Television
Daheli Hall - Writer and actor
Meg James - Senior entertainment writer, Los Angeles Times
Sharon Waxman - CEO and founder, The Wrap
On our radar:
Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the United States this past week in an attempt to smooth over some diplomatic tensions. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the ceremonies and spectacle of the visit.
The politics behind football’s greatest rivalry:
Spanish voters head to the polls in a general election that could result in the strongest showing for the far right since the days of the Franco dictatorship. Flo Phillips explores the role football has played, and still plays, in Spanish politics and propaganda.
Contributors:
Guillem Balague - Football journalist and commentator
Sid Lowe - Author of Fear and Loathing in La Liga
Alejandro Quiroga - Reader in Spanish history, Newcastle University
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The United States-China relationship is a complex one. Beneath the diplomatic niceties lies deep mutual suspicion - two governments fully engaged in a bigger battle of narratives.
Contributors:
Jiayang Fan - staff writer, The New Yorker
Brian Hioe - editor, New Bloom Magazine
James Palmer - deputy editor, Foreign Policy
On our radar:
In the United Kingdom, the BBC is in a state of turmoil after a Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid alleged sexual misconduct involving one of the broadcaster’s most famous faces. Producer Flo Phillips reports on the saga that has seduced the British media.
Kenya’s deadly televangelist:
The politics of prayer: Producer Nicholas Muihead travels to Kenya to ask how the authorities there plan to regulate the power of televangelism and prevent another "Shakahola Massacre".
Contributors:
Ezra Chiloba - director general, Communications Authority of Kenya
Reuben Kigake - broadcast journalist and musician
Lee Scharnick-Udemans - senior researcher, Desmond Tutu Centre
Rodgers Shibutse - victim’s son
Joseph Yeri - journalist
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In the aftermath of one of the worst Israeli military attacks on the occupied West Bank in 20 years, the Israeli government takes issue with the global media’s coverage of the violence.
Contributors:
Amjad Iraqi - Senior editor, +972 Magazine
Gil Hoffman - Executive director, HonestReporting
Sarit Michaeli - International advocacy officer, B'Tselem
Tariq Kenney-Shawa - Journalist and US policy fellow, Al-Shabaka
On our radar:
The chaos at Elon Musk’s Twitter - the Muskverse - has left the field open for competitors. Producer Meenakshi Ravi reports on the latest one - Threads - a new "text-based conversation" app launched by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta.
Hollywood’s latest role: The Cultural Consultant:
Producer Flo Phillips explores the role of cultural consultants - are they really helping make Hollywood a better place or are they a substitute for real change?
Contributors:
Anamik Saha - Communications and cultural studies lecturer, Goldsmiths
Raeshem Nijhon - Cofounder, Culture House
Edna Liliana Valencia Murillo - Cultural consultant, Disney's 2021 animated film Encanto
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Analysts have been deciphering the Putin-Prigozhin power struggle; how it played out and what’s next for Russian politics and the war in Ukraine.
Contributors:
Ian Garner - Author, Z Generation
Eilish Hart - Editor, Meduza in English
Neil Hauer - Journalist
Leonid Ragozin - Freelance journalist
On our radar:
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been hyping his Saudi megaproject in the desert. Producer Tariq Nafi looks into Neom and the PR company selling it to the world.
India’s Young YouTubers:
India’s YouTube boom and the reason why so many people are relying on it for news despite some of the misinformation that’s thriving there.
Contributors:
Sakshi Joshi - Former anchor, India TV and News24; News and Current Affairs YouTuber
Manisha Pande - Executive editor, Newslaundry
Dhruv Rathee - News and Current Affairs YouTuber
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The most recent tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea - a boat of 750 refugees capsizing off Greece - has shed light on the European Union’s anti-immigration policies, the many media outlets reinforcing that message and the few independent ones that push back on the official narrative.
Contributors:
Giorgos Christides - journalist
Andrew Peter Geddes - professor of migration studies, European University Institute
Myria Georgiou - professor of media and communications, London School of Economics and Political Science
Andrew Stroehlein - European media and editorial director, Human Rights Watch
On our radar:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a global diplomatic roadshow. Producer Meenakshi Ravi looks at the photo ops and image-making during his state visit to the United States.
The silencing of dissent in Algeria:
This past week, one of Algeria's leading journalists, Ihsane El Kadi, was sentenced to seven years in prison on what many say are bogus charges. Producer Flo Phillips reports on the silencing of independent media and dissent in Algeria under its current president and the military powers that be.
Contributors:
Daikha Dridi - former host, Radio M, and former editor, Middle East Eye
Tin Hinane El Kadi - daughter, Ihsane El Kadi, and associate fellow, Chatham House
Dalia Ghanem - senior analyst, EU Institute for Security Studies
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In death, as in life, Silvio Berlusconi dominates the headlines. He was a man whose legacy across media, popular culture and politics is not confined just to Italy.
Contributors:
Roberto D’Alimonte - professor, LUISS Guido Carli University
Serena Danna - deputy director, Open
Paolo Gerbaudo - reader in digital politics, King’s College London
Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli - Milan correspondent, Financial Times
On our radar:
Donald Trump’s legal charges are piling up, but his campaign for re-election is still on. Flo Phillips discusses how the former US president has been using his numerous legal battles as fodder for his re-election campaign and the media attention he has been attracting.
Truth-telling in a time of war:
Covering a war is hard - harder still when you’re investigating your own military.
Contributors:
Lucy Kassa - Ethiopian journalist
Anna Myroniuk - investigative reporter, Kyiv Independent
Norman Solomon - author of War Made Invisible and media critic
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Discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) have quickly turned from the excited to the apocalyptic. Are warnings that AI could pose an existential threat valid, or do they distract from the real danger AI is already causing?
Contributors:
Charlie Beckett - head, Polis LSE JournalismAI Project
Yoshua Bengio - professor of computer science, University of Montreal
Sarah Myers West - director, AI Now Institute
Émile P Torres - author of Human Extinction: A History of the Science and Ethics of Annihilation
On our radar:
A year on from the murders of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous activist Bruno Pereira, producer Flo Phillips reports on the justice being served and how their work goes on, done by others.
Hitler, the Holocaust and the politics of memory:
Eight decades after the first train of prisoners arrived at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, Holocaust survivors - and their testimonies - are dwindling. Producer Johanna Hoes explores the politics of memory and the importance of recounting history, so it doesn’t repeat itself.
Contributors:
Jan Grabowski - professor of history, University of Ottawa
Mindu Hornick - Auschwitz survivor
Nelly Ben-Or - Holocaust survivor and pianist
Pawel Sawicki - press officer, Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
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The acclaimed HBO TV series Succession immersed viewers in the world of the Roys, a family fighting for control of their elderly father’s media empire. Art imitates life, and as the series - which was partly, at times largely, based on the Murdochs - winds down, we examine what the hit show tells us about the dangers of corporate media.
Contributors:
Paddy Manning - Author, The Successor: The High-Stakes Life of Lachlan Murdoch
Banseka Kayembe - Culture Writer
David Folkenflik - Media Correspondent, NPR
Jane Martinson - Columnist, The Guardian and Professor of Financial Journalism, City, University of London
On our radar:
No mercy for the mercenary. Meenakshi Ravi reports on how the Russian media has turned their back on the man who calls himself “Putin’s butcher” - Yevgeny Prigozhin.
India’s local journalism under pressure:
Being a local journalist in India is fraught with challenges. We speak to two journalists - one from Indian-administered Kashmir and the other from Chhattisgarh - about the pressures they face.
Contributors:
Kamal Shukla - Editor, Bhumkal Samachar
Anuradha Bhasin - Executive Editor, Kashmir Times
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After 12 years of being shunned for his crackdown on protests that pushed Syria towards civil war, President Bashar al-Assad returned to the Arab League’s annual summit. The process of al-Assad’s rehabilitation - spearheaded by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman - has taken years of PR, spin, photo ops and the casting aside of history.
Contributors:
Arwa Damon - Former senior international correspondent, CNN
Faisal Al Yafai - International editor, New Lines magazine
Nabih Bulos - Middle East bureau chief, Los Angeles Times
Sarah Hunaidi - Human rights advocate
On our radar:
With a year and a half left to go before the US presidential elections, a sideshow has been unfolding within the right-wing media - it is all about who gets to tell the story first. Producer Meenakshi Ravi reports on the battle that sees Twitter pitted against Fox News.
The exposé that exposed the Ecuadorian president
Ecuador’s president, Guillermo Lasso, is hanging by a thread. He faces an impeachment trial with accusations of corruption at the highest level. Producer Flo Phillips looks into the journalists and the investigative outlet - La Posta - that broke the story.
Contributors:
Andersson Boscán - Founder and editor-in-chief, La Posta
Manel Palos-Pons - Assistant professor of journalism, San Jose State University
María Sol Borja - Political editor, GK
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With President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the verge of re-election in the second round next week, what’s next for what is left of Turkish journalism?
Contributors:
Mustafa Akyol - Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
Ravza Kavakci Kan - AK Party Member of Parliament
Seren Selvin Korkmaz - Co-founder, IstanPol Institute & Lecturer, Stockholm University
Güney Yildiz - Researcher & Analyst
On our radar:
Another death in Guatemala. Producer Flo Phillips reports on elPeriódico, the investigative magazine forced to close after coming into conflict with the powers that be.
US vs China: The (cold) war of words:
Reflecting tensions or creating them? Producer Meenakshi Ravi looks at the media’s role in the geopolitical staredown between two of the world’s great economic and military powers - China and the United States.
Contributors:
Kaiser Kuo - Host, Sinica Podcast
Lizzi Lee - Journalist, Wall Street TV
Einar Tangen - Senior Fellow, Taihe Institute & Founder, Asia Narratives
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Palestinian existence in Jerusalem is under threat - carefully watched, recorded and restricted. In the Old City’s narrow streets and alleys, cameras are inescapable.
In the second episode of a two-part special, Tariq Nafi reports from the occupied West Bank, on how Israel’s surveillance machine infiltrates the lives of Palestinians. He also speaks with a former Israeli lieutenant in Unit 8200 - the elite intelligence unit responsible for spying on Palestinians.
Contributors:
Rula Jamal - Head of Monitoring & Documentation, Al Haq
Jalal Abukhater - Writer
Amal Sumarin - Silwan resident
Helga Tawil-Souri - Associate Professor, NYU
Israeli former Lieutenant Eli - Unit 8200
Watch Part one: https://youtu.be/B1RNj8FXKqY
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Palestinians in Hebron are some of the most heavily monitored and controlled people on the planet.
In the first episode of a two-part special, Tariq Nafi reports from the occupied West Bank on the previously unknown facial recognition system ‘Red Wolf’, uncovered by Amnesty International and Breaking the Silence.
Contributors:
Izzat Karaki — activist; volunteer, Youth Against Settlements
Sophia Goodfriend — journalist; researcher, Duke University
Matt Mahmoudi — researcher and adviser, Amnesty International
Former Major General B — ex-Israeli military officer who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity
With thanks to Amnesty International, Breaking the Silence, B’Tselem, Durham University, Akevot Institute, and Rona Sela.
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The Sudanese capital, Khartoum, looks like a war zone these days, as two generals and their armies fight for control of one country. Both are pushing their narratives on social media and jostling for command of the state-run airwaves.
Contributors:
Declan Walsh - Chief Africa correspondent, The New York Times
Matthew Benson - Sudan research director, London School of Economics
Yassmin Abdel-Magied - Author, Talking About A Revolution
Hager Ali - Research fellow, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)
Dallia Mohammed Abdelmoneim – Sudanese activist
On our radar:
This past week marked the 75th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel and, as producer Meenakshi Ravi explains, the words one European official chose to mark the occasion have drawn a furious backlash.
Racism and repression in Kais Saied’s Tunisia:
Producer Tariq Nafi reports on the xenophobic rhetoric of Tunisia’s president, Kais Saied, and the surge in violence it has triggered against the country’s Black community.
Contributors:
Monia Ben Hamadi - Editor-in-chief, Inkyfada
Reem Garfi - Anti-racism activist
Amine Snoussi - Journalist and political analyst
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Twitter, the damage that Elon Musk has done to the brand and the journalists who can’t quite quit the platform
Contributors:
Bobby Allyn - technology reporter, NPR
Matt Binder - reporter, Mashable
Shirin Ghaffary - senior social media correspondent, VOX
Amanda Silberling - senior culture writer, TechCrunch
On our radar:
Fox News settles with Dominion Voting Systems. "The Big Lie" came with a big price tag, but producer Flo Phillips explains how the conservative news network got away with a lot more than it paid for.
Venezuela's alternative media movement:
The social infrastructure in Venezuela is collapsing, and when journalists bring that up, they have to contend with President Nicolás Maduro’s government and its authoritarian tendencies. Producer Ryan Kohls looks at the media outlets driven underground in Maduro’s Venezuela.
Contributors:
Daniela Alvarado - The Press & Society Institute of Venezuela
Laura Helena Castillo Rodríguez - co-founder, El Bus TV
Roberto Deniz - journalist, Armando.info
Vladimir Villegas - host, Vladimir Villegas TV
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Twitter, the damage that Elon Musk has done to the brand and the journalists who can’t quite quit the platform
Contributors:
Bobby Allyn - technology reporter, NPR
Matt Binder - reporter, Mashable
Shirin Ghaffary - senior social media correspondent, VOX
Amanda Silberling - senior culture writer, TechCrunch
On our radar:
Fox News settles with Dominion Voting Systems. "The Big Lie" came with a big price tag, but producer Flo Phillips explains how the conservative news network got away with a lot more than it paid for.
Venezuela's alternative media movement:
The social infrastructure in Venezuela is collapsing, and when journalists bring that up, they have to contend with President Nicolás Maduro’s government and its authoritarian tendencies. Producer Ryan Kohls looks at the media outlets driven underground in Maduro’s Venezuela.
Contributors:
Daniela Alvarado - The Press & Society Institute of Venezuela
Laura Helena Castillo Rodríguez - co-founder, El Bus TV
Roberto Deniz - journalist, Armando.info
Vladimir Villegas - host, Vladimir Villegas TV
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Washington is dealing with the biggest United States intelligence leak in a decade. Among the secrets already revealed: sensitive information on the war in Ukraine and evidence of the US spying on its allies. American officials are in diplomatic damage control mode, trying to manage the coverage of a story that shows no sign of letting up.
Contributors:
Anatol Lieven - Eurasia programme director, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Anton Barbashin - Editorial director, Riddle
Idrees Ali - National security correspondent, Reuters
Lucy Birge - Russian media specialist and open-source researcher
On our radar:
Producer Flo Phillips looks into leaks of a different kind at Fox News. An upcoming lawsuit and a bunch of private text messages, made public, turn an interview with former President Donald Trump into an awkward affair.
Street papers changing the perception of homelessness:
"Street papers" are part of the media landscape worldwide - providing the unhoused vendors who sell them an income, and the audiences that read them stories surrounding homelessness. Producer Johanna Hoes looks into Street Roots, a paper based in Portland, Oregon, telling the word on the street, from the ground up.
Contributors:
Israel Bayer - Director, International Network of Street Papers North America
Dumpsta D - Vendor and poet, Street Roots
Karen Flemming - Vendor, Street Roots
Chris Herring - Professor of sociology, UCLA
Nettie Johnson - Vendor and writer, Street Roots
DeVon Pouncey - Vendor program director, Street Roots
Kaia Sand - Executive director, Street Roots
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The hard-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu is facing off against Israeli protesters triggered by sweeping changes to judicial powers in the country. Adding to the cacophony is news coverage from outlets that range from the Fox-style Channel 14, with its conspiracy theories and pro-government talking points, to the opportunistic Channel 13, which is trying to recast itself as being supportive of the protests.
