The Listening Post

In this special episode of The Listening Post, we examine the rise of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. A democratic socialist and outspoken critic of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Mamdani has faced a barrage of hostility from US mainstream media, the political donor class and the democratic establishment alike. The press has been particularly relentless, questioning not only Mamdani’s progressive policies but also his identity as a Muslim and an immigrant. But Mamdani is a digital native with an international following and a double-digit lead in the polls. His victory would reverberate far beyond New York City, shaking up the Democratic Party nationwide. This episode exposes how the media and the wealthy political class attempted to discredit Mamdani and how, against all odds, he turned their attacks into the foundation of a movement. Contributors: Kate de Gruyter - Senior director of communications, Third Way Adam Johnson - Podcast co-host, Citations Needed Briahna Joy Gray - Podcast host, Bad Faith Jon Paul Lupo - Consultant, Vocable Communications Presenter: Richard Gizbert Produced by: Elettra Scrivo, Ella Willis & Meenakshi Ravi

El-Fasher, Sudan: a city besieged, starving and largely unseen. As journalists come under fire in Sudan, a lack of international media interest is helping to conceal one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Contributors: Hassan Berkia – Journalist Kholood Khair – Director, Confluence Advisory Khalid Medani – Associate Professor, McGill Institute of Islamic Studies On our radar: In the occupied West Bank, American journalist Jasper Nathaniel filmed Israeli settlers – backed by soldiers – attacking Palestinians during the olive harvest. Ryan Kohls speaks to Nathaniel about what he witnessed and what it reveals about Israel’s culture of impunity. Why India’s media faces scepticism beyond its borders India’s news channels were once symbols of a vibrant democracy. Today, they’re seen by many of India’s neighbours as propaganda tools - exporting jingoism, sensationalism and Hindutva politics across borders. Meenakshi Ravi reports on rising anti-India sentiment in the region and a crisis of credibility that no longer stops at home. Featuring: Roman Gautam – Editor, Himal Southasian Deepak Kumar Goswami – Filmmaker & actor Smita Sharma – Journalist

As Donald Trump tries to take credit for a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel continues to kill Palestinians. And as both Israeli and Palestinian captives are released, the glaring double standards in coverage lay bare how this genocide was allowed to go on for so long. Contributors:  Tahani Mustafa – Visiting Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya Kenneth Roth – Former Executive Director, Human Rights Watch Oren Ziv – Journalist, +972 Magazine On our radar This year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, chose to dedicate her award to Donald Trump. Meenakshi Ravi reports on what motivated the Venezuelan opposition leader to pander to the United States president. All the president’s women: the rise of the ‘womanosphere’ For years, the right-wing media space has been dominated by men. But the 2024 election shone a light on a rising parallel force within Donald Trump’s MAGA movement: the so-called "womanosphere". Across YouTube channels, social media and podcasts, conservative women are rebranding right-wing politics for a female audience. Featuring:  Annie Kelly – UK Correspondent, QAA Podcast Nicole Kiprilov – Republican Party strategist Eviane Leidig – Author, The Women of the Far Right

For the past couple of months, the billionaire father-son duo of Larry and David Ellison have been making deals involving major media brands. Having acquired Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, they appointed Bari Weiss - an outspoken supporter of Israel - as the network’s editor-in-chief. The moves by the Ellisons are not just about growing their media empire, but about shaping the narrative around Israel in the US, where public support continues to decline. Contributors:  David Klion - Columnist, The Nation Danielle Moodie - Host, The Danielle Moodie Show Ryan Grim - Reporter, Drop Site News On our radar: Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire, ending two years of genocide. It’s a moment that brought relief to Palestinians in Gaza. But for Donald Trump, it was an opportunity for self-congratulation - with both he and his allies emphasising how pivotal he was in making things happen. Tariq Nafi has been following the story. Chega: How Portugal's media gave populism a megaphone In Portugal, the far-right party Chega, once on the fringes, is leading the polls, and its leader, Andre Ventura, has become one of the country’s most recognisable political figures. Ventura’s rise has been spurred by his television background and carefully crafted media persona. The onetime football pundit has become a political showman. And he’s been amplified by the country’s mainstream media, who have been chasing ratings over accountability.  Ryan Kohls reports. Featuring: Miguel Carvalho - Journalist Ines Narciso - Disinformation researcher, Iscte-Iul Anabela Neves - Journalist, CNN Portugal

In this special episode, we examine the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza during two years of Israeli genocide. With international media barred from freely reporting in the Strip, local journalists have risked their lives to document the unprecedented killing, destruction and displacement around them. Since October 7, 2023, more media workers have been killed in Gaza than in any modern conflict. Families have been torn apart, homes and offices destroyed, and reporters have been wounded, seen their families killed or have been killed themselves. This episode reveals the extraordinary playbook employed by Israel to threaten, intimidate, smear and target Palestinian journalists. Contributors: Wael Dahdouh – Gaza Bureau Chief, Al Jazeera Jodie Ginsberg – Chief Executive, Committee to Protect Journalists Sharif Abdel Kouddous – Journalist & Editor, Drop Site News Rachel Shabi – Journalist and author Presenter: Richard Gizbert Produced by: Soumaya El Filali, Monazza Farooqi, Ella Willis, Tariq Nafi, Meenakshi Ravi

