Hacks & Flaks

Series two of Hacks and Flaks lands on Thursday 6th April 2023, bringing an exciting array of guests who share their insights on how the news gets made…
We'll be hearing from comedian, impressionist and former political advisor, Matt Forde about why the need for satire is stronger than ever.

 Journalist and presenter of Chopper's Politics Podcast, Chris Hope shares some antics of what happens on government foreign trips.

Liz Truss' former speech writer lifts the lid on the pressures and frustrations of working in the role.
And Former Eastenders actress, Lucy Benjamin speaks publicly for the first time about what it was like to be the victim of phone hacking, whilst having no idea how such intimate stories from her life kept appearing in the press and even suspecting her own family of selling stories on her.
We'll also be looking at how celebrity PRs keep certain stories about the rich and famous out of the news, what goes on behind the scenes of a public enquiry and how on earth niche publications such as The Sunday Sport manage to thrive when printed press is in decline.
Plus, as always host Petrie is joined by regular panel of Giles, Andrew, and Mick, who are ready to tell all about their former roles as ‘Hacks and Flaks’, including the time Giles tried to stop a former PM committing crimes against fashion, Andrew thought an incident with a communal wafer was going to cause an international crisis and Mick managed to hack-off TV reality star, Katie Price.
All this and more coming soon!

In the final offering of this series, Petrie seeks the advice of resident flaks, Giles and Andrew about how she might go about switching over to the dark side of a job in government.
 How does one become a political advisor, and is it impossible to turn back once you've gone from hack to flak?
 During the program, Andrew and Giles will take us on a journey into their past roles in government spin, offering Petrie a fascinating glimpse into the role and some of its extremes. 
Can the hack,hack it? Listen to find out.
The second season of Hacks and Flaks is already underway with exciting guests and more secrets to be revealed, so stay tuned and we'll see you soon. 

EMAIL: [email protected]

PRESENTER - Petrie Hosken 
PANEL - Giles Kenningham & Andrew MacDougall

Produced by Amanda Redman
Brought to you by Trafalgar Strategy

During today's Hacks and Flaks, Petrie, Giles and Michael discuss something most journalists try to avoid: super injunctions. 
How did they come about and what are they? You may be surprised to learn that they weren't invented for the rich and famous, but celebrities have seized the opportunity to keep certain details of their personal lives out of the spotlight.
How much money and time does it take to obtain one and under what circumstances might someone try to get them?
Moreover, is it just a waste of time when so many super injunctions have become staples of social media gossip?
And, what are the consequences for the average keyboard warrior for openly speculating on the topic? 

EMAIL: [email protected]

PRESENTER - Petrie Hosken 
PANEL - Giles Kenningham & Michael Booker 

Produced by Amanda Redman
Brought to you by Trafalgar Strategy

On Hacks and Flaks today, the team debates whether online news has killed traditional journalism and whether physical newspapers are doomed to extinction. 
What are the dangers associated with relying solely on online media and how is that affecting our local press?
 In the age of social media, how difficult is it to break a story? Is shareability a deciding factor on what is even covered, especially on the front page?
 We learn about all of this and more from Petrie and her panel, who share insider knowledge about how clicks have affected what stories appear at the top of our news feeds. 


EMAIL: [email protected]

PRESENTER - Petrie Hosken 
PANEL - Giles Kenningham, Andrew MacDougall & Michael Booker 

Produced by Amanda Redman
Brought to you by Trafalgar Strategy

In today's episode, our host Petrie and her panel of Hacks and Flaks, debate the consequences of what can happen when the news goes wrong.
When the press ends-up persecuting the wrong person, who is to blame and has the Leveson Inquiry done anything to prevent the hounding of those in the public eye? 
How could a situation like the one involving Caroline Flack and the Jo Yates murder case have arisen in the first place and what lessons have been learned in their wake?
Hack, Michael Booker, and Flak, Giles Kenningham discuss the instances when they have dealt with the repercussions of mistaken identities, stories about government ministers' families and what happened when a famous footballer was falsely accused of buying a kebab.
Plus, you can still buy Michael's book, although it costs slightly more than one penny. The Business: Amazon.co.uk: Michael Booker:

WARNING: Discussions surrounding suicide and murder occur during this episode. 