Contributors:
Eva Berger - Senior lecturer in media studies, COLMAN
Joshua Leifer - Contributing editor, Jewish Currents
Diana Buttu - Lawyer and political activist
Oren Persico - Writer, The Seventh Eye
On our radar:
In the geopolitical battle between the United States and China, one of the world’s most popular social media sites - TikTok - is taking a beating. And there is no resolution in sight just yet. Meenakshi Ravi has been tracking this story.
Greece’s spyware scandal:
Greece is facing a continuing surveillance scandal after it was revealed that several journalists had their phones hacked by spyware employed for surveillance by the Greek intelligence service. While a scandal of this magnitude should typically attract the attention of the country’s media, it is not. Producer Phillips Flo reports on Greece’s spyware scandal and the silence of the country’s media on the affair.
Contributors:
Eliza Triantafillou - Investigative journalist, Inside Story
Thanasis Koukakis - Financial editor, CNN Greece
Stefanos Loukopoulos - Co-founder and director, Vouliwatch
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When former United States president Donal Trump posted news of his imminent indictment, it set off a wave of headlines. News coverage in the US was divided along standard partisan lines, and all of them were fodder for Trump’s 2024 campaign machine.
Contributors:
Ankush Khardori - Former federal prosecutor; contributing editor, New York Magazine
Jon Allsop - Journalist
John Nichols - Co-Author, The Death and Life of American Journalism; national affairs correspondent, The Nation
Jennifer Stromer-Galley - Professor of Information Studies, Syracuse University
On our radar:
Within days of the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, the Kremlin orchestrated a photo op with the president of China. The message: that Russia does not stand alone. Producer Johanna Hoes has more.
Nicaragua: Hell for journalists:
What is life like for journalists in Nicaragua? In the 15 years President Daniel Ortega has been in power, the country has become a living hell for journalists. The Listening Post’s Tariq Nafi reports on how the one-time poster child of the international left turned into an enemy of the press and the journalists in Nicaragua who continue to show resistance.
Contributors:
Carlos Fernando Chamorro - Director, Esta Semana
Journalist - Founder, Confidencial
Bianca Jagger - Human rights advocate
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The suspension by the BBC of Gary Lineker, a well-known footballer-turned-broadcaster, over a tweet comparing the United Kingdom’s new immigration bill with 1930s' Nazi Germany, is exposing the double standards in British journalism and politics.
Contributors:
Myria Georgiou - Professor, LSE
William Turvill - Media correspondent, New Statesman
Ash Sarkar - Contributing editor, Novara Media
Martin Bell - Former correspondent, BBC News
On our radar:
Afghan journalists are paying with their lives in the power struggle between the Taliban and ISIL (ISIS). Producer Flo Phillips looks into the targeted explosion that marked Afghanistan’s National Journalism Day.
Generative AI and journalism:
Are you OK with AI? Artificial intelligence is not exactly new, but it is having a blockbuster few months with constantly developing software that can do much more than responding to instructions. Producer Ahmed Madi explains the potential of AI and how it might transform the media you consume.
Contributors:
Jon Christian - Managing editor, Futurism
Melissa Heikkilä - Senior reporter, MIT Technology Review
Pranav Dixit - Tech reporter, BuzzFeed News
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United States media giant Fox News is being sued by Dominion Voting Systems, whose tabulating machines former president Donald Trump insists were rigged against him. The case has produced several "smoking guns", showing that key figures at the network including its owner, Rupert Murdoch, knew Trump’s stolen election narrative was bogus, but chose to broadcast it anyway.
Contributors:
Peter Jukes - Author, The Fall of the House of Murdoch & co-founder, Byline Times
Jay Rosen - Associate professor, New York University
David Folkenflik - Media correspondent, NPR
Molly Jong-Fast - Special correspondent, Vanity Fair & host, Fast Politics podcast
On our radar:
Russians have been seeing a flurry of Ukraine-related media activity involving figures on both the pro and anti-Kremlin side - with a Fox News angle served up on the side. Meenakshi Ravi reports.
Parodying politics: Taiwan’s satirists:
China versus Taiwan. A geopolitical mismatch that satirists are making the most of.
Contributors:
Chen Tzu-chien - Host & creator, EYECTV
Kylie Wang - Co-host, Bailingguo News
Yu-hui Tai - Associate professor, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
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Two months in to the most far-right government in Israel’s history, Palestinians are seeing their rights evaporate while the media - both Israeli and international - underplay the Palestinian plight.
Contributors:
Sarit Michaeli - International advocacy officer, B'Tselem
Issa Amro - Hebron-based Palestinian activist
Ziv Stahl - Executive director, Yesh Din; contributor, +974 magazine
Khaled Elgindy - Palestinian-Israeli affairs programme, Middle East Institute; author, Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump
On our radar:
Nearly a month after the earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people across Turkey and Syria, the clampdown continues on critical reporting and anything else the Turkish government deems problematic. Producer Meenakshi Ravi reports on how extensive the crackdown has been.
Pakistani journalism in crisis:
The Pakistani government is facing trouble on multiple fronts - political, economic, and on security. For the country’s media, things have come to a state where the incentives not to do the journalistic job are often greater than the motivators to actually do it.
Contributors:
Farzana Ali - Peshawar bureau chief, Aaj TV
Amber Shamsi - Director, The Centre for Excellence in Journalism
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An electric election campaign has come to an end in Nigeria as voting gets under way for a new president. With a new generation of politically engaged voters, widespread disillusionment with the status quo and a surprise candidate polling strongly, could this election be the inflection point many Nigerians talk about?
Contributors:
Ayisha Osori - Director of the Executive Vice President’s Office, Open Society Foundations
Joachim MacEbong - Senior analyst, Stears
Bukola Adebayo - Correspondent, Context Newsroom
On our radar:
In Tunisia, there has been a sudden and sharp tightening of screws on critics of President Kais Saied. Producer Johanna Hoes has been tracking the string of high-profile arrests.
What has war meant for Ukraine’s media?
A year after Russia's invasion of their country, Ukrainian journalists speak about the toll of war on them and their profession.
Contributors:
Marichka Padalko - TV anchor, 1+1
Lina Kushch - Secretary general, Union of Journalists of Ukraine
Evgeniy Maloletka - Photojournalist
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For the past three months, Peru has been in a state of political turmoil. With one impeached president – Pedro Castillo – in prison and his successor Dina Boluarte managing a tense nation, non-stop protests have rocked the nation.
In the midst of this, establishment media – news outlets mostly owned and controlled by Peru’s elite – are at odds with many of the protesters, adding fuel to a raging fire of discontent.
Contributors:
Simeon Tegel - Peru-based journalist
Jonathan Castro - editor, La Encerrona
Jacqueline Fowks - Peru specialist, Reporters Without Borders
Cecilia Valenzuela - news editor, Caretas
On our radar:
For the rescuers still trying to find survivors under the earthquake rubble in Turkey and Syria, social media – through messages posted by victims on Youtube, Twitter and Instagram – has helped save lives. But the Turkish government has been riled by some of the online content. A lot of this is criticism of the state’s response to the earthquake, some of which is genuinely false information. Producer Meenakshi Ravi looks into the details of the story.
Belarus: Dissidents in exile:
For nearly 30 years, Belarus has been ruled by Alexander Lukashenko. Criticism of his autocratic government and its close relationship with the Kremlin comes at a high cost, although some Belarusians in exile still speak out. Producer Johanna Hoes reports on those outside the country who are still getting stories of corruption, repression and forced Russification out.
Contributors:
Margarita Levchuk - opera singer and political satirist
Jan Rudzik - blogger, Post+ Rudzik
Yuliana Shemetovets -hacktivist, Cyber Partisans Collective
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Under a new, ultra-nationalist Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, violence in the occupied Palestinian territories has been escalating at an alarming rate.
But the continuing human rights abuses, including the theft of Palestinian land to pave the way for Jewish settlers, are not portrayed as such in the Israeli news media. They either ignore the brutality of the occupation or present a military-friendly version of the story - and neither option is good enough for the Israeli government, which has voices of dissent in its crosshairs.
Contributors:
Oren Zviv - Journalist, +972 Mag
Gideon Levy - Columnist, Haaretz
Diana Buttu - Lawyer and analyst
Omar Baddar - Political analyst
On our radar:
The death of one of Rwanda's most prolific investigative journalists - John Williams Ntwali - has sparked suspicion because of how murky the official narrative on his death is. Producer Nic Muirhead reports on the case.
Lost in translation: How texts change as they travel:
The translation of literature, from one language to another, is tricky business - it’s much more subtle than journalism, less direct. When it comes to Arabic and Persian, literature from the Middle East, translations have been known to come up short, leading to cultural misunderstandings. The kind of misunderstandings that reading the books of the “other” is supposed to correct. Producer Tariq Nafi looks at what gets lost in translation.
Contributors:
Layla AlAmmar - Author, Silence is a Sense; academic, University of Lancaster
Susan Bassnet- Translation theorist and emeritus professor, University of Warwick
Muhammad Ali Mojaradi - Translator; founder of @persianpoetics
Leri Price - Literary translator
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The Indian government’s decision to ban a BBC documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, which left more than a thousand people dead, has become its own story.
It has drawn global attention to Modi’s record in office and the subsequent decline of media freedom in the world’s largest democracy.
Contributors:
Maya Mirchandani - Journalist, The Wire
Mitali Saran - Writer and columnist
Shruti Kapila - Professor of Indian history and global political thought, University of Cambridge
Sanjay Kapoor - Editor, HardNews Magazine
On our radar:
Investigations by Open Democracy and the Financial Times have uncovered how libel lawyers in London helped Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group and one of Vladimir Putin’s key allies, to go after his critics, including journalists, in the British courts. Producer Tariq Nafi talks us through the findings.
Striking Back: United Kingdom's unions vs the media:
With the United Kingdom in a state of political disarray, a wave of work stoppages has put trade unions, and the media’s treatment of them, into the spotlight. One particular union leader, Mick Lynch, has flipped the script, putting journalists on the defensive for their habitual anti-union approach. Daniel Turi reports on the coverage of labour issues in the British media.
Contributors:
Aditya Chakrabortty - Senior economics commentator, The Guardian
Julia Langdon - Former political editor, The Sunday Telegraph; former political editor, The Daily Mirror; chairwoman, British Journalism Review
Nicholas Jones - Former industrial correspondent, BBC
Mick Lynch - General secretary, RMT Union
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The stories that have come out of the Twitter Files have touched on much more than institutional bias - revealing that, for years, Twitter has been pressured by some very powerful institutions to suppress, moderate and in some cases amplify its content. But given that Elon Musk was also selective with what he chose to hand over to reporters – what are we not seeing in the Twitter Files?
Contributors:
Ben Wallace-Wells - Staff writer, The New Yorker
Eli Clifton - Senior adviser, Quincy Institute
Evan Greer - Director, Fight for the Future
Angelo Carusone - President, Media Matters for America
On our radar:
The killing of yet another Palestinian by Israeli soldiers has led to more misinformation from the army – that Israeli news outlets then dutifully report. Flo Phillips reports on how these shifting narratives keep playing out.
The Menace of SLAPPs:
A SLAPP - a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation - is a type of legal case deployed against journalists, academics and public interest activists. Meenakshi Ravi explains how SLAPPs have become a regular tool to try and silence journalistic work.
Contributors:
Caroline Kean - Media litigation specialist and partner, Wiggin LLP
Paul Radu - Investigative journalist and co-founder, Organized Crime & Corruption Reporting Project
Annelie Östlund - Investigative journalist, Realtid
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The recent invasion of Brazil’s democratic institutions, days after President Lula da Silva was sworn in, looks like a carbon copy of the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol in the United States.
Like MAGA Americans, many of Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters have been radicalised online and, as the Trump-Bolsonaro effect hits Brazil, the country’s issues with misinformation are exposed.
Contributors:
David Nemer - Assistant professor, University of Virginia
Charlotte Peet - Journalist
Gustavo Ribeiro - Founder, The Brazilian Report
Rose Marie Santini - Professor, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Director, NetLab
On our radar:
In Belarus this week, reporters from what was once the country’s top independent news outlet went on trial. Meenakshi Ravi reports on Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on journalists that looks Putin-esque.
The Mafia’s TikTok takeover:
Elements of the Italian underworld are surfacing online. Flo Phillips reports from Rome on the Mafia’s new stomping ground - TikTok.
Contributors:
Alessandra Dolci - Deputy prosecutor, Milan Anti-Mafia Directorate
Nico Falco - Journalist, Fanpage
Marcello Ravveduto - Professor of digital public history, University of Salerno
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On this special edition of our programme - a timeline of our reports through 2022 on the media dimension of this conflict - from the build-up to the invasion, right through the messaging war and the global media’s news coverage.
Contributors:
Max Seddon - Moscow bureau chief, Financial Times
Ekaterina Kotrikadze - News director and anchor, TV Rain
Terrell Starr - Host, Black Diplomats podcast
Alexey Kovalyov - Investigative editor, Meduza
Branko Marcetic - Writer, Jacobin
Natalia Antelava - Editor-in-chief, Coda Story
Vera Tolz - Professor of Russian Studies, University of Manchester
Maria Avdeeva - Disinformation researcher
Melinda Haring - Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council
James Rodgers - Author, Assignment Moscow
Aglaya Snetkov - Associate professor, International Politics of Russia, University College London
Mikhail Fishman - Anchor, TV Rain
Jade McGlynn - Department of War Studies, King’s College London
Katrina vanden Heuvel - Editorial director, The Nation
George Beebe - Former director of Russia Analysis, CIA
Leonid Ragozin - Journalist and author
Gautam Adani - India’s richest man with close ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi - is in the midst of a takeover of NDTV, a news network considered one of the last bastions of critical journalism on the Indian airwaves. If the sale does go through - what are the chances that Adani will prioritise his relationship with power over the channel’s independence?
Contributors:
Ravi Nair - Journalist & commentator
Raksha Kumar - Mumbai-based journalist
Atul Chaurasia - Executive editor, Newslaundry
Kapil Komireddi - Author, Malevolent Republic
On our radar:
Meta - the company that owns Facebook - is being sued for nearly $2bn for allegedly not adequately monitoring violent and hateful posts from Ethiopia on its platform. Producer Meenakshi Ravi has the details of the case.
Changing the Face(book) of Italy’s media landscape:
In the decade since its birth, Fanpage has grown from a Facebook page to an award-winning investigative news website, gradually reshaping the staid Italian media landscape. Producer Flo Phillips reports, from Naples, on how the Facebook page-turned-news source symbolises a shift in the country’s media.
Contributors:
Gaia Martignetti - Video reporter, Fanpage
Francesco Cancellato - Editor-in-chief, Fanpage
Alessio Cornia - Research associate, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford
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Israel’s incoming government, elected six weeks ago, is shaping up as the most extreme in the country’s history - waging war on media workers, then trying to cover up its crimes.
But evidence of those crimes frequently ends up online thanks to citizen journalism and satellite imagery - and that is making an impact, often bigger abroad than at home.
