In today’s Media Confidential, Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber discuss Labour’s latest scandal, after thinktank Labour Together reportedly hired a company to gather material about journalists Gabriel Pogrund and Harry Yorke—who were investigating its financial affairs—and then handed over the information to GCHQ.

The information produced by the US-based PR firm allegedly included “deeply personal and false claims”; though Starmer has promised an investigation, has this happened to other journalists, too?

And, as Prince Harry's legal war with the Daily Mail continues, they also discuss the evidence of former Mail editor Paul Dacre during the ongoing trial.

Plus, the pair talk about the changing role of the court reporter, and the big libel cases they have faced in their respective editorships.

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In today’s Media Confidential, Alan Rusbridger is joined by Marty Baron, long-time former editor of the Washington Post.

Marty discusses the recent sweeping cuts across the paper—including the decimation of the sports department—and reveals the shocking way one foreign correspondent found out their job was being axed.

He talks about his own relationship with Post owner Jeff Bezos, as well as how the billionaire’s editorial ambitions for the paper may have been influenced by his ties to President Trump. The pair also discuss the reasons behind the controversial decision not to endorse a candidate for the 2025 election, and the subsequent fallout.

And, after more than 300 staff were laid off, Marty and Alan discuss how a newspaper deals with the dreaded “death spiral”. Is this is the beginning of the end for the Post?

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In this episode of Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel discuss the Washington Post sacking over 300 journalists—or one-third of its newsroom—and the dangers of not having a strong journalistic organisation in the US capital.

Lionel challenges Post owner Jeff Bezos’s argument that decisions about cuts have to be data-led and speculates on the departure of editor Will Lewis: was it out of his own free will?

They also discuss Ofcom’s decision not to investigate a GB News interview with Donald Trump which contained false claims.

And, after one listener asks what Lionel and Alan make of a Telegraph article lamenting how the Financial Times has “gone woke”, the pair disagree over the FT’s infamous How To Spend It (HTSI) luxury magazine.

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In this episode of Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, an independent investigative collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists.

The trio discuss the growing importance of open-source investigation techniques to verify cases, including the recent ICE shooting of Alex Pretti, where Bellingcat was able to confirm events through multiple pieces of video footage.

They talk about how to combat manipulated video and misuse of AI in an age of misinformation. Eliot also discusses an ongoing disagreement with veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, and the clash between traditional journalism and new methodologies.

And, after spending years exposing and embarrassing wrongdoing high-profile figures and institutions, is Eliot is worried for his personal safety?

To read our profile of Eliot Higgins, click here or head to prospectmagazine.co.uk

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In this week’s episode of Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel discuss the decline of the Washington Post. Has owner Jeff Bezos just lost interest—and is the Post now losing the readers? And, staying in America, they discuss President Trump’s ongoing treatment of female reporters in Washington.

Keeping track of the BBC, Alan and Lionel also discuss the new interim director general at the BBC, Rhodhri Telfon-Davies, and assess who’s in and who’s out of the race for the permanent job.

Plus, they discuss how newsrooms can respond to the Epstein files, and one listener asks about the Observer’s slogan—did George Orwell really call the paper “the enemy of nonsense”, or has the quote been wrongly ascribed?

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In this episode of Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by Bob Ward, policy and communications director of LSE’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

The three discuss how climate issues are covered by the press, why this kind of reporting has become embroiled in the culture wars—and why the health of our democracy (and planet) depends on solid reporting about climate change.

They also talk about an increase in misleading coverage: is press regulator IPSO systemically failing in its responsibilities? And, though journalists should be able to verify truth and report facts independently, how does politics inevitably affect media coverage?

Plus, Bob names and shames outlets he believes are covering climate change badly and suggests how reporters can become part of the solution.

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After ICE’s killing of nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Alan and Lionel discuss how strong reporting has shed light on what really happened. As the New York Times’s forensic video analysis contradicts the government narrative, the pair explore the fractious relationship between US politics and journalism.

They also analyse GB News presenter Matthew Goodwin standing for Reform UK, a shake-up at CBS and whether the Washington Post has lost its soul under the ownership of Jeff Bezos.

Plus, Alan discusses his Prospect profile on Haaretz—the Israeli newspaper revered and reviled for its unflinching coverage of the war on Gaza—and plays some never-before-heard audio from one of his interviews. Can the paper survive a possible future succession crisis?

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Should the BBC be publicly funded? This week, Alan and Lionel are joined by media researchers and fellows of the British Academy, Georgina Born and Justin Lewis, whose new report on public service media tells us what the data really says. Reforms are needed, but how radical should they be?

The researchers discuss how to ensure the BBC’s independence and accountability, and what the UK can learn from international media systems, like those in Germany and Scandinavia, about how to make governance more democratic. They also explore what works, what doesn’t—and why it all matters.

And, with Nigel Farage promising to abolish the licence fee, is there a way to future-proof the broadcaster?

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This week, Alan and Lionel unpack Prince Harry’s ongoing trial against the Daily Mail’s publisher, Associated Newspapers—and the implications for media ethics and privacy.They also discuss US government intrusion into journalism, in light of the FBI’s seizure of a Washington Post reporter’s electronic equipment to reveal her sources, which Alan calls “menacing in the extreme”.

Though a judge has temporarily blocked the government from searching seized data, what does this mean for the first amendment?

Plus, with certain publications reportedly aware of US plans to abduct Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, Alan and Lionel seem to disagree: do reporters have a duty to report on potentially illegal operations, or should they choose not to publish?

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This week on Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel talk to Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and the author of The Seven Rules of Trust. They discuss how the online encyclopaedia has evolved to deal with the rise of new digital challenges, like bots and AI. 

After Elon Musk branded the website “Wokepedia” and launched Grokipedia as a competitor, the trio discuss regulation, as well as how to address the threat from the far-right.

Plus, in an age of disinformation, how can platforms rebuild trust?

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