The Media Show

The Queen's funeral was the culmination of days of coverage across the British media. The new culture secretary called the BBC’s efforts "phenomenal" and "spot-on". So did the media get the tone right? Were a range of views about the monarchy represented? And amid the pageantry and commentary, was there room for journalism? Guests: Marcus Ryder, Head of External Consultancies at the Sir Lenny Henr...

The Queen's coffin has travelled in ceremonial procession to Westminster Hall today where she will lie in state for four days until her funeral on Monday. Thousands have lined the route and for millions in the UK and around the world, it is the media that allows them to follow this period of national mourning. We talk to guests from news broadcasters, commercial radio and local newspapers about th...

We look at what may be the biggest media deal of the year – Microsoft is trying to buy one of the world’s leading games producers Activision Blizzard for almost 60 billion pounds, but UK regulators have questions. The cost of living crisis is deepening, does the news media have the skill set to understand and explain a story of this scale and complexity? And who is the new Culture Secretary? With...

As Global's new daily podcast The News Agents launches, we ask Jon Sopel for his reflections on the BBC he left and the freedoms of a new home. And we'll look at the growing market for news podcasts with Dino Sofos, executive producer of The News Agents and founder of Persephonica, Nosheen Iqbal, Today in Focus presenter, Alastair Campbell, co-presenter of The Rest is Politics with Rory Stewart, a...

Six months after Russia invaded Ukraine, what has the media taught us about the war and what has the war taught us about journalism? How has the narrative changed? What role has social media played? Deborah Haynes is defence and security editor for Sky News. Nic Robertson is CNN’s international diplomatic editor. Oz Katerji is a freelance journalist who spent several months in Ukraine reporting on...

The end of both Holby City and Neighbours in the space of a few months suggests that something is wrong in the world of soaps. Viewers have been declining for years as soaps face competition from structured reality shows, streaming services and social media content. But millions still sit down every evening to see the ups and downs of the lives in Walford, Weatherfield and beyond, and EastEnders r...

As postal workers become the latest group to call a strike, and railway workers and train drivers plan to walk out again through August, we look at how well the news media covers industrial disputes. What’s changed in journalism since the days when every media outlet had an industrial correspondent and the union bosses on speed dial? We speak to Nick Jones, a former industrial correspondent for th...

Crime and true crime has always been big business in films and books. But when Serial exploded onto the scene almost eight years ago it launched a whole new genre; the true crime podcast. Now with the major broadcasters and streaming services involved, it seems like we just can’t get enough of solved and unsolved crimes. And it’s not just criminal cases - this week we’ve seen the insatiable intere...

In October 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would change its name to Meta, reflecting its shift towards “the Metaverse”. Today, the concept is central to the strategies of the world’s biggest tech companies – including Google, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft – who are spending billions of dollars to build it. But what exactly is the Metaverse, how will it work, and what are the opportunit...

There’s a balance of risk and reward for any politician taking part in a TV debate but what's at stake for the presenters? Julie Etchingham and Krishnan Guru-Murthy both grilled the Conservatives candidates for PM over the weekend. They tell us about the negotiating, the cajoling and the hard graft that makes these live TV events happen, and whether you can ever predict what will make candidates g...

What role does the press play in choosing the next Conservative leader? How do you cover an election campaign that most of the public doesn’t have a say in? And what might all of this mean for Channel 4’s planned privatisation – next week’s Media Bill, which would have included details of the sale, has now been delayed. Guests: Fraser Nelson, Editor, The Spectator, Paul Mason, journalist and campa...

These are perilous moments for Boris Johnson. As we witness a stream of resignations from his government we look at the role the media has played in this latest scandal. From disastrous broadcast media rounds to increasingly hostile editorials, we’ve seen how politics, power and the press intertwine. With Michael Crick political journalist and author, Jane Martinson Columnist and Marjorie Deane Pr...

QAnon is the conspiracy theory that claims Donald Trump has been waging war on a cabal of satanic paedophiles who stole the 2020 US election. Supporters of the baseless theory were among the mob that stormed the US Capitol in January 2021. After nearly two years of silence, the anonymous message board user who signed off as "Q", has posted again. Also in the programme, why Bristol’s mayor is facin...

