Over the course of the French presidential election campaign, roughly one-third of voters have said they will back a candidate from the far right - either Marine Le Pen, who President Emmanuel Macron defeated in 2017, or Eric Zemmour, a former journalist with multiple convictions for hate speech.

Zemmour owes much of his prominence to a news channel owned by media tycoon Vincent Bollore, whose influence increases with each news outlet he takes over.

As France goes to the polls, we examine the structural flaws and societal dangers of a media sector dominated by billionaires.

Contributors:
Jean-Baptiste Rivoire - Author of ‘The Elysée and the Oligarchs vs the News’, former investigative journalist at Canal+ and founder of Off Investigation
Pascale Clark - Former presenter at Europe 1 and journalist at France 5
Alain Duhamel - Political commentator at BFMTV
Nadiya Lazzouni - Presenter at Le Média
Daniel Schneidermann - Founder of Arrêt sur Images and columnist at Libération

Hate Unmasked: The reporters tracking France’s far right:
Journalists at independent and local media outlets have been behind some of the biggest exposés of France’s growing far-right networks. The editor of an investigative website and a reporter for a regional daily relate their experiences of exposing violent right-wing groups - and the dangers that come with the territory.

Contributors:
Mathieu Molard - Editor-in-Chief of StreetPress
Josué Jean-Bart - Reporter at Ouest-France

A new front opened up in the war in Ukraine this past week - a diplomatic one. Talk of peace, amid acts of war. And actions, on the battlefields of Ukraine, speak louder than words do, in Istanbul.

Contributors:
Eilish Hart - Senior news editor, Meduza English
Ilya Yablokov - Lecturer in journalism and digital media, University of Sheffield
Katia Patin - Multimedia editor, Coda Story
Tikhon Dzyadko - Editor-in-chief, TV Dozhd

On our radar:
The leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has ordered some of his forces into Ukraine, but it seems more like a PR stunt. Producer Tariq Nafi explains how the Chechen forces are being utilised in the propaganda war.

Fanpage: Changing the Face(book) of Italy’s media landscape
From Facebook, into the mainstream - the news outlets transforming Italy’s media one platform at a time.

Contributors:
Francesco Cancellato - Editor-in-chief, Fanpage
Alessio Cornia - Assistant professor, Dublin City University & Research Associate, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford
Serena Danna - Deputy editor, Open
Gaia Martignetti - Video reporter, Fanpage

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine rages on, the Ukrainians are responding with a digitally armed resistance led by their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Contributors:
Veronika Melkozerova - Executive editor, the New Voice of Ukraine
Maria Avdeeva - Disinformation researcher
Natalia Antelava - Editor-in-chief, Coda Story
Bohdan Nahaylo - Chief editor, Kyiv Post

On our radar:
When the British royal family visits former colonies or countries in the Commonwealth, the idea is to cement ties, generate some positive headlines. But as producer Meenakshi Ravi explains, the latest royal tour of the Caribbean is not going as planned.

Defectors turned Vloggers: North Korean YouTube Stars:
The Listening Post’s Johanna Hoes, from Seoul, on the North Korean YouTubers showing a different side of a country we know too little about.

Contributors:
Pak Yusung - North Korean defector & YouTuber, ‘North Korean Man Like a Feather’
Kum Young Choi - North Korean defector & YouTuber ‘Aoji Unni’
Sokeel Park - South Korea country director, Liberty in North Korea
Kyong Yoon - Professor of Cultural Studies, University of British Columbia

Demonising not just Vladimir Putin, but Russians in general, is ridding media in the United States of context that is pertinent to the coverage of Ukraine. Not only is the context missing, but it is being stifled in some cases of American coverage.

Contributors:
Molly Jong-Fast - Contributor, The Atlantic
Alex Shephard - Staff writer, The New Republic
David Klion - Writer and editor, Jewish Currents
Abby Martin - Journalist; creator, The Empire Files

On our radar:
Despite the Kremlin’s determination to control the narrative on Ukraine, state-controlled reporting in Russia is taking a hit. Producer Johanna Hoes looks at the stream of resignations from some of Russia’s top broadcasters.

Destination Damascus: Social media tourism arrives in Syria
As travel content out of Syria draws millions of hits online, some Syrians raise concerns about its potential PR benefit for the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Contributors:
Paul Nabil Matthis - Syrian-American author; TikTok content creator
Sarah Hunaidi - Exiled Syrian writer; communications and advocacy consultant
Davud Akhundzada - Travel content creator

Russia is experiencing a Stalinesque crackdown on reporting that smacks of the Soviet era; the mere mention of the word “war” in relation to Ukraine can now land journalists in prison for up to 15 years.

Contributors:
Michael Nacke - Journalist & vlogger
Jason Corcoran - Journalist
Vera Tolz - Professor of Russian Studies, the University of Manchester
Natalia Antelava - Editor-in-chief, codastory.com

On our radar:
While many countries have spoken out against the invasion of Ukraine, one of Russia’s main trading partners, China, has remained officially neutral. However, as producer Flo Phillips details, the media output coming from China tells a different story.

Dozhd’s demise:
Is this the final chapter in the story of Dozhd, Russia’s sole remaining independent TV channel?

