2024 is a crucial year for liberal democracies around the world, with over 50 nations voting in general elections and up to 4.2bn people casting their votes. In this episode, Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber discuss why media election coverage will be more important than ever, as key campaigns spill over from conventional, legacy formats such as print, television and radio and onto a wide range of social media platforms. Will fake news and misinformation become even more widespread, and could artificial intelligence have a decisive impact on outcomes?

Alan and Lionel also unpick the importance of a key AI lawsuit between the New York Times and Open AI and Microsoft. And then there’s Twitter, or X. How will the social media platform perform with the challenges that it faces on a daily basis since Elon Musk took over the reins?

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Sky News’s Political Editor Beth Rigby joins Alan and Lionel to reflect on 2023’s key events and to launch the inaugural Media Confidential “awards”, nominating people, stories and news organisations for recognition in these categories:

Most important story of the year

Most under-reported story of the year

Turkey of the year

Political scoop of the year

News organisation of the year

Journalist of the year

Villain of the year

Hero/Heroine of the year

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One of the world’s leading photojournalists discusses her career in conflict zones and tells the story of how she captured a famous, horrific image while under fire in Ukraine.  

Lynsey Addario analyses the challenges of war photography in an era when journalists are increasingly likely to be targets and false images on social media make it difficult to assess what is real. She also shares her perspective on the pictures coming out of the war in Gaza and the courage of those capturing them.  

Plus, Alan and Lionel discuss the latest phone hacking headlines: court success for Prince Harry, and allegations about the role of Sir William Lewis, who is set to become CEO of The Washington Post.  

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Alan and Lionel hear Israeli and Palestinian perspectives on how the war in Gaza is being covered and on the continuing fight to control the media narrative.

Palestinian-British writer Samir El-Youssef discusses how the conflict and Hamas are reported on by Arabic-language news channels while Esther Solomon, editor-in-chief of Haaretz English, talks about trying to balance opposition to the politics of Benjamin Netanyahu with covering the on-going impacts and consequences of Hamas’s terrorism on the 7th October.

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Award-winning journalist Nick Davies broke the story of phone hacking by UK newspapers back in 2009 and now lays out the startling implications of News Group Newspapers’ major settlement with former Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, which adds a significant extra dimension to the affair.

Plus, Alan and Lionel discuss the issue of BBC funding with the former BBC executive Pat Younge, as the government look set to renege on its agreement with the corporation over the amount of the licence fee.

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A remarkable interview with arguably Britain’s greatest living photographer, Sir Don McCullin. He opens up about his career in-and-out of war zones, saying he's been “damaged” by some of the things he saw in Vietnam, Biafra and elsewhere, and that he was “poisoned” by his profession. McCullin talks about some of his most dramatic photos and about feeling like he was “stealing” images of suffering. The legendary photojournalist also analyses the craft of modern war photography in an age of heavily restricted battlefield access and citizen journalists.

Plus, Lionel dissects the latest in the competition to own the Telegraph and Alan updates us about his quest to uncover whether there was interference from a BBC director in who would become chair of the media regulator Ofcom.

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Pulitzer Prize-winning data journalist and artist Mona Chalabi, a contributor to the New York Times, discusses her eye-catching work, her criticism of the paper’s coverage of Israel-Palestine and the current conflict in Gaza, and making a stand about that issue at the recent Pulitzer Prize ceremony.

Alan and Lionel also discuss the Silicon Valley boardroom drama which saw OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman sacked—and then return as boss just days later, via a big job offer from Microsoft—as well as the latest on who is likely to buy The Telegraph.

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Prospect brings rigorously fact-checked analysis, ideas and perspectives to the big topics the world is grappling with. In addition to being the UK’s leading monthly current affairs magazine, Prospect publishes daily commentary and analysis online. Even more discussion about the ideas that matter is available in our growing range of newsletters and podcasts, the most recent of which is Media Confidential.

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Alan and Lionel speak to LBC broadcaster and author James O’Brien, who takes aim at Daily Mail chief Paul Dacre, news mogul Rupert Murdoch and journalist, broadcaster and editor Andrew Neil—three media figures he includes in his book about the people he thinks “broke Britain”.

O’Brien also reflects on David Cameron’s return to frontline politics and discusses his own version of opinionated political broadcasting.

About Prospect

Prospect brings rigorously fact-checked analysis, ideas and perspectives to the big topics the world is grappling with. In addition to being the UK’s leading monthly current affairs magazine, Prospect publishes daily commentary and analysis online. Even more discussion about the ideas that matter is available in our growing range of newsletters and podcasts, the most recent of which is Media Confidential.

Black Friday offer: Enjoy 50% off an annual digital subscription and receive full access to rigorously fact-checked, truly independent analysis and perspectives.  

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With former prime minister Boris Johnson soon joining Jacob Rees-Mogg, Lee Anderson and Nigel Farage as a presenter on GB News, there appears to be little attempt by the channel to provide balance to its roster of right-wing voices and even current Conservative politicians. Should the media regulator insist that it provides that balance, or should broadcasters be allowed to present just one side of a political argument?

On Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel hear from media professor Steve Barnett, a critic of Ofcom, and veteran commentator and TV executive David Elstein, who views the growth of GB News far more favourably.

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One of the key figures in global media talks to Alan and Lionel about how artificial intelligence will transform the industry. 

Mathias Döpfner is the CEO of the international media group Axel Springer and he’s a big thinker about how AI will impact news organisations and beyond.  

He also talks about public trust in media, his friend Elon Musk at Twitter/X, and how post-Cold War trade with countries like Russia and China has failed to transfer Western ideas of freedom and democracy. 

Döpfner is questioned about reports that Axel Springer wants to buy The Telegraph, before Barclay brothers biographer Jane Martinson considers the battle to become the newspaper’s next owners, along with the significant concerns that follow some of the interested parties. 

Plus, Alan and Lionel reflect on the news that former prime minister Boris Johnson is joining GB News and how far Ofcom will allow the politically partisan channel to go. 

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