Contributors:
Yara Hawari - Senior policy analyst, al-Shabaka
Diana Buttu - Human rights lawyer & former adviser to the PLO
Joshua Leifer - Contributing editor, Jewish Currents
Daniel Levy - President, US/Middle East Project
On our radar:
Just five months after fleeing Moscow and setting up shop in the Latvian capital, Riga, independent Russian broadcaster, TV Rain, or Dozhd, has had its broadcasting licence revoked, once again. Producer Meenakshi Ravi outlines the NATO country’s reasoning.
The Middle East’s first World Cup:
Ever since Qatar won its bid to host the World Cup 12 years ago, football journalists have been reporting on issues that go well beyond the pitch. Producer Johanna Hoes reports, from Doha, on the news coverage of the World Cup and what the tournament's legacy could be for Brand Qatar.
Contributors:
Abdullah al-Arian - Author, Football in the Middle East
Zahra Babar - Georgetown University in Qatar
Craig LaMay - Northwestern University in Qatar
Sam Cunningham - Chief football correspondent, The iPaper
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After two years of some of the most stringent COVID restrictions in the world, many in China are fed up and are demanding a loosening of the controls - in some cases, even calling out President Xi Jinping. They are running the gauntlet of a surveillance state that comes down hard on dissent.
Contributors:
Victor Gao - vice president, Center for China and Globalization
Carl Zha - host, Silk & Steel podcast
Lizzi Lee - journalist, Wall St TV & Host, Live with Lizzi Lee
Josh Chin - deputy China bureau chief, Wall Street Journal
On our radar:
An open letter to Washington from five international newspapers says that the United States's demand for Wikileaks founder and whistleblower Julian Assange's extradition sets a “dangerous precedent” for freedom of the press.
Art in times of turmoil in Sri Lanka:
The Sri Lankan protests which forced former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of office featured memes, viral videos, songs, dances, cartoons and caricatures. The protest art conveyed what mainstream media could not - or would not: Sri Lankans were done with the Rajapaksas and their corruption.
Contributors:
Hasini Haputhanthri - cultural sociologist
Sanjana Hattotuwa - research fellow, The Disinfo Project
Randy Chriz Perera - artist and animator
Vasi Samudra Devi - artist and activist
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As the war in Ukraine hits nine months, the news output is becoming harder, not easier, to navigate.
Much of the coverage is misleading at best and dangerous at worst - and with the war showing no signs of stopping, even the term diplomacy has somehow become a dirty word.
Contributors:
Branko Marcetic - writer, Jacobin magazine
Leonid Ragozin - journalist
George Beebe - director of grand strategy, Quincy Institute think tank
On our radar:
One week down, three weeks to go for World Cup 2022 and some Western news outlets are still doubting Qatar’s suitability as a host country. Others are pointing out the double standards at play. Producer Johanna Hoes reports from Doha on the competing narratives off the pitch.
Destination Damascus: Social media tourism arrives in Syria:
As travel content out of Syria draws millions of hits online, some Syrians raise concerns about its potential PR benefits. Producer Ahmed Madi explores the curious world of travel vlogging and what looks like a victory lap for Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Contributors:
Paul Nabil Matthis - Syrian-American author and TikTok content creator
Sarah Hunaidi - exiled Syrian writer and communications and advocacy consultant
Davud Akhundzada - travel content creator
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It has been less than a month since Elon Musk took over Twitter - and things do not seem to be going well for "social media’s public square". With thousands of employees laid off and advertisers pulling money from the platform, many wonder what will be left of Twitter by the time Musk is done?
Contributors:
Lia Holland - Campaigns and communications director, Fight for the Future
Chris Stokel-Walker - Technology journalist and author, TikTok Boom
Jenna Golden - Founder, Golden Strategies and former Twitter employee
Marwa Fatafta - MENA policy director, Access Now
On our radar:
Football fans everywhere are turning their attention to Qatar as the 2022 World Cup officially kicks off. Producer Johanna Hoes reports from Doha on the - at times unwanted - media attention Qatar is receiving, and how organisers are attempting to manage the messaging, a PR legacy that will live well beyond December 18th.
As the world overheats, what’s it like to be a climate journalist?
Another COP summit has come and gone and whether approaching climate change from the Global South or North - it is a challenging story to cover. The Listening Post speaks with two journalists who share the relentless effort it takes to report on the world’s most complex issue.
Contributors:
Leo Hickman - Director, Carbon Brief
Elaíze Farias - Journalist, Amazônia Real
With world leaders gathered in Egypt for the latest UN climate summit, the agenda could not be clearer. Experts say the policies governments put in place at last year’s conference in Scotland will still leave large parts of the planet uninhabitable. The lack of progress has many questioning the COP process.
Contributors:
Bahar Dutt - Environmental journalist; associate professor, Shiv Nadar University
Asad Rehman - Executive director, War on Want; lead spokesperson, Climate Justice Coalition
Katharine Hayhoe - Chief scientist, The Nature Conservancy
Joanna Depledge - Former programme officer, UN Climate Secretariat; research fellow, Climate Strategies
On our radar:
Egypt is under fire over the case of activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, whose imprisonment has threatened to overshadow proceedings for COP27. Tariq Nafi looks into the case.
Prigozhin: the man doing Putin's dirty work
Yevgeny Prigozhin is the Russian oligarch best known as the man behind Wagner - a private military company - mercenaries notorious for doing the Kremlin’s bidding overseas. He’s also the creator of a media network which has produced propaganda and misinformation in Russia and abroad.
Contributor:
Ilya Barabanov - Journalist, BBC
Credit: 'All Eyes On Wagner' - a project by OpenFacto dedicated to tracking Wagner mercenaries’ activities around the world and their alleged abuses.
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Not content with manufacturing cars, generating energy, getting into space travel - Elon Musk is in the midst of a $44bn takeover of Twitter. Now he has also been involved in foreign policy conflicts - from Russia-Ukraine to China and Taiwan. Musk clearly considers himself a geopolitical player, but he is entering a world in which he has no expertise, just interests.
Contributors:
Chris Stokel-Walker - Technology journalist & author, TikTokBoom
Peter Micek - General counsel, Access Now
Jason Jay Smart - Special correspondent, Kyiv Post
Siva Vaidhyanathan - Professor of media studies, University of Virginia; author, Anti-social Media
On our radar:
Rupert Murdoch is on the verge of yet another business move, wanting to combine the two halves of his media empire: the TV side - Fox Corp - with the online news business - News Corp. Producer Meenakshi Ravi explores how the merger is much more an exercise in succession planning than a business deal in itself.
Striking Back: UK’s Unions vs the Media:
With the United Kingdom in a state of political disarray, a rare wave of work stoppages has put trade unions – and the media’s treatment of them – into the spotlight. Following successive rail strikes, right-wing newspapers have blamed the unions for travel disruptions, but one union leader - Mick Lynch - has flipped the script – putting journalists on the defensive over their habitual anti-union approach. Daniel Turi reports on the coverage of labour issues in the British media.
Contributors:
Aditya Chakrabortty - Senior economics commentator, The Guardian
Julia Langdon - Former political editor, The Sunday Telegraph; former political editor, The Daily Mirror; chairwoman, British Journalism Review
Nicholas Jones - Former industrial correspondent, BBC
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Inside Russia, the narrative around the "war" is changing. The pro-war Putin-faithful are grappling with defeats they never expected and generals are taking the flak from public figures, loyalists on state TV channels, and even military bloggers.
Contributors:
Jade McGlynn - Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies
Maxim Alyukov - King’s Russia Institute, King’s College London
Mikhail Fishman - Anchor, Dozhd TV
Katrina vanden Heuvel - Editorial director, The Nation
On our radar:
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei finally broke his silence on the protests that have shaken the country for weeks. Producer Flo Phillips analyses Khamenei’s speech - key parts of which he also tweeted - and the repercussions it has had at home and abroad.
Russia: National myths and rewriting history:
Last year, the Kremlin published an essay - in Vladimir Putin’s name - arguing that Russians and Ukrainians are of the same Slavic nation. This new historical discourse has been key in the narrative built around the invasion of Ukraine. Producer Tariq Nafi looks into the battle over historical memory in Russia.
Contributors:
Nikita Petrov - Historian and member, Memorial
Yevgenia Albats - Journalist and editor-in-chief, The New Times
Mikhail Myagkov - Scientific director, Russian Military-Historical Society
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After being forced off mainstream social media, QAnon followers fled to the outer reaches of the internet and, since then, QAnon’s gamification of reality has morphed into more pragmatic goals - like electing certain politicians. Chief among them is Donald Trump, whose occasional flirtation with the movement has moved to more of an open embrace.
Contributors:
Mia Bloom - Professor of communication, Georgia State University
Alex Kaplan - Senior researcher, Media Matters for America
Kurt Eichenwald - Author and journalist
Julian Feeld - Host and producer, QAnon Anonymous podcast
On our radar:
In a televised speech this past week, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia is not ruling out the use of nuclear weapons to protect its people. Producer Johanna Hoes reports on how this threat is still reverberating overseas - and how it’s had consequences for the people and the pundits at home.
A Game Designer’s Analysis Of QAnon:
Game designer Reed Berkowitz explores how the world of QAnon is similar to the ones he creates - in alternate reality games. His analysis explains how our flawed minds work, and how easily we can be dragged down the conspiratorial rabbit hole.
Contributor:
Reed Berkowitz - Game designer
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In death, as in life, British Queen Elizabeth II is at the centre of a media spectacle - but not all outlets, especially those outside the United Kingdom, have maintained a tone of reverence, with many confronting thorny issues from the monarchy’s past.
Contributors:
Mic Wright - Media critic
Maya Jasanoff - Professor of History, Harvard University
Laura Clancy - Author, Running the Family Firm, and lecturer in Media, Lancaster University
Tim Ewart - Royal commentator, and former royal editor, ITV News
On our radar:
Nearly seven months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there have been major breakthroughs on the battlefield. Producer Flo Phillips explains how those breakthroughs have had repercussions for the Russian state media narrative.
Latin America's TikTok politicos:
Right-wing politicians in Latin America are relying heavily on TikTok - and its short, catchy videos - to sell themselves. Producer Ryan Kohls explores how the social media platform of the moment is affecting politics across the continent.
Contributors:
Fernanda Seavon - Writer and photographer
Sebastian Valenzuela - Associate Professor, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and researcher, Millennium Institute for Foundational Research on Data
Edgard Gutierrez - Political consultant and strategist, and a member of the International Association of Political Consultants.
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India is at a dangerous moment.
The voices of Hindutva - Hindu supremacy - are ascending, spreading division and hate speech. It has worked its way through the body politic like a slow-acting poison. And the effect on the secular fabric of the Indian republic and the lives of minorities - especially Muslims - has proven toxic, at times deadly.
Contributors:
Kanchan Gupta - Senior adviser, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Manisha Pande - Executive editor, Newslaundry
Arvind Rajagopal - Professor of Media Studies, NYU
Shahrukh Alam - Advocate and columnist
Gregory Stanton - President, Genocide Watch
The High Court in the United Kingdom is debating whether Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the United States. Press freedom advocates say handing him over would put journalists everywhere at risk.
Contributors:
Tariq Ali - Author, In Defence of Julian Assange
Branko Marcetic - Writer, Jacobin
Anna Loll - Freelance journalist
Holly Cullen - Adjunct professor of law, University of Western Australia
On our radar:
An organisation set up by Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has released a blacklist of politicians, academics and journalists it considers "pro-Russian propagandists". Producer Johanna Hoes reports on the Ukrainian government’s Kremlin-esque approach to freedom of opinion.
Kenyan elections: Influencers & dangerous disinformation:
As the Kenyan election race heats up, producer Ryan Kohls asks if politicians are paying influencers to push disinformation and dangerous propaganda.
Contributors:
Odanga Madung - Fellow, Mozilla
Wanjiru Nguhi - Coordinator, Fumbua Initiative
Mac Otani - Digital strategist, Raila Odinga Campaign
Dennis Itumbi - Digital strategist, William Ruto Campaign
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As Tunisia prepares to vote on a controversial new constitution, President Kais Saied’s continuing power grab risks reversing the country's hard-won media freedoms.
Contributors: Thameur Mekki - Editor-in-chief, Nawaat Monia Ben Hamadi - Media consultant Monica Marks - Professor of Middle East politics, NYU Abu Dhabi
On our radar: In Iran, three acclaimed film directors are arrested for statements made on social media in support of anti-government protests. Meenakshi Ravi reports on why Iran is going after outspoken artists.
Ghana’s LGBTQ-phobia & the media: Ghana’s media cheers on proposed anti-LGBTQ+ laws, even while they threaten freedom of the press.
Contributors: Sam Nartey George - Member of parliament Ebenezer Peegah - Founder, Rightify Ghana Kapya Kaoma - Anglican priest
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Social media users and their smartphones have driven and documented protests that ended the presidency of Sri Lanka's Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Even mainstream media outlets have been forced to assess the sort of coverage they do.
Contributors: Nalaka Gunawardene - Media analyst Vindhya Buthpitiya - Anthropologist, University of St Andrews Bhavani Fonseka - Human rights lawyer Sanjana Hattotuwa - Research fellow, The Disinfo Project
On our radar: Bashar al-Assad’s latest Aleppo visit was a PR hit. Tariq Nafi has more on the highly symbolic visit that provided plenty of media opportunities.
India’s local journalism under pressure: Being a local journalist in India is fraught with challenges. We speak to two journalists - one from Indian-administered Kashmir and the other from Chhattisgarh - about the pressures they face.
Contributors: Kamal Shukla - Editor, Bhumkal Samachar Anuradha Bhasin - Executive editor, Kashmir Times
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As Egypt’s President el-Sisi kicks off a "National Dialogue" on human rights, the precarious fate of jailed writer and activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah exposes the grave climate for free speech in the country.\r\n\r\nContributors:\r\nMona Seif - Sister of Alaa Abd el-Fattah\r\nNancy Okail - President, Center for International Policy\r\nAmr Khalifa - Political analyst\r\nSabrina Bennoui - Head of the Middle East desk, Reporters Without Borders\r\n\r\nOn our radar:\r\nFall from disgrace. Ex-journalist turned Prime Minister Boris Johnson is basically done at 10 Downing Street.\r\n\r\nMedia, monopolies and the rewriting of Chile’s constitution:\r\nChile is working on a new constitution that has some of Augusto Pinochet’s favourite news outlets fighting for their corporate lives.\r\n\r\nContributors:\r\nPatricio Fernández - Member, Chilean Constitutional Convention Journalist & Founder, The Clinic\r\nJorge Saavedra - Author, The Media Commons and Social Movements\r\nClaudio Fuentes - Historian, Diego Portales University; author, The Fraud: Chronicle on the Plebiscite of the 1980 Constitution\r\nBelén Pellegrini - Journalist, La Neta
The Supreme Court of the United States has revoked the legal right to have an abortion, and certain sectors of the US media have had an important role to play in pushing things in this direction.\r\n\r\nContributors:\r\nJenna Sherman - Science writer, Meedan\r\nCaitlin Cruz - Senior reporter, Jezebel\r\nTerry Heaton - Author, The Gospel of Self: How Pat Robertson Stole the Soul of the GOP\r\nSamuel Perry - Sociologist, University of Oklahoma\r\n\r\nOn our radar:\r\nFormer Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has taken a swipe at his journalistic nemesis - Maria Ressa - just as he leaves office. Flo Philips on the shutdown of news outlet Rappler.\r\n\r\nThe resounding silence over Balochistan:\r\nPakistan’s Balochistan province is underreported and misrepresented in the media. Those who dare to report on the issues of the region pay a heavy price.\r\n\r\nContributors:\r\nMohammed Hanif - Author, The Baloch Who Is Not Missing and Others Who Are\r\nMahvish Ahmad - Co-founder, Tanqeed\r\nKiyya Baloch - Baloch journalist in exile
Ukraine - and the Kremlin’s special media operation that has Russian journalists under control.
