Media Confidential

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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This week, Lionel tunes in from a cycling trip in South Africa to discuss the baboons he’s encountered on his visit—and in British journalism. Alan reviews Liz Truss’s recently launched YouTube channel, which seems rife with conspiracy theories, and the pair discuss the rise of social media politics.

As Starmer says that X could lose the right to self-regulate, our hosts also talk about the UK’s stance on online safety and the ongoing tussle with tech giants. Should the government go head-to-head with Elon Musk?

Plus, the editors share concerns about the potential sale of the Telegraph to the Daily Mail group and ask whether the merger of broadsheet and tabloid values can ever work.

To read Alan’s recent column ‘How did Liz Truss become prime minister?’, click here.

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With one America’s biggest news broadcasters, CBS News, reportedly in turmoil under editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, Alan and Lionel are joined by former CBS president Sir Howard Stringer.

After Bari Weiss reportedly pulled a recent episode of the popular 60 Minutes programme from the air, some critics have accused the channel, and its editor, of censorship. Alan and Lionel ask Howard about the effect of Weiss’s management. Has CBS strayed from its original mission? And when did this slide begin?

In a detailed conversation, Howard reflects on journalism at CBS during the Reagan administration, the decline of the network since, and the challenges it now faces. He also discusses the evolution of news media, Donald Trump’s impact on American journalism, and the state of the BBC.

Plus, the three discuss the challenges posed by technological advancements in the media landscape.

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This week, Alan and Lionel return to their Media Confidential duties to analyse the good, the bad and the ugly media reactions to the US abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

They also discuss a new documentary on investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, whose career has spanned from Watergate to Abu Ghraib. In response to a listener’s question, Alan shares a life hack to broaden your reading for free, and escape information bubbles in an increasing polarised digital landscape.

Plus, Lionel shares some gossip from Piers Morgan’s Christmas party.To have your question featured on Media Confidential, email [email protected].

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You’ve been listening to the Prospect Podcast, Media Confidential’s sister podcast. To subscribe on Spotify, click HERE. For Apple podcasts, click HERE. 

Is Britain becoming a police state?

Last September, Ellen and Imaan were joined by Conor Gearty, a barrister and professor of human rights law at LSE. In his final interview before his passing, Conor explained how his views on the future of protest had changed—and why he was more concerned than ever.

Plus, after hundreds were arrested for supporting the proscribed group Palestine Action, he discussed his reaction to the ban and criticised the Labour government’s stance on protest, which he said panders to a “middle covert authoritarianism”. Are protests from the political left and right treated differently?

Conor also weighed in on what will be at stake if Britain leaves the ECHR. How must Labour respond to Reform’s rhetoric on human rights? And how can democracy be fortified?

To read Conor Gearty’s past writing for Prospect, click here.

Or, to read an edited transcript of this interview, click here.

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You’ve been listening to the Prospect Podcast, Media Confidential’s sister podcast. To subscribe on Spotify, click HERE. For Apple podcasts, click HERE. 

In the final podcast of the year, Ellen and Alona look back at their favourite episodes from 2025. During a dark year, Prospect has been collecting glimmers of hope. They asked some of the most interesting thinkers today—from politics, to environment to tech—for their perspectives on hope and optimism. What keeps them fighting for a more just world?

Philosopher Slavoj Zizek and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan talk about the merits of pessimism. Human rights lawyer Philippe Sands discusses justice in the age of international impunity, while authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat considers the situation in the US.

Poet and writer Robert Macfarlane reflects on preserving nature in a time of destruction. Cory Doctorow and Laura Bates weigh in on transformations in technology and artificial intelligence. Yassmin Abdel-Magied discusses the humanitarianism crisis in Sudan, while Nicola Kelly explores the untold immigration story.

Plus, veteran journalist and outgoing Prospect editor Alan Rusbridger joins the podcast to reflect on his journey, his mistakes, and how he feels about the future—including the contentious thing that unexpectedly makes him feel hopeful.

You can revisit all our episodes from the past year here.

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You’ve been listening to the Prospect Podcast, Media Confidential’s sister podcast. To subscribe on Spotify, click HERE. For Apple podcasts, click HERE. 

Why does every platform seem to get worse over time? Ellen Halliday and Alona Ferber are joined by journalist, tech activist and sci-fi writer Cory Doctorow, who coined the term “enshittification” to describe the decay of digital services into exploitative, user-hostile platforms.

As constraints that once kept platforms in check have broken down, Cory shares how tech giants polluted the digital landscape, why AI-generated “slop” has sped it up, and why we should all care. What’s in it for tech CEOs? What is this is doing to us as humans? And what would real de-enshittification look like?

Cory discusses how to grab people’s attention, and how to fight back against tech giants.

Cory’s book ‘Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It’ is published by Verso

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Back in July, Alan and Lionel were joined by Line Vaaben, who is ‘existential editor’ at Danish newspaper Politiken.

Line and her team write stories that explore the complexities of life, love and death. She discussed her award-winning journalism with Alan and Lionel, which included spending time embedded in a palliative care ward, notepad in hand, as people took their last breaths.

To listen to all past episodes of Media Confidential, click here.

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