Media Confidential

Who do media organisations go to when they get sued?  In today’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel talk to Gavin Millar KC, an expert in media law.  The three talk about SLAPPs, strategic lawsuits increasingly used by the powerful to silence journalists and stop crucial reporting.  They discuss why the fight against SLAPPs is vital for democracy: after suggestions that a Labour go...

On this week’s Media Confidential Alan and Lionel talk to Peter Geoghegan, journalist, broadcaster and founder of Democracy for Sale. The three discuss the problem of SLAPPs, lawsuits used by the wealthy to silence and intimidate critics. They talk about the chilling effect these lawsuits can have have on democracy, and how they discourage journalists from pursuing stories in the public interest....

In this week’s Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel discuss the changing winds at Ofcom, after its prospective new chair was scrutinised by a select committee. How much was Ian Cheshire briefed beforehand? And will he do anything to tackle GB News? The pair also talk about Trump's latest attack on the BBC—as well as Fran Unsworth’s departure from the broadcaster, after the former news boss claimed...

In this episode of Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel talk to Gabriel Pogrund, newly appointed editor of Insight, the Sunday Times investigative team. After Gabriel exposed £730,000 in undeclared donations to Labour Together, he and other journalists became victims of a smear campaign. He discusses why the thinktank commissioned an investigation into him—and how he was falsely accused of having...

In this week’s Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel discuss Ofcom finally investigating GB News over their second airing of a controversial interview with Donald Trump. Did it fail the impartiality test? After Nigel Farage was confronted about an undeclared £5m donation from a crypto billionaire, the pair discuss how to deal with evasive politicians. They also talk about the Evening Standard runni...

In this episode of Media Confidential Alan and Lionel talk to Liam Byrne, Labour MP for for Birmingham Hodge hill and Solihull and author of Why Populists are winning; and how to beat them. The three discuss the rise of populism and what happens to the media and democracy when they win—including how foreign influence and money can corrupt the UK media landscape. They’ll talk about GB News, with Al...

In today’s Media Confidential Alan and Lionel discuss Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. With recent revelations that he received £5m in personal donations before becoming an MP they’ll talk about stark differences in how the story was covered in the Guardian and the Telegraph . Our hosts also risk the wrath of legal firm Addleshaw Goddard, which has sent letters warning against discussing how one of...

In this week’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel talk to Yara Hawari, co-director of Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian policy network, about the dangers journalists face in the Middle East. Amal Khalil, a Lebanese journalist and reporter for the daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, was killed by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in an airstrike on 22nd April. On the podcast, the three discuss the risks Amal face...

In this episode Alan and Lionel discuss the White House correspondents’ dinner and the alarm at how a lone shooter was able to break through levels of security. They also talk about Donald Trump’s interview with 60 minutes, in which the president claims the BBC used AI to manipulate what he was saying. Our hosts also talk about the chummy relationship between Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison a...

On today’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by Press Gazette editor Dominic Ponsford to discuss the magazine’s investigative work into the floods of fake experts being quoted in the media. Where do they come from—and who is behind this? The editors discuss journalist Rob Waugh, who helped uncover the truth behind fake or AI-generated experts including “Barbara Santini” and “Esme Geld...

This week on Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel discuss the top story of the week—Peter Mandelson’s failed security vetting before he was appointed as ambassador to the United States. As Keir Starmer goes toe-to-toe with the Foreign Office, the hosts discuss the excellent coverage of Guardian journalists Pippa Crerar, Paul Lewis and Henry Dyer. They also speculate on King Charles’s upcoming stat...

This week on Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel are joined by Sidney Blumenthal, journalist and former adviser to the Clintons. As a judge throws out a $10bn claim from the president against the Wall Street Journal , the trio discuss Trump’s legal battles with the media, including the BBC. Is there hope for the British broadcaster? They also address the president’s mental state and how coverage...