Contributors: Anthony Borden - CEO, Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) Andrei Soldatov - Editor-In-Chief, Agentura.ru, investigative journalist Mariia Zolkina - Head of Regional Security and Conflict Studies, Democratic Initiatives Foundation Ekaterina Kotrikadze - News director, Dozhd TV
On our radar: The Times of London crumbles under political pressure. Producer Meenakshi Ravi looks into 10 Downing Street’s most recent attempt to censor the British press.
Greece's femicide epidemic and sexism in the media: The phenomenon of femicide in Greece and the detrimental role misogynistic journalism is playing in the way such crimes are reported.
Contributors: Christina Galanopoulou - Head of social media, LiFO magazine Zina Koutselini - TV host, Star Channel Anastasia Giamali - Journalist, Kontra Channel Natassa Kefallinou - Head of communications, Diotima
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Donald Trump had the Big Lie. Now, investigators in Congress are televising what they hope might be the Big Truth. Will these made-for-TV hearings break through to enough of the American public?
Contributors: Alex Shephard - Staff writer, New Republic Molly Jong-Fast - Contributing writer, The Atlantic Angelo Carusone - President & CEO, Media Matters for America Hugo Lowell - Congressional reporter, The Guardian
On our radar: The Kremlin’s propagandists have a few friends in Italian TV; Producer Tariq Nafi explains how they are making the most of it.
Hollywood’s latest role, the cultural consultant: There is a new part in Hollywood - the cultural consultant - looking to make the industry more politically correct.
Contributors: Anamik Saha - Communications and cultural studies lecturer, Goldsmiths Raeshem Nijhon - Co-founder, Culture House Edna Liliana Valencia Murillo - Cultural consultant, ‘Encanto’
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An international backlash from more than 15 Muslim-majority countries is rattling India’s ruling BJP – and it all started with one comment on a news talk show.
Contributors: Suhasini Haidar – Diplomatic Editor, The Hindu Nikhil Mehra – Lawyer Pratik Sinha – Co-founder, Alt News Hartosh Singh Bal – Political Editor, Caravan Magazine
On our radar: The investigation into the 2021 storming of the US Capitol hits prime time TV. Producer Flo Phillips asks, do enough Americans care?
Big Oil Propaganda: From Advertorials to Instagram There’s a global energy crisis – but it’s not the gas shortages, it’s the pollution and propaganda by Big Oil.
Contributors: Molly Taft – Staff writer, Earther/Gizmodo Amy Westervelt – Founder, Critical Frequency Podcast Network & Investigative Journalist Geoffrey Supran – Research fellow, Harvard University
On this special edition of The Listening Post, a timeline of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a chronology of our reports - from the build-up, to the invasion, right through the messaging and the media’s news coverage, from around the world.
Contributors: Max Seddon - Moscow bureau chief, Financial Times Ekaterina Kotrikadze - News director & host, Dozhd Terrell Starr - Host, Black Diplomats podcast Bryan MacDonald - Former journalist, RT Adam Tooze - Professor of history, Columbia University Alexey Kovalyov - Investigative editor, Meduza Branko Marcetic - Writer, Jacobin HA Hellyer - Scholar, Carnegie Endowment For International Peace Natalia Antelava - Editor-in-chief, Coda Story Vera Tolz - Professor of Russian studies, University of Manchester Maria Avdeeva - Disinformation researcher Melinda Haring - Deputy director of the Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council James Rodgers - Author, Assignment Moscow Aglaya Snetkov - Lecturer in the international politics of Russia, UCL
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is out, the outcome also amounts to a rejection of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp - which backed Morrison and ridiculed candidates demanding action on the climate. Murdoch’s used to setting the political agenda down under. No longer.
Contributors: Sally Rugg - National director, Australians for a Murdoch Royal Commission Richie Merzian - Director, Climate and Energy Program, The Australia Institute Malcolm Farr - Political journalist Michael Mazengarb - Climate & energy reporter, Renew Economy
On our radar: Al Jazeera’s journalism is being suppressed on YouTube. The Listening Post’s digital producer, Stanley Kasirowore, talks us through the reasons why.
Germany, anti-Semitism and the blacklisting of Palestinian journalists: Germany's toxic anti-Semitism and the effect it is having on the careers of Palestinian and Arab journalists there.
Contributors: Alena Jabarine - Journalist Hanno Hauenstein - Journalist, Berliner Zeitung Susan Neiman - Director, Einstein Forum
Israel’s denial and disinformation surrounding the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh came as no surprise to Palestinians familiar with the Israeli playbook - the one it uses to deflect, delay and avoid accountability. It has the effect of muddying the waters, obscuring what, to those on the ground, is crystal clear: that Israel systematically targets Palestinian journalists for doing their jobs.
Contributors: Shourideh Molavi - Palestine-Israel researcher, Forensic Architecture Omar Shakir - Israel and Palestine director, Human Rights Watch Joshua Leifer - Contributing editor, Jewish Currents
On our radar: Elon Musk is one of the richest men on earth, and his attempted $44bn buyout of Twitter has sparked widespread interest. Producer Nicholas Muirhead looks into the various twists and turns of the deal since Musk first started tweeting about it last month.
Zelenskyy’s penchant for PR: Since Russian tanks first rolled into Ukraine, the information war has not gone the Kremlin’s way. Producer Johanna Hoes examines how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has captivated audiences and won friends abroad, in a way Vladimir Putin never could. But is Putin even worried about all the clicks, likes and support Zelenskyy is getting online?
Contributors: James Rodgers - Lecturer, City University and author, Assignment Moscow Aglaya Snetkov - Lecturer in international politics of Russia, University College London Branko Marcetic - Writer, Jacobin Melinda Haring - Deputy Director of Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council
Impunity in the holy land. Will Israel be held to account for killing Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh?
Contributor: Diana Buttu - Human rights lawyer and former adviser, Palestine Liberation Organization
On our radar: Has the tide turned in Sri Lanka? Producer Meenakshi Ravi looks at how media outlets in the country are changing their tune on the Rajapaksa government.
Russian media mercenaries: The Russian mercenaries and misinformation messing with politics in Africa.
Contributors: Cayley Clifford - South African Institute of International Affairs Benjamin Roger - Journalist, Jeune Afrique Séga Diarrah - Media owner, Maliactu
Nostalgia for the days of dictatorship; Filipinos go to the polls as journalists prepare for life post-Duterte.
Contributors: Marichu Lambino - Professor, University of the Philippines Camille Elemia - Journalist Jonathan Corpus Ong - University of Massachusetts Amherst & Disinformation Researcher, Harvard University Rachel Khan - Co-ordinator, Tsek.ph
On our radar: Judgment Day is coming for the United States’ abortion law. Producer Flo Phillips looks at the sneak preview of the decision leaked to the press - and how the press has reacted.
Parodying Politics: Taiwan's Satirists: China versus Taiwan. A geopolitical mismatch that satirists are making the most of.
Contributors: Chen Tzu-chien - Host & Creator, EYECTV Kylie Wang - Co-host, Bailingguo News Tai Yu-hui - Associate Professor, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Elon Musk is closing in on buying Twitter for $44bn, taking control of a platform where everyone seems angry about something. It is not yet clear if the billionaire knows just what he is getting into.
Contributors: Rasha Abdul-Rahim - Director, Amnesty Tech Abe Brown - Senior editor, Forbes Evan Greer - Director, Fight for the Future Edward Ongweso Jr - Staff writer, Motherboard Shadma Shaikh - Co-founder, FactorDaily
On our radar: Amateur hour: The Kremlin accuses its adversaries of plotting to kill a Russian journalist but the evidence does not add up. Producer Johanna Hoes on Putin’s bizarre allegations.
Mexican journalism - a fight to the death: Journalism, on the run. Mexico, its culture of violence against reporters who are killed, with impunity.
Contributors: Andrés Manuel López Obrador - President of Mexico Reyna Haydee Ramírez - Journalist & co-founder, Red Sonora de Periodistas Ana Cristina Ruelas - Former director, Article 19, Mexico and Central America & Researcher, El Colegio de México A C Seminar on Violence and Peace
In the weeks since Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from government, he has been conducting an aggressive campaign - on the ground and online - to get himself back into office. And it has put the country’s media outlets in a difficult position, especially when reporters remain beholden to who really runs the country: the military.
Contributors: Amber Shamsi - Director, Centre for Excellence in Journalism Hamid Mir - Host, Geo News Asad Ali Toor - Founder and host, Asad Toor Uncensored Rabia Mehmood - Co-founder and host, Naya Daur Media
On our radar: The hatred and violence against Muslims in India are getting worse. Producer Tariq Nafi explains how Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence says more than words ever could.
Digital oppression in Bangladesh: Bangladesh - where the government uses lawfare against journalists and voices of dissent.
Contributors: Zyma Islam - Reporter, The Daily Star Jyotirmoy Barua - Lawyer Kanak Sarwar - Journalist and YouTuber Anisul Huq - Bangladesh's minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs
Over the course of the French presidential election campaign, roughly one-third of voters have said they will back a candidate from the far right - either Marine Le Pen, who President Emmanuel Macron defeated in 2017, or Eric Zemmour, a former journalist with multiple convictions for hate speech.
Zemmour owes much of his prominence to a news channel owned by media tycoon Vincent Bollore, whose influence increases with each news outlet he takes over.
As France goes to the polls, we examine the structural flaws and societal dangers of a media sector dominated by billionaires.
Contributors: Jean-Baptiste Rivoire - Author of ‘The Elysée and the Oligarchs vs the News’, former investigative journalist at Canal+ and founder of Off Investigation Pascale Clark - Former presenter at Europe 1 and journalist at France 5 Alain Duhamel - Political commentator at BFMTV Nadiya Lazzouni - Presenter at Le Média Daniel Schneidermann - Founder of Arrêt sur Images and columnist at Libération
Hate Unmasked: The reporters tracking France’s far right: Journalists at independent and local media outlets have been behind some of the biggest exposés of France’s growing far-right networks. The editor of an investigative website and a reporter for a regional daily relate their experiences of exposing violent right-wing groups - and the dangers that come with the territory.
Contributors: Mathieu Molard - Editor-in-Chief of StreetPress Josué Jean-Bart - Reporter at Ouest-France
A new front opened up in the war in Ukraine this past week - a diplomatic one. Talk of peace, amid acts of war. And actions, on the battlefields of Ukraine, speak louder than words do, in Istanbul.
Contributors: Eilish Hart - Senior news editor, Meduza English Ilya Yablokov - Lecturer in journalism and digital media, University of Sheffield Katia Patin - Multimedia editor, Coda Story Tikhon Dzyadko - Editor-in-chief, TV Dozhd
On our radar: The leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has ordered some of his forces into Ukraine, but it seems more like a PR stunt. Producer Tariq Nafi explains how the Chechen forces are being utilised in the propaganda war.
Fanpage: Changing the Face(book) of Italy’s media landscape From Facebook, into the mainstream - the news outlets transforming Italy’s media one platform at a time.
Contributors: Francesco Cancellato - Editor-in-chief, Fanpage Alessio Cornia - Assistant professor, Dublin City University & Research Associate, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford Serena Danna - Deputy editor, Open Gaia Martignetti - Video reporter, Fanpage
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine rages on, the Ukrainians are responding with a digitally armed resistance led by their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Contributors: Veronika Melkozerova - Executive editor, the New Voice of Ukraine Maria Avdeeva - Disinformation researcher Natalia Antelava - Editor-in-chief, Coda Story Bohdan Nahaylo - Chief editor, Kyiv Post
On our radar: When the British royal family visits former colonies or countries in the Commonwealth, the idea is to cement ties, generate some positive headlines. But as producer Meenakshi Ravi explains, the latest royal tour of the Caribbean is not going as planned.
Defectors turned Vloggers: North Korean YouTube Stars: The Listening Post’s Johanna Hoes, from Seoul, on the North Korean YouTubers showing a different side of a country we know too little about.
Contributors: Pak Yusung - North Korean defector & YouTuber, ‘North Korean Man Like a Feather’ Kum Young Choi - North Korean defector & YouTuber ‘Aoji Unni’ Sokeel Park - South Korea country director, Liberty in North Korea Kyong Yoon - Professor of Cultural Studies, University of British Columbia
Demonising not just Vladimir Putin, but Russians in general, is ridding media in the United States of context that is pertinent to the coverage of Ukraine. Not only is the context missing, but it is being stifled in some cases of American coverage.
Contributors: Molly Jong-Fast - Contributor, The Atlantic Alex Shephard - Staff writer, The New Republic David Klion - Writer and editor, Jewish Currents Abby Martin - Journalist; creator, The Empire Files
On our radar: Despite the Kremlin’s determination to control the narrative on Ukraine, state-controlled reporting in Russia is taking a hit. Producer Johanna Hoes looks at the stream of resignations from some of Russia’s top broadcasters.
Destination Damascus: Social media tourism arrives in Syria As travel content out of Syria draws millions of hits online, some Syrians raise concerns about its potential PR benefit for the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Contributors: Paul Nabil Matthis - Syrian-American author; TikTok content creator Sarah Hunaidi - Exiled Syrian writer; communications and advocacy consultant Davud Akhundzada - Travel content creator
Russia is experiencing a Stalinesque crackdown on reporting that smacks of the Soviet era; the mere mention of the word “war” in relation to Ukraine can now land journalists in prison for up to 15 years.
Contributors: Michael Nacke - Journalist & vlogger Jason Corcoran - Journalist Vera Tolz - Professor of Russian Studies, the University of Manchester Natalia Antelava - Editor-in-chief, codastory.com
On our radar: While many countries have spoken out against the invasion of Ukraine, one of Russia’s main trading partners, China, has remained officially neutral. However, as producer Flo Phillips details, the media output coming from China tells a different story.
Dozhd’s demise: Is this the final chapter in the story of Dozhd, Russia’s sole remaining independent TV channel?
Contributor: Ekaterina Kotrikadze - News director & host, Dozhd
Between the misinformation coming out of Moscow, the NATO expansion angle that gets underplayed in Western media, Ukraine's messaging spearheaded by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the larger battle for hearts and minds - a lot is happening in the media war over Ukraine.
Contributors: Alexey Kovalyov - Investigative editor, Meduza Eoin Higgins - Host, The Flashpoint podcast Branko Marcetic - Staff writer, Jacobin Anton Barbashin - Editorial director, Riddle Russia
On our radar: From the formation of a volunteer cyber army to funding initiatives, Ukrainian media outlets are pushing back against Russian misinformation with their own coverage of the war. Producer Meenakshi Ravi looks at the surge of activity since the invasion.
Racism and double standards: H A Hellyer on the bias in reporting: The framing and terminology used to talk about Ukrainian refugees have exposed the double standards in the reporting of refugee stories. H A Hellyer, a career academic in the study of Europe’s treatment of ethnic minorities, talks us through some of the biases.
Contributor: H A Hellyer - Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace & fellow, Cambridge University
As news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine floods the airwaves, and with the prospect of a wider conflict brewing in Eastern Europe between Russia and the NATO alliance, we are dispensing with our usual format.
