Media Confidential

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...

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 r...

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 th...

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...

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 di...

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 list...

Does “no-platforming” have a place in journalism? Alan and Lionel are joined by Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief of the  Economist .They discuss how to cover far-right politics and whether a reporter should ever avoid interviewing divisive figures. Zanny and Lionel talk about the backlash they each received after interviewing Steve Bannon. The three also reflect on biggest news stori...

As his time as editor comes to an end, Alan talks to Lionel about his final edition of  Prospect —and what he plans to do next. He reflects on his time at the magazine and how it compares to his old haunt at the  Guardian . The pair also discuss Netflix’s bid for Warner Bros, the hunt for Channel 4’s new CEO and the murky world of content moderation. ‘ Media Confidential ’  with Ala...

Franz Wild is our guest on this week’s  Media Confidential.  He’s the editor-in-chief and CEO of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism—also known as “The Bureau”. Alan, Lionel and Franz discuss society’s dire need for investigative journalism and why the job of being an investigative journalist attracts a certain type of character: someone who is willing to keep their eye on a story tha...

This week, Alan and Lionel discuss editorial independence, the BBC’s search for a new director general and ask if the current structure is even working. Is the role too much for one person? As the post-budget scrutiny rumbles on, they also talk about which publications are producing the best analysis—and whose is best avoided... Plus, the hosts discuss 40 years of the  Independent  after...

Alan and Lionel are joined by documentary maker Ben Zand, founder of documentary company Zandland and co-host of the new current affairs podcast  Untangled . He talks about the era of podcasts, how to reach younger audiences and what being “authentic” means in practice. Ben also shares his journey from self-shooting to the BBC, to starting his own company. He gives advice for early career jou...

After this month’s media chaos, Alan shares his experience of Monday’s select committee hearing, where BBC board members were brought before MPs. But why did no-one address the elephant in the room? As Lionel returns from his overseas travels, the reunited hosts discuss the media bombshells that dropped in his absence. They also examine claims by historian Rutger Bregman that the BBC censored his...

The Media Confidential team got up early to talk through the options in advance of BBC heads facing the cross-party Culture, Media and Sport select committee. Alan and Janine discussed what might happen next, as MPs prepare to question organisation chiefs over a leaked memo accusing the BBC of bias and systemic problems. And who might be helicoptered in to sort the chaos at the broadcaster? The ho...

In an era of punitive lawsuits, how can we protect journalistic freedoms? This week, Alan and Janine talk to David McCraw, the lead newsroom lawyer for the  New York Times . With Donald Trump’s record of launching libel cases against major media outlets on both sides of the pond, the three discuss how big lawsuits are used to capture headlines and apply pressure. They talk about the significa...

Alan and Janine discuss the potential candidates for the top job in British media—and there’s no shortage of suspects. The pair break down the candidates’ CVs and even ring up one Lionel Barber on holiday to get his thoughts... Plus, one listener asks who signs off on decisions like the one to edit the Trump speech that got BBC’s  Panorama  programme into such hot water. Where does an ed...

The BBC is under attack. Alan and Janine go to heart of the biggest media story of the week, and reveal what really happened at the disastrous board meeting that toppled BBC leadership. Under fire from powerful enemies at home and abroad, does the broadcasting service have a future?  They're joined by Pat Younge, chair of the British Broadcasting Challenge, which promotes public discussion ab...

Do  you  have the nerve? Carole Cadwalladr and Sarah Donaldson join Alan and Janine to discuss their new independent media platform the  Nerve  which focuses on culture, politics and tech—and share why they felt there was no room for their work at the  Observer  under new management. The four discuss the all-female founding team, the driving mission behind the project...

Alan is joined by Janine Gibson, editor of the  Weekend FT  and this week’s guest host on Media Confidential. The pair discuss the media response to a train stabbing incident in Huntingdon. They also weigh in on the  Telegraph ’s attacks on the BBC, amid reports that a Panorama documentary misled viewers by selectively editing a Donald Trump speech during the storming of the Capitol...

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,...

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...

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...

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 (...

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 gi...

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 launc...

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 mak...