EMAIL: [email protected]

PRESENTER - Petrie Hosken 
PANEL - Giles Kenningham & Michael Booker

Produced by Amanda Redman
Brought to you by Trafalgar Strategy

 In this week's episode, Petrie, Giles, Andrew and Michael examine redemption and reinvention in an ever-changing world.
Can someone in the public eye atone for bad behavior? Why are some people able to get away with things that would see others cancelled almost instantly? 
The team discusses when reinventions have succeeded and failed, and rates those who are trying to demonstrate real-time change, plus we hear how they would have handled redemptions which have gone wrong. 

EMAIL: [email protected]

PRESENTER - Petrie Hosken 
PANEL - Giles Kenningham, Andrew MacDougall Michael Booker

Produced by Amanda Redman
Brought to you by Trafalgar Strategy

In the week that Prince Harry's autobiography 'Spare' finally hit the shelves and after his explosive interview with Tom Bradby, we thought it fitting to share with you our episode on royal scandals in the news.
Petrie is joined by her regular panel of hacks and flaks, Andrew and Michael, but there's an extra addition, in the form of journalist Jo Elvin, who hosts The Daily Mail's royal chat show, Palace Confidential.
In this episode, the team discusses how the news cycle handles the saga of Harry and Meghan versus the House of Windsor, how past and present scandals surrounding the monarchy have been handled by the press, and why and how that Prince Andrew interview even made it to air in the first place. 

EMAIL: [email protected]

PRESENTER - Petrie Hosken 
PANEL - Andrew MacDougall, Michael Booker & Jo Elvin

Produced by Amanda Redman
Brought to you by Trafalgar Strategy

Recorded 28th October 2022 
As Elon Musk became the owner of Twitter at the time of recording, this episode of Hacks and Flaks seemed like the perfect opportunity for the panel to discuss the phenomenon of social media journalism and its impact on traditional news gathering.
What do flaks do when someone in government is embroiled in a Twitter storm, and when have Andrew and Giles had to put out a fire caused by one of their charges?  
 Is it even worth our MPs' time to be on social media when the risk of being cancelled or creating negative news stories is so great?
 And with more journalists expressing their political opinions on Twitter and Instagram, Petrie asks hack Michael, what this means for impartiality and if journalists are now just trawling social media for the next story. 
 Our team also discuss the death of the tabloid gossip column and how Trump's online rants fed into the news cycle. 

EMAIL: [email protected]

PRESENTER - Petrie Hosken 
PANEL - Giles Kenningham, Andrew MacDougall & Michael Booker.

Produced by Amanda Redman
Brought to you by Trafalgar Strategy

Recorded 21st October 2022

Can you spot a fake news story? When should you question an online article's source and how can you check it?
On Petrie's panel today is former political advisor Andrew MacDougall and journalist Michael Booker, who discuss how and why fake news is being distributed, how to spot the tell-tale signs of a made-up story and why seemingly ridiculous counter arguments are being heard at all.
Plus, how have the likes of Trump been able to use the current narrative and social media to their advantage?
And is there any way back from the post truth world we find ourselves in?

EMAIL: [email protected]

PRESENTER - Petrie Hosken 
PANEL - Andrew MacDougall & Michael Booker

Produced by Amanda Redman
Brought to you by Trafalgar Strategy

Recorded late October 2022

Everyone loves a scandal, and even in these technological times, a juicy front-page headline can still sell newspapers.
But, has public sympathy shifted post-Leveson and what makes a scandal newsworthy? 
As part of today's episode, Petrie is joined by former political advisor Giles Kenningham and journalist Michael Booker, who both talk about scandals they may have fought to get on, or keep off, the front pages. 
Why is it that the likes of Trump seem impervious to scandal, while others have their careers destroyed by one salacious story about them?
And in a world of social media cancel culture, do people still turn to tabloids for their gossip? 

EMAIL: [email protected]

PRESENTER - Petrie Hosken 
PANEL - Giles Kenningham & Michael Booker

Produced by Amanda Redman
Brought to you by Trafalgar Strategy