The media regulator Ofcom has released a review of how the BBC operates. It's considered how the BBC deals with complaints, how it approaches impartiality, and how it decides which services to provide. Across all three, Ofcom wants an improvement. Guests: Kevin Bakhurst, Group Director, Ofcom; Owen Meredith, Chief Executive, News Media Association; Roger Mosey, former Head of TV News, BBC; and Ali...

Carole Cadwalladr gives her first interview after Brexit campaigner Arron Bank loses his libel case against her. Mr Banks, the founder of the pro-Brexit campaign group Leave. EU, sued the investigative journalist for defamation over comments she made about his relationship with the Russian state. Guests: Carole Cadwalladr, investigative journalist, and Sarah Palin, barrister, Doughty Street Chambe...

GB News launched one year ago this week. It promised to disrupt - to hear people, places and issues that other media outlets weren’t paying attention to. The show’s design was certainly different. The opening monologue came from a studio that was almost entirely black. Viewers were noting this, they were noting sound issues too – the start of a range of technical issues for the network as a whole....

Dan Walker has quit BBC Breakfast for a job presenting Channel 5’s flagship news show - what made him go? Also in the programme, as the media prepares for days of Jubilee coverage, are journalists who report on the Royal family capable of ever being truly critical? Guests: Dan Walker, Presenter, 5 News, Jonny Dymond, Royal correspondent, BBC News, Chris Ship, Royal editor, ITV News, and Dr Laura C...

Sue Gray’s report into what went on in Downing Steet during lockdown has finally been published. We now know that staff broke covid rules with the approval of their bosses. Excessive drinking, with people being sick, abuse of cleaning and security staff – events, Sue Gray says, that “should not have been allowed to happen”. Details of some of the events she investigated only became known to her be...

This week we discuss the Wagatha Christie trial and what it told us about celebrity journalism. Simon Boyle, Executive Showbiz Editor at The Sun, tells us how the newspaper managed to keep their journalists out of court. John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg, on new UK expansion plans and who Britain's libel laws are really serving. Also in the programme: Jim Waterson, Media Editor at Th...

As Channel 4 approaches its 40th birthday it faces one of the most pivotal moments in its history. The broadcaster is funded by advertising but is publicly owned, for now. As part of the Queen’s speech this week the government confirmed its plans to privatise Channel 4 – despite the broadcaster’s opposition. In fact, Channel 4 has published an alternative showing us what it wants to become if it w...

Two stories about power – and how it can be abused. The first is the tale of an MP caught looking at porn in the House of Commons and what it might tell us about the culture of political reporting at Westminster. The other is the joint BBC and The Guardian investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by the DJ Tim Westwood. Also in the programme, the future of tech regulation in the UK. Guests: Ch...

Three major stories could change the way we get our news. The multi-million-dollar streaming service CNN+, once billed as the broadcaster’s future, has shut down after less than a month. Over in Silicon Valley, Elon Musk has signed a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter. And the UK has seen the launch of a new broadcast channel in Talk TV. These three models – streaming, social media, and broadcast – o...

Piers Morgan is the star signing for Rupert Murdoch's new TalkTV channel in the UK. His show, "Piers Morgan Uncensored", will also be streamed on Fox Nation in the US and air on Sky News Australia. It represents a significant bet on one man's ability to transfix a global audience. But is it money well spent? Piers Morgan discusses his departure from Good Morning Britain, "cancel culture" and the l...

The government’s plan to privatise Channel 4 has now been revealed. But who is lining up to buy the broadcaster and what could a change in ownership mean for viewers? Also in the programme, the French newspaper Le Monde is hoping to capitalise on interest in the elections by launching a English language edition. But is there a market for it? Guests: Chris Curtis, editor-in-chief of Broadcast; Elvi...

Ira Glass is the presenter and producer behind This American Life, the first ever radio programme to win a Pulitzer Prize. Its spin off podcast, Serial, is credited with revolutionising podcasting and, in 2020, Glass sold Serial Productions to the New York Times for a reported $25 million. Ira discusses the inspiration behind his shows, the changing audio landscape, and responds to accusations of...