On our radar: Richard Gizbert starts with a roundup of the global narratives competing for air time in the days running up to the Russian invasion, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s media moment. Producer Johanna Hoes then takes us through Russia’s side of the story, highlighting some examples of misinformation coming out of Moscow.
Russia: National myths and rewriting history The conflict currently playing out in Ukraine involves former Cold War adversaries and competing versions of history. This week, before invading Ukraine, the Russian president questioned the very idea of the country's statehood. The Listening Post’s Tariq Nafi reports from Moscow on a new historical discourse that emphasises Russia’s history as a great power and mythologises the country’s past.
Contributors: Nikita Petrov - Historian & member, Memorial Yevgenia Albats - Journalist & editor-in-chief, The New Times Mikhail Myagkov - Scientific director, the Russian Military-Historical Society
India: The emboldening of anti-Muslim messaging One political leader who may be grateful that the eyes of the news world are trained on Ukraine would be India’s Narendra Modi. With elections either under way or looming in some key states, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) keeps playing its Hindu nationalist, anti-Muslim card.
Contributors: Rana Ayyub - Global opinions columnist, The Washington Post & author, Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up Supriya Sharma - Executive editor, Scroll.in Aakar Patel - Author, Price of the Modi Years Fatima Khan - Reporter, The Quint
On the borderline: Russian troops await their orders, misinformation abounds and the news lens remains trained on Ukraine.
Contributors: Ruslan Deynychenko - Executive director, StopFake.Org (Ukranian) Nina Jankowicz - Author, How to Lose the Information War & fellow, The Wilson Center Bret Schafer - Senior fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States Branko Marcetic – Staff writer, Jacobin magazine
On our radar: Are they anti-Semitic or just pro-Palestinian? The German state broadcaster fires more journalists over accusations of anti-Semitism. Producer Flo Phillips looks at the purging of certain voices in the German media.
Six months since the Taliban: Afghanistan’s ‘news desert’ Thousands of kilometres from home and the story they still long to cover. At least these exiled Afghan journalists are safe.
Contributors: Lotfullah Najafizada - Former director, Tolo News Zaki Daryabi - Publisher, Etilaat Roz Shogofa Sediqi - Journalist & former director, Zan TV Hamida Aman - Founder, Radio Begum
The Olympics are back in Beijing, and China is using them as an opportunity to cleanse itself of its record on human rights as well as on its shrinking freedom of the press. Let the propaganda games begin.
Contributors: Xu Qinduo - Presenter, CGTN Susan Brownell - Professor of anthropology, University of Missouri & author, Beijing's Games: What the Olympics Mean to China Yaqiu Wang - Senior researcher, Human Rights Watch Jonathan Cheng - China bureau chief, The Wall Street Journal
On our radar: In Indian-administered Kashmir, the arrest of a journalist - another one - under terrorism and sedition charges is the latest development in an escalating war on journalism.
Eric Zemmour: Far-right presidential candidate, protege of the French media France and a far-right journalist turned presidential contender - Eric Zemmour - and the TV channel behind his rise.
Contributors: Aurelien Mondon - Associate professor of politics, University of Bath Rokhaya Diallo - Contributor, C8 & contributor, The Washington Post Christophe Deloire - Secretary-general, Reporters Without Borders
A new front has opened up in the battle over content moderation, turning our attention from Facebook and Twitter to the land of podcasts.
Contributors: Zaid Jilani - Writer, Inquire Kat Rosenfield - Co-host, "Feminine Chaos" & culture writer Joshua Dudley - Media and entertainment writer, Forbes and co-Host, "Let's Yell About Movies!" Jessica Malaty Rivera - Epidemiologist and science communicator
On our radar: One year after the military coup in Myanmar, Johanna Hoes explains how journalists there are still paying the price.
Hashtag Battles in Ethiopia: For 15 months now, the conflict in Ethiopia has been fought under a near-total media blackout. Nicholas Muirhead looks at the online activism filling the information void.
Contributors: Claire Wilmot - Doctoral researcher, London School of Economics Abebe Gellaw - Journalist Meaza Gidey Gebremedhin - Tigrayan activist
The showdown between Russia and Ukraine - part military threat, part information warfare.
Contributors: Adam Tooze - Professor of History, Columbia University Vitalii Rybak - Media Analyst, Internews Ukraine Olga Yurkova - Co-founder, Stopfake.org Bryan MacDonald - Journalist, RT
On our radar: Losing the battle of global perception, Israel plans to fund an initiative that would spread Israeli state propaganda across the globe.
‘Don’t Look Up’: Producer David Sirota on the movie and the message: The new film is Hollywood’s take on the climate change story and an explicit critique of journalism that does a more effective job of highlighting the crisis than most media outlets do.
Contributor: David Sirota - Co-Producer, ‘Don’t Look Up’
PartyGate in the United Kingdom: Boris Johnson, the BBC and the art of distraction.
Contributors: Mic Wright - Media critic and journalist Marie Le Conte - Journalist and author Robin Aitken - Former BBC reporter and Author ‘Can We Trust the BBC?’ Marcus Ryder - Visiting Professor in Media Diversity, Birmingham City University and Former BBC News Executive Producer
On our radar: Two more reporters working the drug and crime beat are murdered in Mexico - there's no more dangerous place to do journalism.
Breaking North Korea’s Radio Silence Content from the outside world - news and entertainment - is finding its way to North Korean audiences.
Contributors: Lee Kwang Baek - President and Presenter, Unification Media Group Jeongcheol Lee - Defector and Editor, UMG Radio Sokeel Park - Country Director, Liberty In North Korea Jieun Baek - Fellow, Belfer Center and Author, ‘North Korea’s Hidden Revolution'
The staredown on Russia’s border with Ukraine - The story gets the Cold War treatment and needs an update.
Contributors: Olga Tokariuk - Journalist & CEPA non-resident fellow Max Seddon - Moscow bureau chief, Financial Times Terrell Starr - Host, Black Diplomats podcast & nonresident senior fellow, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council Ekaterina Kotrikadze - News director, TV Rain
On our radar: Emmanuel Macron and his rival, Eric Zemmour, have messages for the French media ahead of the 2022 presidential elections.
Greece's femicide epidemic and sexism in the media In Greece, the growing issue of femicide and the patriarchal problem news organisations need to get past.
Contributors: Christina Galanopoulou - Head of social media, LiFO magazine Zina Koutselini - TV host, Star Channel Anastasia Giamali - Journalist, Kontra Channel Natassa Kefallinou - Head of communications, Diotima
Amid a spike in anti-minority hate speech, independent journalists in India uncover Hindu extremist gatherings and the truth behind a bizarre mobile app claiming to "sell" prominent Muslim women.
Contributors: Samar Halarnkar - Editor, Article 14 Vijayta Lalwani - Journalist R Jagannathan - Editorial Director, Swarajya Mohammed Zubair - Co-founder, AltNews
On our radar: Two of Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy news outlets close, and an iconic memorial to the victims of Tiananmen Square is torn down. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the climate for expression in Hong Kong.
'Foreign agents' and 'undesirables': Kremlin's media labels Authorities in Russia have been systematically clamping down on journalism with the help of so-called “patriotic” activists.
Contributors: Vitaly Borodin - Federal Security & Anti-Corruption Project Roman Badanin - Founder & Former Editor in Chief, Proekt Lilia Yapparova - Special Correspondent, Meduza
00:00 Intro 01:48 India’s growing extremism problem 11:10 Latest from Hong Kong 14:57 The Kremlin’s media labels 24:11 End note
A court in the United Kingdom greenlights Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States - Press freedom groups call it a "travesty of justice", but the response from the mainstream media has been muted.
Contributors: Tariq Ali - Co-editor, In Defence of Julian Assange; editor, New Left Review Nils Melzer - UN Special Rapporteur on torture; author, The Trial of Julian Assange Lester Munson - Senior associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies Rebecca Vincent - Director of International Campaigns and UK Bureau director, RSF
On our radar: The investigation into the January 6 Capitol Hill riot in the US has revealed private pleas, via text, from top Fox News anchors to Trump staffers. Producer Tariq Nafi tells Richard Gizbert why those messages have led to accusations of hypocrisy against the network.
The Turks turning to YouTube: Independent journalists in Turkey, like Cüneyt Özdemir, are taking refuge online. Özdemir’s daily YouTube programme has become a staple for Turks - younger viewers - looking for journalism of a different kind.
Contributors: Cüneyt Özdemir - Creator and host, Cüneyt Özdemir Show Cansu Çamlibel - Former columnist, Gazete Duvar; Former editor-in-chief, Duvar English Emre Kizilkaya - Turkish vice chair, International Press Institute; author, The New Mainstream Media Is Rising
Pegasus, the Israeli spyware tool exposed by journalists early this year, is now in trouble with American authorities and big tech.
Contributors: Marwa Fatafta - MENA policy manager, Access Now Omer Benjakob - Tech and cyber-reporter, Haaretz Laurent Richard - Founder, Forbidden Stories Albert Fox Cahn - Surveillance Technology Oversight Project
On our radar: Boris Johnson’s United Kingdom government has been spinning the narrative to get itself out of multiple scandals over the past year but as producer Meenakshi Ravi tells Richard Gizbert, the latest one is proving a lot harder to control.
Big oil propaganda: From advertorials to Instagram: The messaging of oil companies has changed with the times. Denying the reality of climate change is out, delaying what to do about it is in.
Contributors: Molly Taft - Staff writer, Earther/Gizmodo Amy Westervelt - Founder, Critical Frequency podcast network and host, Drilled Geoffrey Supran - Research Associate, Harvard University
00:00 Intro 01:14 NSO faces sanctions 10:51 Radar 13:44 Big Oil’s PR push 24:07 End note
A new coronavirus variant has brought uncertainty back into the pandemic story. With scientists and journalists racing to understand Omicron, news audiences have been left with more questions than answers.
Contributors: Kai Kupferschmidt - Contributing Correspondent, Science Magazine Jon Allsop - Writer, Columbia Journalism Review Monica Gandhi - Infectious Diseases Doctor, University of California San Francisco Mosa Moshabela - Deputy Vice Chancellor Research & Innovation, University of KwaZulu-Natal
On our radar: Russian state-funded news network RT threatens to sue Meduza, an independent media outlet, over a T-shirt. Producer Flo Phillips tells Richard Gizbert why the words "foreign agent" are at the centre of the dispute.
K-Drama: Riding the Korean Wave: Binge-worthy content, slick production, romantic storylines - the story behind South Korea’s rise as a cultural superpower.
Contributors: Lee Ki-hyuk - Chief Strategy Officer, Studio Dragon Seok Kyeong Hong - Professor of Communications, Seoul University Kyong Yoon - Associate Professor of Cultural Studies, University of British Columbia
Sudan’s flirtation with democracy ends in a coup d’etat - how far will its leaders go to control what we know about the story?
Contributors: Mohanad Hashim - journalist Jonas Horner - deputy director, Horn of Africa, Crisis Group Yassmin Abdel-Magied, writer and broadcaster Raga Makawi - editor, Africa Arguments
On our radar: As Myanmar’s military courts sentence journalists arrested after the coup that removed democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi, producer Nicholas Muirhead talks Richard Gizbert about the release of American journalist Danny Fenster.
Eric Zemmour: The political rise of France’s far-right polemicist Far-right French journalist Eric Zemmour has yet to declare himself a presidential candidate - but has he already set the tone for next year’s election?
Contributors: Rokhaya Diallo - contributor, C8 and The Washington Post newspaper Christophe Deloire - secretary-general, Reporters Without Borders Aurelien Mondon - associate professor of politics, University of Bath
As Ethiopia stares down the barrel of all-out civil war, a government-imposed communications blackout is allowing hatred and disinformation to thrive.
Contributors: Berhan Taye - Digital researcher Nima Elbagir - Senior international correspondent, CNN Claire Wilmot - Research officer, LSE
On our radar: This week, a routine news conference in Athens turned into a shouting match between a Dutch journalist and the Greek prime minister. Meenakshi Ravi tells Richard Gizbert about the media furore that ensued.
War and PiS: An attack on Poland’s biggest news channel: Back from the brink, still on the air - the Polish 24-hour news channel that remains in the government’s crosshairs.
Contributors: Brygida Grysiak - Deputy editor-in-chief, TVN24 Tomasz Lis - Former anchor, TVN & editor-in-chief, Newsweek Poland Elżbieta Rutkowska - Journalist, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna Beata Tadla - Former anchor, TVP & host, Onet.Pl
Climate change: News organisations, fossil fuel companies and audiences all need to do better on the story that could mean the end of us.
Contributors: Meera Selva - deputy director of the Reuters Institute Genevieve Guenther - founder and director, End Climate Silence George Monbiot - author and columnist David Gelber - co-founder, The Years Project
On our radar: A year after war broke out in the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has declared a six-month state of emergency. Producer Flo Phillips joins Richard Gizbert to discuss the effect it is having on freedom of expression.
The hate crimes going viral in India: Violence against Muslims, filmed by the perpetrators, is the latest ugly trend among India’s Hindu vigilantes.
Contributors: Alishan Jafri - journalist, The Wire Hate Watch Angana Chatterji - anthropologist, University of California, Berkeley and co-editor of Majoritarian State: How Hindu Nationalism is Changing India Saba Naqvi - author of Shades of Saffron
00:00 Intro 02:15 The climate crisis 11:29 Ethiopia’s ongoing conflict 13:42 Violence against Muslims in India 23:48 End note
Aryan Khan, the son of one of India’s biggest movie stars, Shah Rukh Khan, was charged with possessing and trafficking drugs. We take a look at the drug bust that tells a story of the conflict between the Indian authorities and Bollywood.
Contributors: Namrata Joshi - Journalist and film critic Vivek Agnihotri - Film director Sucharita Tyagi - Film critic Tejaswini Ganti - Assistant Professor, Anthropology and Film Studies, NYU
On our radar: Facebook is again in our news feeds, and once again for the wrong reasons. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Nic Muirhead about the continuing fallout from the whistleblower that has a consortium of news outlets on the company’s case.
Alarm Phone: The refugee hotline and lifeline We discuss Alarm Phone, the hotline for refugees at sea that is helping to get their stories heard.
Contributors: Jacob Berkson - Activist, Alarm Phone Giorgos Christides - Reporter, Der Spiegel Giorgos Kosmopoulos - Greece researcher, Amnesty International Notis Mitarachi - Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum
00:00 Intro 02:12 Bollywood in the dock in Modi’s India 11:17 Facebook whistleblower fallout 13:45 Alarm Phone: The refugee hotline & lifeline 24:05 End Note
Accountability for the blast that destroyed Beirut’s port proves elusive in Lebanon and journalists are not helping.
Contributors: Lara Bitar - Editor-in-Chief, The Public Source Alia Ibrahim - Co-founder and CEO, Daraj Jad Shahrour - Journalist and writer; Communications Officer, Samir Kassir Foundation
On our radar: Obituaries of former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell have been too kind.
'Foreign agents' and 'undesirables': Kremlin's media labels Authorities in Russia have been systematically clamping down on journalism with the help of so-called “patriotic” activists.
Contributors: Vitaly Borodin - Federal Security & Anti-Corruption Project Roman Badanin - Founder & Former Editor-in-Chief, Proekt; John S. Knight Senior International Fellow, Stanford University Lilia Yapparova - Special Correspondent, Meduza
For the first time in 85 years, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to two journalists. What does this tell us about the state of global journalism?
