In this week’s Media Confidential, the co-founder of podcasting giant Goalhanger, Tony Pastor, reveals the drama behind The Rest is Politics and the secrets to the podcast’s success.

He, Alan and Lionel chat about the podcast revolution and how the Covid-19 pandemic transformed the audio landscape in the UK.  

Plus, Tony explains how each host gets ‘chemistry tested’ before a new series, which podcasts aren't worth listening to—and how the video renaissance is changing everything.

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As American firm RedBird continues its bid to take over the Telegraph, Alan and Lionel discuss concerns about foreign influence and what it means for media ownership in Britain.

They weigh in on Ofcom updating its guidance on politicians being news presenters. Does it open the doors to a Fox News equivalent in the UK?

Plus, Alan and Lionel talk about Michael Wolff counter-suing Melania Trump, after she threatened a $1bn lawsuit against him to prevent reporting about her alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. And as Hurricane Melissa wrecks havoc in Jamaica and across the Caribbean, one listener asks how to report safely on natural disasters.

Send your questions to Alan and Lionel at [email protected]

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Is the British media complicit in the Gaza genocide?

This week, things heat up as Alan and Lionel are joined by Peter Oborne, former Telegraph chief political commentator, whose most recent book is Complicit: Britain’s role in the destruction of Gaza.

Peter discusses the influence of pro-Israel lobbyists on British politics, his own political evolution, and the challenges of reporting fairly. He asks why the BBC never reported on Israel’s Dahiya doctrine, which he thinks explains its assaults on civilian infrastructure.

Peter, who now writes for Middle East Eye, analyses where the British media has failed on Gaza—but also which reporters are getting it right. The three discuss the impact of media narratives about international events, the stories that get silenced, and who the heroes of this moment in history might be. 

Plus, Peter and Lionel go head-to-head in a memorable exchange—one of the fieriest in Media Confidential history. Listen to hear it as it happened.

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In this week’s special episode, Alan and Lionel are grilled by Sheffield University’s third-year Broadcast Journalism students.

The pair are asked about using artificial intelligence in newsrooms, how to cover Gaza with fairness, and whether they think China is being underreported on.

They also discuss imposter syndrome in the media world, and how to report stories that people don’t want to hear (but also get them to pay for it).

Send your questions to Alan and Lionel at [email protected]

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More journalists have been killed in Gaza than in any other conflict in history.

This week, the editor-in-chief at Reuters, Alessandra Galloni, joins Alan and Lionel to reflect on the last two years of covering the war on Gaza.

She discusses the Israeli Defence Force’s killing of journalists in both Gaza and Lebanon, amid ongoing calls for accountability, and reveals why the news agency stopped giving the coordinates of their reporters to the IDF.

She also recalls asking the Israeli government for an investigation into the killing of a Reuters journalist at the start of the war, and asks why, two years later, they’re “still waiting”.

To read more on this subject from Prospect, click here.

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In this week’s Media Confidential, Alan has returned from a trip to Israel that coincided with a ceasefire brokered in Gaza. The hosts discuss his visit to the West Bank with Gideon Levy of Haaretz and how Israeli news outlets have covered the war.

Alan and Lionel also talk about the Pope being an unexpected voice against clickbait and review “The Nerve”, a new publication launched by ex-Observer journalists.

Plus, in a conversation about the rise of Substack, the hosts take an expensive bet on whether Lionel’s new follower is who he seems.

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Some news outlets insist that London is a city in crisis—but who profits from that message?

On the first anniversary of the launch of London Centric, its founder and owner Jim Waterson joins Alan and Lionel to talk about the new London-focused publication.

Within four months of launching the newsletter, the news outlet hit its three-year targets. Jim unpacks this wild success, what makes his approach different, and what he chooses to cover. He also talks about the challenges facing local journalism, and why he doesn’t rely on clicks to tell stories.

The three also discuss the recent backlash against Substack, and who benefits from the narratives about London “going to the dogs”.

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How do you turn one of the biggest media scandals into gripping television—and what unfinished business still lingers off-screen?

Media Confidential hosted a live episode at Prospect HQ, with Toby Jones, Patrick Spence and Jack Thorne, about the real story behind the ITV drama The Hack. In this episode, the panel takes audience questions on press freedom, and whether it’s time for a long-delayed Leveson 2 to investigate criminal behaviour across the journalism industry.

Alan and Lionel also discuss the Murdoch company's "aggressive" tactics against people writing about the story, Prince Harry’s legal battle against the Daily Mail, and the deletion of millions of emails worth of evidence.

To listen to the live episode, click here.

Or to read Nick Davies’s follow up on the phone-hacking scandal, click here.

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He’s officially next in line to the Murdoch empire, but what is Lachlan Murdoch’s story?

Alan and Lionel are joined by Paddy Manning, investigative reporter and author of The Successor: The high-stakes life of Lachlan Murdoch. 

With Lachlan set to take the helm, the trio discuss the machinations at the heart of the Murdoch media empire and the origin of the family rift. They also discuss who his fictional counterpart might be in HBO’s Succession, with a surprising conclusion...

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Do you always have to offer the people you’re reporting on a chance to give their side of the story? In this episode of Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel share when giving the right of reply has backfired on them.

They also discuss Fox News, after one listener asks a tongue-in-cheek question. 

And the hosts talk about whether media reports about Donald Trump’s mental state are responsible, as well as the sale of the conservative digital media outlet The Free Press.

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