Contributor:
Ekaterina Kotrikadze - News director & host, Dozhd

Between the misinformation coming out of Moscow, the NATO expansion angle that gets underplayed in Western media, Ukraine's messaging spearheaded by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the larger battle for hearts and minds - a lot is happening in the media war over Ukraine.

Contributors:
Alexey Kovalyov - Investigative editor, Meduza
Eoin Higgins - Host, The Flashpoint podcast
Branko Marcetic - Staff writer, Jacobin
Anton Barbashin - Editorial director, Riddle Russia

On our radar:
From the formation of a volunteer cyber army to funding initiatives, Ukrainian media outlets are pushing back against Russian misinformation with their own coverage of the war. Producer Meenakshi Ravi looks at the surge of activity since the invasion.

Racism and double standards: H A Hellyer on the bias in reporting:
The framing and terminology used to talk about Ukrainian refugees have exposed the double standards in the reporting of refugee stories. H A Hellyer, a career academic in the study of Europe’s treatment of ethnic minorities, talks us through some of the biases.

Contributor:
H A Hellyer - Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace & fellow, Cambridge University

As news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine floods the airwaves, and with the prospect of a wider conflict brewing in Eastern Europe between Russia and the NATO alliance, we are dispensing with our usual format.

On our radar:
Richard Gizbert starts with a roundup of the global narratives competing for air time in the days running up to the Russian invasion, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s media moment. Producer Johanna Hoes then takes us through Russia’s side of the story, highlighting some examples of misinformation coming out of Moscow.

Russia: National myths and rewriting history
The conflict currently playing out in Ukraine involves former Cold War adversaries and competing versions of history. This week, before invading Ukraine, the Russian president questioned the very idea of the country's statehood. The Listening Post’s Tariq Nafi reports from Moscow on a new historical discourse that emphasises Russia’s history as a great power and mythologises the country’s past.

Contributors:
Nikita Petrov  - Historian & member, Memorial
Yevgenia Albats - Journalist & editor-in-chief, The New Times
Mikhail Myagkov - Scientific director, the Russian Military-Historical Society

India: The emboldening of anti-Muslim messaging
One political leader who may be grateful that the eyes of the news world are trained on Ukraine would be India’s Narendra Modi. With elections either under way or looming in some key states, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) keeps playing its Hindu nationalist, anti-Muslim card.

Contributors:
Rana Ayyub - Global opinions columnist, The Washington Post & author, Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up
Supriya Sharma - Executive editor, Scroll.in
Aakar Patel - Author, Price of the Modi Years
Fatima Khan -  Reporter, The Quint

On the borderline: Russian troops await their orders, misinformation abounds and the news lens remains trained on Ukraine.

Contributors:
Ruslan Deynychenko - Executive director, StopFake.Org (Ukranian)
Nina Jankowicz - Author, How to Lose the Information War & fellow, The Wilson Center
Bret Schafer - Senior fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Branko Marcetic – Staff writer, Jacobin magazine

On our radar:
Are they anti-Semitic or just pro-Palestinian? The German state broadcaster fires more journalists over accusations of anti-Semitism. Producer Flo Phillips looks at the purging of certain voices in the German media.

Six months since the Taliban: Afghanistan’s ‘news desert’
Thousands of kilometres from home and the story they still long to cover. At least these exiled Afghan journalists are safe.

Contributors:
Lotfullah Najafizada - Former director, Tolo News
Zaki Daryabi - Publisher, Etilaat Roz
Shogofa Sediqi - Journalist & former director, Zan TV
Hamida Aman - Founder, Radio Begum

The Olympics are back in Beijing, and China is using them as an opportunity to cleanse itself of its record on human rights as well as on its shrinking freedom of the press. Let the propaganda games begin.

Contributors:
Xu Qinduo - Presenter, CGTN
Susan Brownell - Professor of anthropology, University of Missouri & author, Beijing's Games: What the Olympics Mean to China
Yaqiu Wang - Senior researcher, Human Rights Watch
Jonathan Cheng - China bureau chief, The Wall Street Journal

On our radar:
In Indian-administered Kashmir, the arrest of a journalist - another one - under terrorism and sedition charges is the latest development in an escalating war on journalism.

Eric Zemmour: Far-right presidential candidate, protege of the French media
France and a far-right journalist turned presidential contender - Eric Zemmour - and the TV channel behind his rise.

Contributors:
Aurelien Mondon - Associate professor of politics, University of Bath
Rokhaya Diallo - Contributor, C8 & contributor, The Washington Post
Christophe Deloire - Secretary-general, Reporters Without Borders

A new front has opened up in the battle over content moderation, turning our attention from Facebook and Twitter to the land of podcasts.

Contributors:
Zaid Jilani - Writer, Inquire
Kat Rosenfield - Co-host, "Feminine Chaos" & culture writer
Joshua Dudley - Media and entertainment writer, Forbes and co-Host, "Let's Yell About Movies!"
Jessica Malaty Rivera - Epidemiologist and science communicator

On our radar:
One year after the military coup in Myanmar, Johanna Hoes explains how journalists there are still paying the price.

Hashtag Battles in Ethiopia:
For 15 months now, the conflict in Ethiopia has been fought under a near-total media blackout. Nicholas Muirhead looks at the online activism filling the information void.

Contributors:
Claire Wilmot - Doctoral researcher, London School of Economics
Abebe Gellaw - Journalist
Meaza Gidey Gebremedhin - Tigrayan activist