Contributors: Rana Ayyub - Journalist Agnes Callamard - Secretary General, Amnesty International Julie Posetti - Global director of research, International Center for Journalists Ilya Yablokov - Lecturer in Journalism and Digital Media, Sheffield University
On our radar: Singaporean authorities have passed a new "foreign inference" law that has put journalists there on alert. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Nic Muirhead about the law and its worrying implications.
Just a game?: The US military-gaming complex War is not a game. But it is for the video games industry and it is proving to be a useful ally for the United States military.
Contributors: Nick Robinson - Associate Professor of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds Matthew Gault - Reporter, VICE Rami Ismail - Video game developer
A whistleblower, a system crash and the United States Congress on its case; Facebook goes under the microscope, yet again.
Contributors: Pranesh Prakash - Co-founder, Centre for Internet and Society; affiliated fellow, Information Society Project, Yale Law School Siva Vaidhyanathan - Professor, University of Virginia; author, Antisocial Media Marianne Franklin - Professor of global media and politics, Goldsmiths, University of London Mahsa Alimardani - Researcher, Oxford Internet Institute
On our radar: The Pandora Papers - the largest investigation in journalism history - are reverberating through the financial world of the rich and powerful. Producer Flo Phillips tells Richard Gizbert about the biggest ever leaks of offshore data and who they have exposed.
The case of Egypt’s jailed TikTok stars The Egyptian government has been progressively tightening its grip on cyberspace and female social media influencers are the new targets.
Contributors: Yasmin Omar - Egypt legal associate, The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy; human rights lawyer Joey Shea - Non-resident scholar, Middle East Institute Dalia Fahmy - Associate professor, Long Island University, Brooklyn
An exposé detailing the CIA’s war on WikiLeaks - a Trump administration plan to silence Julian Assange and the organisation - has been published. But like so much of the Assange story, it's got nothing like the media coverage it deserves.
Contributors: Michael Isikoff - Chief investigative correspondent, Yahoo News Kevin Gosztola - Managing editor, Shadowproof.com Carrie DeCell - Staff attorney, Knight First Amendment Institute Rebecca Vincent - Director of international campaigns & UK bureau director, Reporters Without Borders
On our radar: Project Amplify - Facebook’s PR initiative - backfires. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Meenakshi Ravi about the scrutiny Facebook is under, yet again.
Lost in translation: How texts change as they travel The translation of literature - from one language to another - is a tricky business. Translators become cultural mediators, balancing faithfulness to the original with the needs of a new audience. When translators fail, context can be sacrificed, and stereotypes can get reinforced.
Contributors: Layla AlAmmar - Author, Silence is a Sense & Academic, University of Lancaster Susan Bassnett - Translation theorist & emeritus professor, University of Warwick Muhammad Ali Mojaradi - Translator & founder, @persianpoetics Leri Price - Literary translator
End Note: And, after 16 years of leading the country as its chancellor, Germany is saying goodbye to Angela Merkel. Puppet Regime - a comedy series produced and published by GZERO Media - pays tribute to her work, Kraftwerk style.
United States drone warfare is finally being exposed. But why did it take American news outlets so long to get to such a big story?
Contributors: Emran Feroz, Founder, Drone Memorial Christine Fair, Security Studies Program, Georgetown University Spencer Ackerman, Author, Reign of Terror Vanessa Gezari, National Security Editor, The Intercept
On our radar: Producer Tariq Nafi and host Richard Gizbert discuss a voting app that was developed by Russian opposition activists to fight Vladimir Putin in the recent elections - but was censored by Big Tech.
100 Years Too Late: Canada’s Residential School Reckoning Months after the story of mass graves at so-called residential schools in Cananda broke, the nation is still reckoning with the trauma of mass graves.
Contributors: Cheryl McKenzie, Director of News and Current Affairs, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada Connie Walker, Host, Stolen: The Search for Jermain Wab Kinew, Leader, Manitoba New Democratic Party
Xi Jinping's China has embarked on a campaign that could transform the country's technology, entertainment and media industries.
Contributors: Chris Buckley - China correspondent, The New York Times Kaiser Kuo - Host, The Sinica Podcast and editor-at-large, SupChina Bingchun Meng - Associate professor, Department of Media and Communications, LSE Rui Zhong - Program associate, Wilson Center, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States
On our radar A month of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, Meenakshi Ravi and producer Johanna Hoes discuss how the Taliban is already leaving its mark on the country’s news industry despite initial promises to the contrary.
Structures of oppression? Colombia’s falling statues Indigenous Colombians have been toppling statues of European colonisers - challenging how the country’s history is remembered.
Contributors: Didier Chirimuscay - Misak community leader Rodolfo Segovia - President, Colombian Academy of History Amada Carolina Perez - Historian, Javeriana University
Two decades on from the 9/11 attacks, American news coverage of the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan reveals how much has changed - and how much has not - in the media’s approach to US wars.
Contributors: Alexander Hainy-Khaleeli - Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter Catherine Lutz - co-director, Costs of War project; professor of International Studies, Brown University Fariba Nawa - author, Opium Nation; host, On Spec Azmat Khan - contributing writer, The New York Times Magazine; assistant professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
On our radar: Meenakshi Ravi speaks to producer Flo Phillips about the latest developments in the Afghan media space, including the Taliban’s mistreatment of journalists covering this week’s protests.
Afghan journalists under threat A report on the past, present and future of the media in Afghanistan, as told by three Afghan journalists.
Contributors: ‘N’ - Journalist & media safety specialist ‘M’ - Photojournalist ‘L’ - Regional radio & TV reporter
Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, this special edition of The Listening Post looks at the climate of fear that undergirded the so-called "War on Terror" and how the US news and entertainment industries helped produce it.
Contributors: - Chris Hedges - Former foreign correspondent for The New York Times; author of Collateral Damage - Sinan Antoon - Co-editor at Jadaliyya; poet and writer; associate professor at New York University - Jill Abramson - Former executive editor of The New York Times - Deepa Kumar - author of Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire; associate professor at Rutgers University - Robert D Kaplan - Former contributing editor at The Atlantic - Lexi Alexander - Movie and TV director
A global cyber-surveillance scandal - spyware developed in Israel - has put the government there under the media microscope, and its story does not add up.
Contributors: Jonathan Klinger - Cyberlaw lawyer Marc Owen Jones - Assistant professor, Hamid Bin Khalifa University Omer Benjakub - Tech & Cyber Reporter, Haaretz Marwa Fatafta - Policy Analyst, Al Shabaka
On our radar: Tunisia is in political turmoil after the president declared a state of emergency - or what critics are calling a coup. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Flo Phillips about how journalists there are feeling the heat.
Africa’s PR Push: How governments manage the message: Handling public relations for governments is lucrative work - and for Western PR firms, Africa has emerged as a new hunting ground.
Contributors: Alex Magaisa - Former adviser, prime minister of Zimbabwe Alexander Dukalskis - Author, Making the World Safe for Dictatorship Kathleen Ndongmo - Communications specialist
A global consortium of media outlets blew the lid off a huge surveillance scandal revealing how the hacking tool Pegasus has been used by governments around the world to spy on dissidents and journalists via their mobile phones.
Contributors: Rohini Singh - Reporter, The Wire Bradley Hope - Co-founder, Project Brazen Laurent Richard - Founder, Forbidden Stories Eva Galperin - Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation
On our radar:
American media outlets have been feasting on a story – the billionaire space race. Richard Gizbert and producer Meenakshi Ravi discuss how the mass of coverage squares alongside another story about the planet that is far more consequential - climate change.
Bild's battle for political influence in Germany
There is a crucial election coming in Germany, and its biggest tabloid, Bild, is trying to preserve its place at the heart of German politics.
Contributors: Julian Reichelt - Editor-in-chief, Bild Günter Wallraff - Investigative journalist & author, The Lead Moritz Tschermak - Editor-in-chief, BILDblog & author, How Bild divides society with fear and hate Margreth Lünenborg - Professor of journalism, Free University Berlin
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Cuba is witnessing something historic - the biggest anti-government demonstrations in 60 years - and the authorities have imposed temporary blocks on the internet, making credible media coverage and reliable information that much harder to find.
Contributors: Mónica Rivero Cabrera - Cuban journalist Tracey Eaton - Cuba Money Project Angelo R Guisado - Center for Constitutional Rights José Jasán Nieves - Editor-in-chief, El Toque
On our radar: Whether they are taking penalty kicks or taking a knee, Black footballers playing for England are dealing with online abuse. Richard Gizbert and producer Tariq Nafi discuss the debate that has resulted - about racism in the United Kingdom.
Sports activism in the era of social media On tennis and basketball courts, baseball fields and in hockey rinks, athletes are putting their political and social activism out there for sports fans to see.
Contributors: Shireen Ahmed - Journalist & writer Musa Okwonga - Co-founder, Stadio Football & author, One of Them Frank Guridy - Associate professor, Columbia University Khalida Popal - Former captain, Afghanistan’s women’s football team
Twenty-four years since Britain handed Hong Kong back to China, the city has undergone a transformation. In recent years, Beijing has intensified the silencing of political dissent and the squeezing of media freedom - through new laws drawn up in the name of security, the jailing of critics, and the reigning in of adversarial journalism.
Contributors:
Chris Yeung - Chairperson, Hong Kong Journalists Association
Bao Choy - Freelance journalist, RTHK
Linda Wong - Journalist, Citizen News
Keith Richburg - Journalism and Media Studies Centre, Hong Kong University; president, Foreign Correspondents Club
Holden Chow - Vice chairman, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
Hong Kong: The assault on free speech
Three Hong Kongers talk about the shrinking space for freedom in their city, and the way it has affected their lives and work.
Contributors:
Lee Cheuk-yan - Founder, June 4th Museum
Wong Kei Kwan (Zunzi) - Political cartoonist
Nathan Law - Democracy activist
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Iran’s new president-elect is heading into the job carrying some baggage from the past that neither he nor the country’s state-friendly news outlets care to talk about.
Contributors:
Mahsa Alimardani - Iran researcher, Article 19; researcher, Oxford Internet Institute
Ghanbar Naderi - Iranian affairs analyst
Pardis Shafafi - Anthropologist and researcher, ERC Off-Site Project
Arash Azizi - Author of Shadow Commander
On our radar
Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Meenakshi Ravi about the targeting of female social media influencers in Egypt as two more women are jailed for their TikTok videos.
The struggle for freedom of expression in post-Castro Cuba
From protests to viral videos, Cuban activists test the limits of dissent as they demand greater cultural freedoms.
Contributors:
Amaury Pacheco - Poet and activist, Movimiento San Isidro
Fernando Ravsberg - Journalist; former correspondent, BBC
Fernando Rojas - Cuban Deputy Minister of Culture
Marta Maria Ramirez - Independent journalist
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The tit-for-tat in Nigeria that saw Twitter banned by the government.
Contributors:
Mercy Abang - Journalist
Lai Mohammed - Nigerian minister for information and culture
Gbenga Sesan - Executive director, Paradigm Initiative
Fisayo Soyombo - Editor-in-chief, Foundation for Investigative Journalism
On our radar
It's election time in Algeria and the government is feeling the heat on the streets. Richard Gizbert and producer Flo Phillips discuss its response - arresting journalists, and taking broadcasters off the air.
A snapshot of empire: The racist legacy of colonial postcards
How the golden age of postcards left behind a legacy of racism that continues to shape perceptions of Africans today.
Contributors:
Sarah Sentilles - Writer and critical theorist
Olubukola Gbadegesin - Associate professor, Saint Louis University
Stephen Hughes - Senior lecturer, SOAS
Julie Crooks - Curator, Art Gallery of Ontario
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Just days after the ceasefire in Gaza ended 11 days of bombing, The Listening Post spoke with two Palestinians who have tilted international attention towards their struggle.
Contributors:
Muna al-Kurd - Sheikh Jarrah resident and activist
Hosam Salem - Gaza Palestinian photographer
On our radar
Richard Gizbert and producer Tariq Nafi discuss Israel’s crackdown on reporters in East Jerusalem, and the international journalists calling out their own media operations for sanitising the oppression of Palestinians.
How to cover apartheid: A human rights perspective with Hagai El-Ad
Human rights groups are reframing the discussion about Israel's domination of Palestinians. Richard Gizbert interviews Hagai El-Ad, executive director of Israeli human rights organisation, B’Tselem.
Contributors:
Hagai El-Ad - Executive director, B’Tselem
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A year and a half into the pandemic and people are still asking where the COVID-19 virus originated. The so-called lab-leak theory is gaining momentum among some scientists and journalists who contend this story has the makings of a mass cover-up.
Contributors:
Nicholas Wade - Former science reporter, New York Times
James Palmer - Deputy editor, Foreign Policy
Amy Maxmen - Senior reporter, Nature
Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz - Epidemiologist, University of Wollongong; columnist, The Guardian
On our radar
One journalist in Pakistan is beaten up. Another is being censored. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Tariq Nafi about the country’s red lines that you cannot cross.
Forced to forget, determined to remember: The Tiananmen massacre
Chinese officials have tried to erase the Tiananmen Square massacre from the country’s history but dissidents outside the mainland are doing what they can to keep the memory alive.
Contributors:
Lee Cheuk-yan - Founder, June 4th Museum; chairman, Hong Kong Alliance
Wu’er Kaixi - Tiananmen protest leader
Yaqiu Wang - China researcher, Human Rights Watch
News coverage in the US of the Palestine-Israel conflict has always favoured Israel but that is beginning to shift. The question is - to what extent and will it last?
Contributors:
Linda Sarsour - Executive director, MPower Change; Author, We Are Not Here to be Bystanders
Omar Baddar - National Policy Council, Arab-American Institute
Lara Friedman - President, Foundation for Middle East Peace
Philip Weiss - Founder and senior editor, Mondoweiss
On our radar
Belarusian authorities went to extreme lengths to arrest opposition journalist Roman Protasevich. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Meenakshi Ravi to find out why.
Slovenia: The prime minister’s ‘war with the media’
Another European leader shows his authoritarian side; Slovenia’s prime minister, Janez Janša, says he is at "war with the media".
Contributors:
Marko Milosavljević - University of Ljubljana, Chair of Journalism
Anuška Delić - Editor-in-chief, Oštro
Blaž Zgaga - Reporter, Nacional.hr and investigative journalist
Boris Tomašič - Host and chief editor, Nova 24
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"Somebody said that football’s a matter of life and death to you. I said, listen, it's more important than that."
When the legendary Liverpool football manager Bill Shankly came out with his now-famous quote on TV in 1981, he might have been talking about the Algerian and Tunisian fans in this documentary. For many, football really is much more than a game. Some see themselves as not just supporters but part of a wider movement. They say that on the terraces, they find a sense of belonging and a camaraderie otherwise absent from their daily lives and that as supporters they also represent the dispossessed of the poor suburbs of Tunis and Algiers.
Sometimes, however, football passions can have life-changing consequences. In March 2018, 19-year-old Omar Labidi from the southern suburbs of Tunis clashed with police outside a busy stadium. The victim’s brother claims that police used tear gas to force Omar into a nearby river where he drowned. Three years after his death, his family continues to seek justice.
In Algeria, Raouf Zerka has only vague memories of the game that changed his life in November 2016. In the 70th minute of a local derby match in Algiers, a burning flare hit him in the face. After eight days in a coma, he discovered he had lost his left eye.
