Tom Crowther is a young ecologist who asked a simple question: how many trees are there on planet earth? The answer has changed our understanding of the world, but Crowther's work has provoked a firestorm.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For months, Tortoise has been investigating big tech companies as if they were countries: holding them to the same standards that we apply to nation states; caring about what they think; understanding what they're planning to do; figuring out who's in charge now, and who might be next.

It's been a huge reporting project. In this week's podcast, Basia Cummings talks to two of the Tortoise editors behind it, Alexi Mostrous and James Harding.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the general election was called, one of Britain's foremost political journalists has been tracking the Labour campaign for Tortoise. Here's his story of tension and bad choices inside the party machine.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To find out more about Tortoise go to tortoisemedia.com/friend and use the code POD50 to become a member for just £1 a week, half our normal price.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia denied Malta its best hope of beating endemic corruption and bribery. Her family have fought ever since for her legacy and for justice. This week events have taken dramatic turns, with arrests and the resignation of government ministers. Daphne’s son Paul, a reporter at Tortoise, has been at the heart of it all.

Join Tortoise for only £50. Use code POD50 at tortoisemedia.com/friend

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s easy to conclude that Prince Andrew shouldn't have agreed to give an interview to the BBC, but it’s more interesting to ask why he thought it was a good idea.

Three Tortoise editors – James Harding, Basia Cummings and Ceri Thomas – have spent this week asking that question, talking to people in and around Buckingham Palace, and re-examining the Jeffrey Epstein case.

In this week’s Tortoise podcast: how fears about a slimmed-down monarchy and financial independence led to a terrible misjudgement.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this election, the Conservatives are betting on youth to win the social media campaign. The kids running their digital strategy don’t know what a 30th birthday is like but they’re aggressively in charge. And, for better or worse, they’re changing the game.

Tortoise editors Basia Cummings and Ceri Thomas get inside the digital campaign with help from fellow editors Alexi Mostrous, Polly Curtis and Matt D’Ancona.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British politics is undergoing a fundamental shift. Traditionally, economics has been the key to who wins elections but in recent years - and turbocharged by Brexit - identity has come to the fore. The implications are enormous. Political parties are reshaping and their economic policies are being transformed.

Tortoise editors Basia Cummings and Ceri Thomas explore what this could mean in this election and in decades to come.

Guests in Edition #1 are John Aitken, Glasgow youth worker, Andrew (Lord) Cooper, former Director of Strategy to David Cameron, and Tortoise editors Chris Cook and Matthew d’Ancona.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.