In this episode of Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel reflect on the results of election in Hungary, and how the media coverage of Viktor Orbán’s foreign dealings and corruption allegations may have contributed to his downfall. They'll also discuss why British investor and alleged sexual predator Crispin Odey abandoned his £79m libel claim against the Financial Times —across the pond—whether the...

In this week’s episode of Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by Rainey Reitman, writer and civil liberties advocate.  She is the co-founder and president of the board of Freedom of the Press Foundation and is the author of Transaction Denied: Big Finance’s Power to Punish Speech . The three explore financial censorship: how companies like Visa, PayPal, and Mastercard have cut off...

In this episode of Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel discuss the reporting on the “madness of ‘King Trump’”, the war in Iran and the developments since the last episode, in which journalist Susan Glasser described the president as “the big, fat, naked emperor in the room”. As a surprising pick is announced as the new Ofcom chair, the editors spill the beans on what they know about him and their...

On this week’s Media Confidential interview, New Yorker columnist Susan Glasser joins Alan and Lionel to discuss how reporters should deal with President Trump. The three discuss how to hold power to account when the president’s communications are so vast, from phone interviews to social media posts. They also talk about the risks of US media “ sanewashing ” Trump and normalising a distorted new r...

Alan and Lionel discuss the Observer after investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr, the paper’s former features writer, suggests that some of its new funders may not be who they seem. And as Scott Bessent, US secretary to the Treasury, takes aim at the Financial Times —claiming that a story about him was “manufactured”—former FT editor Lionel gives a considered reply. The editors also examine t...

In this week’s Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel are joined by former Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi. The three discuss the Post ’s editor-in-chief Will Lewis, following his resignation in February. They discuss how Lewis got the role, his tenure and his abrupt exit, days after overseeing mass layoffs. They also talk about key decisions made by Post owner Jeff Bezos and how they led...

In this episode of Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel react to the news that Matt Brittin has been confirmed as the new director-general of the BBC. They discuss his suitability for the role and make their predictions. What will his first moves be? Following Alan’s recent investigation into GB News, the duo ask if the electoral commission should be paying attention to the channel for its coverag...

In today’s episode of Media Confidential Alan and Lionel are joined by Chris Banatvala. Chris was Ofcom’s founding director of standards and executive member of the content board. The three discuss Ofcom’s approach to GB News after Alan headed an investigation into the broadcaster and ask if the regulator is turning a blind eye to the channel’s content. They also discuss the evolution of Ofcom’s i...

In today’s Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel talk about the US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, after he told a CNN reporter he was looking forward to the CNN takeover by the family of billionaire Larry Ellison. They’ll also discuss the comments of Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in which he threatened to censor broadcasters who don’t toe the Republican...

In today’s episode of  Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel are joined by Margaret Sullivan, former public editor at the  New York Times  and writer of the Substack newsletter American Crisis. The three talk about the war in Iran and how it has been covered by the American press, as well as debating whether certain other stories have fallen to the wayside because war is dominating t...

In today’s episode Alan and Lionel focus on the sale of the Telegraph. They discuss the new owner, Axel Springer, and what its CEO Mathias Döpfner said he would do if he bought it when he appeared as a guest on Media Confidential in 2023. Döpfner had previously tried and failed to buy the same paper. Our hosts also disagree over Döpfner’s approach to controversy, the political right and journ...

In this Monday’s Media Confidential interview Alan and Lionel talk to Gabriel Sherman, journalist and author of Bonfire of the Murdochs, how the fight to control the last great media dynasty broke a family and the world. Gabriel has been a Murdoch-watcher for many years and scoured the thousands of documents of the Nevada trial where the succession struggles played out in the courts and all “their...

On this week’s Media Confidential , as conflict in the Middle East escalates, Alan and Lionel explore the challenges of reporting on fast-moving international crises. How has the Trump administration been briefing the media, as Israel and the United States wage war with Iran? And after the Pentagon's blacklisting of Claude, they also discuss artificial intelligence: should governments and militari...