This film follows Tunisia’s and Algeria’s most passionate fans, buying tickets on the black market, travelling vast distances to away matches, and doing whatever it takes to support the teams they love. But it also highlights the price of football passion and asks if the cost of extreme fandoms is worth the risk.
Ceasefire in Gaza: As journalists in the Strip stop to catch their breath, Israel's media stand accused of inciting violence against Palestinians.
Contributors:
Yara Hawari - Academic and writer; senior analyst, Al Shabaka
Tareq Baconi - Senior analyst, International Crisis Group
Joshua Leifer - Assistant editor, Jewish Currents
Rami Younis - Palestinian journalist
On our radar
In Qatar, a Kenyan who blogged under the pen name "Noah" about his life as a migrant worker in the Arab Gulf state finds himself in custody. Richard Gizbert and producer Johanna Hoes discuss the case of Malcolm Bidali.
The Xinjiang whitewash
Meet the white Western influencers helping China contest claims of genocide in Xinjiang.
Contributors:
Mareike Ohlberg - Senior fellow (Asia Program), German Marshall Fund
Sophie Richardson - China director, Human Rights Watch
Amelia Pang - Author of Made in China
Shelley Zhang - Writer, China Uncensored
Gaza under assault. Bloodshed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Social media is the place to go for the coverage of this story except when the platforms take issue with what is being posted.
Contributors:
Marwa Fatafta - Policy analyst, Al-Shabaka
Yossi Mekelberg - Associate fellow of the MENA Programme, Chatham House
Mariam Barghouti - Writer and activist
Rami Khouri - Professor of journalism, American University of Beirut
On our radar
Three Myanmar journalists have been arrested in Thailand. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Flo Phillips about their possible deportation back into the hands of Myanmar’s military government.
Mammy, Jezebel, Sapphire: Stereotyping Black women in media
We discuss the stereotyping of Black women in the media and the push for change in an industry where diversity and inclusion have been too long in coming.
Contributors:
Kovie Biakolo - Culture writer and multiculturalism scholar
Francesca Sobande - Lecturer of digital media studies, Cardiff University
Naeemah Clark - Professor of cinema and television arts, Elon University; author, Diversity in US Mass Media
Babirye Bukilwa - Actor and playwright
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In Russia, the political stakes are rising in the run up to election season - journalists are being branded as "foreign agents" and an opposition figure is labelled an "extremist".
Contributors:
Ilya Yablokov - Academic, Leeds University
Lisa Alexandrova-Zorina - Journalist, Team 29
Ivan Kolpakov - Editor-in-chief, Meduza
Uliana Pavlova - Journalist, Moscow Times
On our radar
After months of deliberation Donald Trump’s Facebook account remains suspended. Richard Gizbert asks producer Meenakshi Ravi to explain the decision.
The Turks turning to YouTube
Independent journalists in Turkey, like Cüneyt Özdemir, are taking refuge online. Özdemir’s daily YouTube program has become a staple for Turks, especially among younger viewers looking for journalism of a different kind.
Contributors:
Cüneyt Özdemir - Creator and host, Cüneyt Özdemir Show
Cansu Çamlibel - Editor-in-chief, Duvar English
Emre Kizilkaya - Turkish vice chair, International Press Institute; author, The New Mainstream Media is Rising
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While India’s healthcare system lies in total collapse, the government is leaning on social media companies to protect its own image.
Contributors:
Vineet Kumar - Author and media scholar
Pratik Sinha - Co-founder, Alt News
Pragya Tiwari - Political and cultural commentator
Sangeeta Mahapatra - German Institute for Global and Area Studies
On our radar
Having imprisoned leading opposition figure Alexey Navalny, Russian authorities are now looking to put his entire organisation out of business. Producer Johanna Hoes tells Richard Gizbert why the group is being targeted by the state.
Paul Rusesabagina: The trial of the 'hero of Hotel Rwanda'
Dissident or "terrorist"? The many-sided story of hotel manager turned Hollywood hero, Paul Rusesabagina.
Contributors:
Michela Wrong - Author, Do Not Disturb
Gatete Nyiringabo Ruhumuliza - Political analyst
Tom Ndahiro - Genocide scholar
Terry George - Director, Hotel Rwanda
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COVID-19 has brought India to its knees and, in many ways, the mainstream news media are failing to do their job.
Contributors: Atul Chaurasia - Executive Editor, Newslaundry Paranjoy Guha Thakurta - Journalist & Author Sandhya Ravishankar - Journalist, India Ahead News Kapil Komireddi - Author, Malevolent Republic
On our radar
Host Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Flo Phillips about doctored footage coming out of Russia. Kremlin-backed channels would have you believe it is not just Ukrainian and Russian forces building up at the border but American as well.
Attacked on the streets, typecast on TV: a media history of being Asian in America
How Asian Americans have been othered in the media; the tropes and the rise in hate.
Contributors: Kimmy Yam - Reporter, NBC News Takeo Rivera - Assistant Professor, Boston University Amanda Nguyen - Civil Rights Activist & Founder, Rise
Some of Brazil’s biggest media companies have come together to combat COVID-19 misinformation – a lot of which is coming from President Jair Bolsonaro’s office.
Contributors:
Luciana Coelho - Head of COVID task force, Folha de Sao Paulo
Cristina Tardáguila - Associate director, Poynter
Laura Guimarães Corrêa - Associate professor, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Marcelo Lins - Journalist, GloboNews
On our radar
Nicholas Muirhead and Richard Gizbert discuss a curious case of photo colourisation (and distortion) that has landed American media outlet Vice in hot water.
Wikipedia: The internet’s unlikeliest experiment turns 20
How has a free online encyclopedia built through crowdsourcing, open editing and volunteers managed to maintain its relevance and preserve its credibility? We look at what makes Wikipedia tick.
Contributors:
Katherine Maher - CEO, Wikimedia Foundation
Sandister Tei - Co-founder, Wikimedia Ghana User Group
Shane Greenstein - Professor, Harvard Business School
This week, we are veering out of the mainstream and looking at journalism that broke the rules, pushed boundaries and, in some cases, redefined them.
We explore the work and the legacy of three such innovators: Tom Wolfe, Ghassan Kanafani and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Their journalism defied convention and categorisation and continues to inspire people to consider new ways of presenting stories.
Contributors:
Dan Bischoff - Art critic, The Star-Ledger
Emily Witt - Writer, The New Yorker
Refqa Abu-Remaileh - Professor of modern Arabic literature and film, Free University Berlin
Elias Khoury - Novelist and literary critic
As’ad Abukhalil - Professor of political science, California State University
Juanita León - Director, La Silla Vacía
Jaime Abello Banfi - Director, The Gabo Foundation
María Jimena Duzán - Journalist and author
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Facing scrutiny over working conditions and a union’s drive to get employees organised, Amazon’s PR pushback seems to be doing more harm than good.
Contributors:
Ken Klippenstein - Reporter, The Intercept
Jonathan Capriel - Writer, Washington Business Journal
Alex Press - Writer, Jacobin Magazine
James Bloodworth - Author, Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain
On our radar
The WHO released the findings of its investigation into the origins of the new coronavirus. Producer Meenakshi Ravi talks to Richard Gizbert about Western doubts on the credibility of the report and Beijing’s grievances with the news coverage.
Framing the self: The rise of the bookshelf aesthetic
With so many pundits working from home, creating a backdrop has become an exercise in self-branding; bookshelves have become the background of choice.
Contributors:
Tamar Garb - Professor of art history, UCL
Bernie Hogan - Senior research fellow, Oxford Internet Institute
Hussein Kesvani - Culture and technology journalist
Alex Christofi - Editorial director, Transworld Books
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Scientists say vaccines are our way out of this pandemic. But with trust in vaccination at an all-time low, the role of the messengers - politicians, pharmaceutical companies and the news media - is as important as ever.
Contributors: Kai Kupferschmidt - Contributing correspondent, Science Magazine Hristio Boytchev - Germany correspondent, Research Europe Deborah Fuller - Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine Mun-Keat Looi - International features editor, The BMJ
On our radar:
The US government has launched a new vaccine campaign - producer Johanna Hoes talks to Richard Gizbert about the White House’s use of Christian broadcasters, sports stars and a country music legend to convince conservative Americans that vaccination is in their best interests.
From COVID conspiracism to vaccine hesitancy: France’s other epidemic
France is where lab vaccines were invented - so how did the French grow so sceptical, so reluctant to get the COVID jab?
Contributors: Lucie Delaporte - Journalist, Médiapart Richard Sénéjoux - Senior reporter, Télérama Antoine Bristielle - Sociologist, Sciences Po & Researcher, Fondation Jean-Jaurès
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As military leaders ban independent media and arrest reporters, citizen journalists become an information lifeline in Myanmar.
Contributors:
Swe Win - Editor-in-chief, Myanmar Now
Aye Chan Naing - Chief editor, Democratic Voice of Burma
Wai Hnin Pwint Thon - The Burma Campaign UK
Wai Wai Nu - Human rights activist; founder, Women's Peace Network
On our radar
In Russia, opposition figure Alexey Navalney is locked up in prison. Producer Tariq Nafi talks to Richard Gizbert about how the part-politician, part-journalist is still managing to get the word out.
The 'anti-woke' challengers looking to disrupt UK broadcast media
To the right? Britain braces for two new broadcasters who are out to rebalance TV news.
Contributors:
Robin Aitken - Former BBC reporter; author, Can We Trust the BBC?
Martin Fletcher - Former foreign editor, The Times
Stewart Purvis - Former chief executive and editor-in-chief, ITN; former content and standards partner, Ofcom
Ash Sarkar - Contributing editor, Novara Media
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah has left British news outlets in a frenzy.
Contributors:
Stephen Bates - Former royal correspondent, The Guardian and author, Royalty Inc.
Laura Clancy - Lecturer in media, Lancaster University and author, Running the Family Firm
Anna Pasternak - Royal biographer and author, The American Duchess
Shola Mos-Shogbamimu - Author and lawyer
Miranda Larbi - Freelance journalist
On our radar
Myanmar’s new military rulers hire a PR firm with the hope that they will be able to change the news narrative on the coup. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Nic Muirhead about the firm’s back catalogue of clients.
A game designer’s analysis of QAnon
Alternate realities - the similarities between conspiracy movements like QAnon in the United States and the gaming world.
Contributor:
Reed Berkowitz - Game designer
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After months of a media blackout, journalists are finally able to examine reports of war crimes and ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
Contributors:
Fisseha Tekle - Ethiopia researcher, Amnesty International
Tsedale Lemma - Editor, Addis Standard
Zecharias Zelalem - Freelance journalist
Abebe Gellaw - Journalist and activist
On our radar
Two and a half years after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a press freedom watchdog accuses Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of crimes against humanity. Richard Gizbert talks to producer Johanna Hoes about the case.
You’ve got mail: Journalism via newsletter
The hottest trend in news consumption - the humble email inbox.
Contributors:
Judd Legum - Creator and writer, Popular Information
Ariel Zirulnick - Fund director, Membership Puzzle Project
Priti Patnaik - Creator and writer, Geneva Health Files
Lance Strate - Professor, Fordham University
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This past week, the Australian government passed a law called the News Media Bargaining Code - designed to force Facebook and Google to pay up for the news content that ends up on their platforms.
The tech giants have long resisted this idea, but things are changing. This is a story about value - how much news is worth, who should be funding it and how.
Contributors:
Lizzie O’Shea - author of Future Histories: What Ada Lovelace, Tom Paine, and the Paris Commune Teach Us about Digital Technology
James Temperton - digital editor, Wired UK
Paris Marx - host, Tech Won't Save Us
James Meese - senior lecturer, RMIT University
On our radar
Al Jazeera Media Network launches a new platform, aimed at a new audience. The clue is in the name: Rightly.
Iconic, absurd, haunting: Ten years since Gaddafi's 'Zenga Zenga' speech
On February 22, 2011, with Libya in a state of revolt over his 42 years in power, Muammar Gaddafi decided it was time to take to the airwaves. For Libyans all too familiar with political repression, the "Zenga Zenga" speech, as it came to be known, was equal parts chilling and bizarre. Ten years on, we look back at one of the Arab Spring’s most extraordinary media moments.
Contributors:
Sherine El Taraboulsi-McCarthy - senior research fellow, Overseas Development Institute
Mansour El-Kikhia - professor of political science, University of Texas
Abdulkader Assad - columnist, The Libya Observer
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A civil disobedience movement is growing in Myanmar; young people are using social media to organise and keep citizens and the outside world informed.
Contributors:
Thin Lei Win - Founder and former chief correspondent, Myanmar Now
Aye Min Thant - Myanmar-based journalist
Manny Maung - Researcher, Human Rights Watch
Francis Wade - Author, Myanmar’s Enemy Within
On our radar
Australia is now a front line in the revenue battle between big tech and the mainstream media. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Nic Muirhead to find out how Google and Facebook are responding.
Lockdown’s lost children: Britain’s digital divide
Home school is hard enough - but what if you cannot afford an electronic device or Wi-Fi? That is the reality for more than a million schoolchildren in the United Kingdom.
Contributors:
Ayse Guveli - Sociologist, University of Essex
Vanessa Jackson - Associate professor, Birmingham City
Flora Kisby - Deputy head teacher, Christ Church Primary
Amanda Naylor - Head of partnerships, Barnardo’s Charity
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News with a grain of salt: South Africans have found out their government has been paying for favourable journalism.
Karyn Maughan - legal journalist, News24
John Matisonn - journalist and author of God, Spies and Lies
Sbu Ngalwa - chairperson, South African National Editors Forum
Eusebius McKaiser - political analyst and broadcaster
On our radar
Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Hussein has been released from an Egyptian prison after four years with no charge or trial. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Johanna Hoes about the timing of the release and an update on journalists who remain jailed in Egypt.
The power and politics of data visualisation
Data is often presented as the objective truth. But the way it is presented, interpreted and contextualised can distort its original purpose.
Contributors:
Mona Chalabi - data editor, Guardian US and illustrator
Beth Blauer - Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center; executive director, Centers for Civic Impact
Alberto Cairo - author of How Charts Lie; professor of visual journalism, University of Miami
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Farmers’ protests in India keep growing despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government’s best efforts to contain the reporting.
Contributors:
Hartosh Singh Bal - political editor, The Caravan India
Manisha Pande - executive editor, Newslaundry
Sandeep Singh - farmer and journalist
R Jagannathan - editorial director, Swarajya
On our radar
Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Flo Phillips about British broadcasting regulator Ofcom’s decision to take CGTN, China’s English-language international news channel, off-air.
Faking spectators and spectacles: Sports TV in pandemic times
Sports stadiums are empty, but broadcasters are bursting with ideas on how to make up for the missing fans.
Contributors:
Gary Hughes - head of Football, Sky Sports
Adam Peri - sound engineer, Sky Sports
David Rowe - Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University
Michael Davies - senior vice president for Technical and Field Operations, FOX Sports
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We examine the story of jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny and a form of journalism that has ignited political protests across Russia.
Contributors:
Catherine Belton - Special correspondent, Reuters; Author, Putin's People
Ilya Lozovsky - Staff writer and editor, OCCRP
Olga Irisova - Editor-in-chief, Riddle
Dmitry Babich - Political analyst; Editor, InoSMI Internet Project
On our radar
Australian lawmakers want tech companies like Google and Facebook to pay news outlets for their content. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Tariq Nafi to find out why.
Just a game? The US military-gaming complex
War is not a game - or is it? We look at how the video games industry is proving a useful ally for the US military.