After almost 2 years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Western powers have issued synchronised declarations recognising Palestinian statehood - a diplomatic move seemingly born out of the immense public pressure they face. What’s missing from the story is the concrete measures those governments could take to stop the slaughter in Gaza, as well as their complicity by continuing to supply weapons to Israel. Contributors: Ines Abdel Razek – Co-director, Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy Michael Lynk – Former UN special rapporteur, occupied Palestinian territory Michael Omer-Man – Director Israel-Palestine, DAWN Seamus Malekafzali - Journalist On our radar: Three years into a civil war, Sudan is one of the most underreported stories in the world. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the near-collapse of the country’s media industry and the journalists trying to break the information blockade. How Palantir got techno-militiarism trending Silicon Valley CEOs are increasingly making the case that their technologies can transform the way that wars are fought. And of all the companies involved in this military-tech boom, one stands out: Palantir. Branding itself as America First, the data analytics firm has won billions of dollars in contracts and makes no apologies for the need to kill people - if that's what it takes to protect Western interests. Tariq Nafi reports on how the company sells a sleek, one-click solution to warfare. Featuring: Juan Sebastian Pinto – Former Palantir employee Matt Mahmoudi – Researcher, Amnesty Tech Elke Schwarz – Author, Death Machines: The Ethics of Violent Technologies

It’s been just more than a week since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and in death, as in life, the far-right podcaster is proving divisive. While his supporters mourn, many critics have seized the moment to call out his polarising legacy - a legacy now being weaponised by far-right leaders from DC to Tel Aviv. Contributors: Jeffrey Sharlet - Professor, Dartmouth College Jude Russo - Managing editor, The American Conservative Kyle Spencer - CEO, The Pro-Democracy Information Lab Meredith Clark - UNC Hussman School of Journalism & Media On our radar: This week, the UN formally declared what Palestinians have long been saying: That Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. In English, Israeli officials are indignant at the charge. But in Hebrew, they continue to provide more evidence of their genocidal intent. Ryan Kohls reports. Russia, Ukraine and The Trump Effect Donald Trump’s second term has injected unpredictability into the Russia-Ukraine war: Unsettling Kyiv, emboldening Moscow and forcing media on both sides to recalibrate. The Listening Post hears from an exiled Russian journalist and a Ukrainian media scholar on how the conflict is being framed - and what both sides fear will come next. Featuring: Dariya Orlova - Associate professor, Mohyla School of Journalism Mikhail Fishman - Journalist, TV Rain

Israel’s rampage through the Middle East continues, with an attack on United States ally, Qatar. As Arab nations evaluate the value of a US security guarantee, we examine the fallout in the region and beyond. Contributors: Elham Fakhro – Research Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Laleh Khalili – Professor of Gulf Studies, University of Exeter Yossi Mekelberg – Senior Fellow, Chatham House Yousef Munayyer – Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC On our radar: A youth-led social media movement over the luxurious lifestyles of Nepal’s "nepo kids" culminated this week in the ouster of the country’s prime minister and days of violent unrest. Meenakshi Ravi examines the government’s unsuccessful effort to control the narrative. Covering corruption in South Africa Thirty years after the end of apartheid in South Africa, the African National Congress’s rampant corruption has widened inequality. Those trying to expose that corruption - whistleblowers - are paying the ultimate price - with their lives. Featuring:  Devoshum Moodley-Veera – Whistleblower activist Pieter-Louis Myburgh – Investigative Journalist, Daily Maverick Songezo Zibi – Leader, Rise Mzansi

Israel’s renewed offensive in Gaza City - the largest Palestinian population centre - is being framed as an assault on Hamas’s “final stronghold”. But behind that narrative lies a campaign of expulsion and erasure that bears all the hallmarks of an endgame. Contributors:  Dana Mills - Writer, Local Call & +972 Magazine Muhammad Shehada - Journalist Saree Makdisi - Professor of English & Comparative Literature, UCLA Tahani Mustafa - Visiting fellow, ECFR On our radar: A new AI-generated website unveiled by an Israeli minister claims to “uncover the hidden ties” between Palestinian journalists and Hamas. And despite its amateurish feel, it follows a pattern of dangerous smears against Palestinians. Post’s Tariq Nafi reports. The sci-fi obsessions of the tech elite Silicon Valley’s tech titans often say they are shaping a better tomorrow. This is a clique of men - names like Musk, Zuckerberg, Thiel and Altman - who all say they’ve been heavily influenced by science fiction. But those imagined sci-fi futures often come with a dystopian side, warnings that tech billionaires have seemingly failed to understand. Featuring:  Alex Hanna - Director, Distributed AI Research Institute Max Read - Senior editor, New York magazine Tim Maughan - Author and Journalist

India is expelling Bengali Muslims - stripping citizenship, detaining and deporting them to Bangladesh. The crackdown has spread nationwide, prompted by years of BJP propaganda and a news media all too willing to sell the story of a Muslim "enemy within". Contributors:  Shoaib Daniyal - Political editor, Scroll Fatima Khan - Political journalist Vaishna Roy - Editor, Frontline magazine Paranjoy Guha Thakurta - Journalist and filmmaker On our radar: The images of starving Palestinians in Gaza have provoked global outrage. Israel has launched a PR campaign to deflect blame. Ryan Kohls reports. An interview with Alex Shephard Alex Shephard of The New Republic explains how Donald Trump is putting unprecedented pressure on US media outlets. After CBS was forced to settle out of court with the president, Trump is now suing the Wall Street Journal and its owner - Rupert Murdoch - as well as politicising the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Featuring: Alex Shephard - Senior editor, The New Republic