Contributors:
Nick Robinson - Associate professor of politics and international studies, University of Leeds
Matthew Gault - Video game reporter, VICE
Rami Ismail - Video game developer; Executive director, GameDev.World
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The talk in Washington, DC is of a return to "normalcy"; we ask four American media analysts about the future of journalism in the Biden era.
Contributors: Osita Nwanevu - Staff writer, The New Republic Janine Jackson - Program Director, FAIR Dan Froomkin - Editor, Press Watch Jack Crowe - News Editor, National Review
On our radar:
Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny returns to prison, but not before releasing a documentary that has become a huge online hit. Producer Johanna Hoes tells Richard Gizbert about "Putin’s Palace" and the so-called “biggest bribe in history”.
ENDSARS: The hashtag that exposed police brutality in Nigeria
As thousands of youths protested against police violence in Nigeria, new media outlets emerged to cover a story the mainstream shied away from.
Contributors: Richard Ogundiya - Co-founder, More Branches Kovie Biakolo - Culture writer and editor Dapo Olorunyomi - CEO, Premium Times Emmanuel Akinwotu - West Africa correspondent, The Guardian
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Twitter leaves US President Donald Trump in the dark and the fallout from this story is global. Will leaders learn to watch their words?
Contributors:
Siva Vaidhyanathan - Author, Anti-Social Media; Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia
Jillian York - Author, Silicon Values; Director for International Freedom of Expression, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Julia Angwin - Editor-in-Chief, The Markup; Author, Dragnet Nation
On our radar
Ugandans vote in a presidential election – amid an internet blackout, imposed by their government. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Meenakshi Ravi about the potential effect on the election result.
Alarm Phone: The refugee hotline and lifeline
Alarm Phone is a hotline for refugees at sea that is helping to get their stories heard.
Contributors:
Jacob Berkson - Activist, Alarm Phone
Giorgos Christides - Reporter, Der Spiegel
Giorgos Kosmopoulos - Greece researcher, Amnesty International
Notis Mitarachi - Greece's Minister of Migration and Asylum
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We discuss a week that had Americans glued to their screens, watching live feeds from Washington, DC, of what Donald Trump is leaving behind.
Contributors:
Will Sommer - Politics reporter, The Daily Beast
Sara Fischer - Media reporter, Axios
Parker Molloy - Editor-at-large, Media Matters for America
John Nichols - National affairs correspondent, The Nation
On our radar
It was a good news - quickly followed by bad news - week for the founder of WikiLeaks. Richard Gizbert talks to producer Flo Phillips about the continuing case against Julian Assange.
Qassem Soleimani - the man, the myth and the message
The Listening Post’s Tariq Nafi reports on an Iranian general who, one year after he was killed, has become a powerful symbol in a story Tehran wants to tell about itself.
Contributors:
Narges Bajoghli - Assistant professor, Middle East Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Hamid Dabashi - Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature, Columbia University
Christiane Gruber - Professor in History of Art, University of Michigan
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In 14 years of The Listening Post, there has never been a story like the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of people infected, the number of countries affected, and the amount of coverage the story attracted - all were unprecedented. We led with coverage of the pandemic for 12 straight weeks. We have never come close to that with any other story.
On this special edition of our programme, we look back at how the pandemic story grew - moving from country to country, and exposing the failings of various governments and their leaders. So many societal issues have been raised in the process, ranging from public health to personal privacy.
You will also see how our programme had to adapt to life under lockdown - and the way journalists everywhere did - to stay safe.
With the first of the vaccines just being rolled out and so many countries feeling the effects of a second wave, the pandemic remains the biggest news story on the planet. Prepare for more cases, more coverage and more examination of the way the COVID-19 is reported, here at The Listening Post.
Contributors:
Mary Hui - Reporter, Quartz
Katrina Yu - China correspondent, Al Jazeera English
Muyi Xiao - Visual editor, China File
Maria Repnikova - Assistant professor, Georgia State University
Charles Seife - Professor of health journalism, New York University
Kayla Gogarty - Senior researcher, Media Matters for America
Joanne Kenen - Executive health care editor, Politico
Albert Fox Cahn - Surveillance Technology Oversight Project
Michael Birnhack - Professor of law, University of Tel Aviv
Jon Allsop - Writer, Columbia Journalism Review newsletter
Maggie Koerth - Senior science reporter, FiveThirtyEight
John Ioannidis - Professor, Stanford University
John Allen Paulos - Professor of mathematics, Temple University
Phil Booth - Coordinator, MedConfidential
Cori Crider – Director, Foxglove
Andrew Fishman - Managing editor, The Intercept Brasil
Leonardo Custódio - Postdoctoral researcher, Åbo Akademi University
Barkha Dutt - Editor, Mojo
Arfa Khanum Sherwani - Senior editor, The Wire
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The wave of revolutions that came to be known as the Arab Spring began a decade ago - in December of 2010.
Arabs mobilised in their millions in collective calls for democracy, justice and freedom of expression. Governments fell. Autocrats - names like Mubarak, Gaddafi, Ben Ali - went with them.
In one country after another, Arabs were tasting freedom of expression for the first time. Voices that had been ignored or silenced were finally telling their own stories, driving their own revolutions.
In this special edition of The Listening Post, we take a retrospective look at what happened in the halcyon days of the Arab uprisings. And we discuss the subsequent crushing of democratic movements; the clampdowns on freedom of the press that remain in place today.
We have chosen to focus on the stories of three countries: Tunisia, where the movement got its start; Egypt, where it appeared to reach its height; and Syria, where it hit a brick wall.
Contributors:
Zaina Erhaim - Journalist and communications trainer Sherine Tadros - Deputy Director of Advocacy, Amnesty International Adel Iskandar - Asst Professor of Global Communication, Simon Fraser University Karam Nachar - Publisher and co-founder, Al Jumhuriya Marwan Kraidy - Dean and CEO, Northwestern University, Qatar Monia Ben Hamadi - Editor-in-chief, Inkyfada
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There is news of a possible reconciliation in the Gulf - the end of the blockade of Qatar - and some careful message management is under way.
Contributors:
Zaid Benjamin - Washington correspondent, Al Araby TV
Hussein Ibish - Arab Gulf States Institute
Zarqa Parvez - Lecturer, Hamad bin Khalifa University
Nabeel Nowairah - Gulf affairs analyst
On our radar
Richard Gizbert and Meenakshi Ravi discuss how a state visit by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt to France became a media story.
Science journalism in the spotlight
Historically underappreciated, and usually underrepresented in newsrooms, science and health reporters have found their expertise in demand in this pandemic year.
Contributors:
Helen Branswell - Senior infectious disease reporter, STAT
Kai Kupferschmidt - Contributing correspondent, Science magazine
Vidya Krishnan - Health and science journalist
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China and Australia, two major trading partners, are now using their respective media outlets - in different ways and to different extents - to trash talk one another.
Contributors:
Yang Yao - Professor, Peking University
Yun Sun - Co-director, Stimson Center
Eryk Bagshaw - China correspondent, Sydney Morning Herald
Yun Jiang - China Policy Centre, Australian National University
On our radar
Uganda has a presidential election coming up. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Flo Phillips about the risks journalists in Kampala are taking to cover it.
Serbian war criminals turned authors: Rewriting Yugoslav history
Convicted war criminals in Serbia and their efforts to rewrite history from behind bars.
Contributors:
Aleksandar Brezar - Western Balkans Network Lead, The Democratic Society; Co-host, Sarajevo Calling
Emir Suljagic - Director, Srebrenica Genocide Memorial; Professor, International University of Sarajevo
Vladimir Petrovic - Historian
Natasa Kandic - Founder, Humanitarian Law Center
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In Australia, more than half a million people have signed a petition demanding their government investigate the Murdoch media empire and the influence it has on their lives.
Contributors:
Rodney Tiffen - Author, Rupert Murdoch: A Reassessment
Richard Cooke - Contributing editor, The Monthly
Sally Young - Professor of political science, University of Melbourne
Margaret Simons - Investigative journalist
On our radar
Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Tariq Nafi about the ongoing debate in France about secularism and free speech. President Emmanuel Macron does not like some of the coverage.
India: The mounting challenges for journalists in Uttar Pradesh
The Listening Post’s Meenakshi Ravi looks at how an attempt to cover up a horrific gang rape has shed light on the dangers of doing journalism in India’s most populous region, Uttar Pradesh.
Contributors:
Shivam Vij - Writer, The Print
Siddharth Varadarajan - Founding editor, The Wire
Neha Dixit - Investigative journalist and author
Vijay Vineet - News editor, Jansandesh Times
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Media outlets in the United States face a reckoning as they struggle to break up with Donald Trump.
Contributors: Murtaza Hussein - reporter, The Intercept Maria Hinojosa - founder, Futuro Media Group Matt Taibbi - author and journalist Ashton Lattimore - editor-in-chief, Prism Reports
On our radar: Ethiopia erupts. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Johanna Hoes about Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s order to send troops into the northern region of Tigray while completely cutting off any forms of communication - barring journalists and banning the internet.
Autopsy of an Ethiopian interview: Who killed Hachalu Hundessa?
The last ever interview with Ethiopian singer, Hachalu Hundessa - and why everyone is poring over that tape, looking for clues in their search for who killed him.
Contributors: Guyo Wariyo - former presenter, Oromia Media Network Bruh Yihunbelay - COO, Tirita FM Radio Tsedale Lemma - editor-in-chief, Addis Standard Alula Solomon - CEO, Tigrai Media House
00:00 Intro 02:00 Life After Trump 11:42 Latest from Ethiopia 14:14 Who killed Hachalu Hundessa? 24:22 Bye Bye Donny
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With a victory for Biden imminent, media outlets that have thrived on the Trump show must look for a new business model.
Contributors:
Akela Lacy - politics reporter, The Intercept
Jim Warren - executive editor, NewsGuard
David Folkenflik - media correspondent, NPR
Molly Jong-Fast - editor-at-large, Daily Beast
On our radar:
We discuss India and the arrest of Arnab Goswami, one of the country’s loudest pro-government voices on television. Producer Nicholas Muirhead has been tracking the response of the right-wing media.
Ertugrul: Turkish TV’s Ottoman phenomenon goes global
The Listening Post's Meenakshi Ravi reports on how history, politics and entertainment collide in Turkey’s Ottoman TV epics.
Contributors:
Burak Ozcetin - associate professor, Istanbul Bilgi University
Senem Cevik - lecturer in International Studies, UC Irvine
Omar Al-Ghazzi - assistant professor, LSE; co-author, Neo-Ottoman Cool: Turkish Popular Culture in the Arab Public Sphere
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The US election is just days away and President Donald Trump’s fake news narrative is about to be put to the ultimate test.
Contributors:
John Ziegler - Senior Columnist, Mediaite
Amy Goodman - Executive Producer, Democracy Now!
Ben Smith - Media Columnist, The New York Times
On our radar
US conservatives often accuse social media platforms of suppressing their voices. Politico’s chief tech correspondent, Mark Scott, joins Richard Gizbert to discuss a study which shows that claim is not true.
The chosen one: The Christian Broadcasting Network and Donald Trump
The gospel of Trump 24/7? We look at the marriage of convenience that is the president’s relationship with the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Contributors:
Gordon Robertson - CEO, Christian Broadcasting Network
Terry Heaton - Former Executive Producer, The 700 Club; Author, The Gospel of Self: How Jesus Joined the GOP
Sarah Posner - Author, Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Alter of Donald Trump; Reporting Fellow, Type Investigations
Nicole Hemmer - Author, Messengers of the Right; Associate research scholar, Columbia University
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A brutal murder and the Charlie Hebdo trial have people in France questioning freedom of expression again.
Contributors:
Pierre Henri Tavoillot - Professor of philosophy, Sorbonne University
Philippe Marliere - Professor of French and European politics, University College London
Rim-Sarah Aloune - Legal scholar and human rights researcher
Jocelyn Cesari - Professor of religion and politics, University of Birmingham
On our radar
The Nigerian army says it did not shoot at protesters, but there is a problem with their story - the evidence is all over the internet. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Meenakshi Ravi about the contrasting narratives.
Murder in Malta: Daphne Caruana Galizia’s journalistic legacy
The Listening Post’s Flo Phillips on a reporter killed for the work she did - and how Daphne Caruana Galizia’s journalism continues to make news.
Contributors:
Matthew Caruana Galizia - Son of Daphne Caruana Galizia and investigative journalist
Manuel Delia - Author, Murder on the Malta Express; Blogger, Truth Be Told
Caroline Muscat - Founder, The Shift News
Mark Laurence Zammit - Former presenter, Xarabank
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It has been more than a year since New Delhi scrapped Indian-administered Kashmir’s special status. Why has the region’s history been so hotly disputed - on the ground and in the news media - since India’s independence from the United Kingdom more than 70 years ago?
Contributors:
Rahul Pandita - Journalist and author, Our Moon Has Blood Clots
Siddiq Wahid - Senior fellow, Centre for Policy Research India
Nitasha Kaul - Associate professor, University of Westminster
Suhasini Haidar - National and diplomatic affairs editor, The Hindu
Aarti Tikoo Singh - Foreign affairs editor, Indo-Asian News Service
Against all odds: Reporting under Kashmir’s communications blackout
What has the revocation of Article 370 - and the security lockdown and communication blackout that followed - meant for Kashmiris and the journalists trying to tell their stories?
Contributors:
Anuradha Bhasin - Executive editor, Kashmir Times
Peerzada Ashiq - Senior journalist, The Hindu
Syed Shahriyar - Photojournalist
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After three weeks of fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia, both sides have leaned on their domestic media to give their version of events. We examine the events in Nagorno-Karabakh and the dangers of war reporting in the age of COVID-19.
Contributors:
Cavid Aga - Writer, Open Caucasus Media
Daniel Hamilton - Political and communications analyst
Neil Hauer - Non-resident fellow, Frontier Europe
Ani Paitjan - Journalist, CivilNet
On our radar
There are more signals from Saudi media that the narrative is changing on Israel. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Meenakshi Ravi about a three-part interview on pan-Arab station Al Arabiya that has taken aim at Palestinians.
A snapshot of empire: The racist legacy of colonial postcards
How the golden age of postcards left behind a legacy of racism that continues to shape perceptions of Africans today.
Contributors:
Sarah Sentilles - Writer and critical theorist
Olubukola Gbadegesin - Associate professor, Saint Louis University
Stephen Hughes - Senior lecturer, SOAS University of London
Julie Crooks - Associate curator, Art Gallery of Ontario
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President Donald Trump has survived one bombshell news report after another. Last week, The New York Times dropped a story that may prove to be the last straw.
Contributors:
Eric Alterman - Columnist, The Nation
Claire Potter - Author, Political Junkies
Alex Shephard - Staff writer, The New Republic
Molly Jong-Fast - Editor-at-large, The Daily Beast
On our radar
On-the-ground coverage of the fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia is scarce. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Johanna Hoes on the difficulties of reporting the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Viral advertisements and voting: Can anti-Trump Republicans sway an election?
Two breakaway Republican groups have launched enormous online campaigns aimed at defeating their own candidate, President Donald Trump.
Contributors:
Rick Wilson - Co-founder, The Lincoln Project; Author, Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump - and Democrats from Themselves
Osita Nwanevu - Staff writer, The New Republic
Joanna Weiss - Contributing editor, Politico Magazine
Paul Waldman - Opinion writer, The Washington Post; Senior writer, American Prospect
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