Just months after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, Syria has been rocked by an eruption of violence. Coastal towns have turned into killing fields, with forces aligned with the government accused of massacring hundreds of civilians from religious minorities. The Syrian online space is also littered with misinformation - part of an information war that is inciting sectarian fear and deepening divisions, in a country still raw from years of civil war and decades under a brutal regime. Lead contributors: Zaina Erhaim – Journalist Ahmad Primo – Founder, Verify Syria Ola Suliman – Campaigns lead, The Syria Campaign Rim Turkmani – Syria research programme director, LSE On our radar: The Trump White House is waging an unprecedented crackdown on pro-Palestine activism on university campuses. Meenakshi Ravi reports on Mahmoud Khalil - a Columbia graduate and, in theory, permanent US resident, who now faces deportation. ICE’s PR blitz: Immigration raids as entertainment In Trump’s America, immigration enforcement isn’t just policy - it’s a spectacle. With ICE raids increasingly staged for the cameras, and journalists given front-row access to capture dramatic arrests, is it law and order or a made-for-TV performance? The Listening Post’s Tariq Nafi explores the media’s role in shaping the immigration debate. Featuring: Patrick Bet-David – Host, PBD podcast Michelle Garcia – Journalist and author Abraham Paulos – Deputy director, Black Alliance for Just Immigration

Seven weeks into the Gaza ceasefire deal, Israel openly resumes its war crimes in Gaza - blocking humanitarian aid - with the tacit support of the international mainstream media. Lead contributors: Daniel Levy – President, US/Middle East Project Saree Makdisi – Professor of English and comparative literature, UCLA Samira Mohyeddin – Founder, On the Line Media Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya On our radar: The LA Times' new AI "bias meter" - which offers a counterpoint to the paper's opinion pieces, has stirred controversy. Tariq Nafi explores its role in a changing media landscape that's cosying up to Donald Trump. Are the ADL's anti-Semitism stats credible? The Anti-Defamation League is one of the most influential and well-funded NGOs in the US - and it's getting more media attention than ever. The Listening Post’s Meenakshi Ravi reports on the organisation, its high-profile CEO, and its troubling stance: Conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. Featuring: Omar Baddar – Political and media analyst Eva Borgwardt – National spokesperson, If Not Now Emmaia Gelman – Director, The Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism

With international media’s attention on the captive exchange, the Israeli military and settlers are forcibly displacing tens of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank. Meanwhile, Israeli journalists are parroting military talking points of security operations. Contributors: Abdaljawad Omar - Assistant professor, Birzeit University Jehad Abusalim - Co-editor, Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire Ori Goldberg - Academic and political commentator Samira Mohyeddin - Founder, On the Line Media On our radar: This week, the return of the Bibas family bodies dominated Israeli media coverage. Tariq Nafi reports on how their deaths have been used for "hasbara", after the family accused Netanyahu’s government of exploiting their grief for political purposes. The Kenyan ‘Manosphere’ Populated by loudmouths, shock artists and unapologetic chauvinists, the Kenyan "manosphere" is promoting an influential - and at times dangerous - take on modern masculinity. Featuring:  Audrey Mugeni - Co-founder, Femicide Count Kenya Awino Okech - Professor of feminist and security studies, SOAS Onyango Otieno - Mental health coach and writer

The far-right AfD threatens to breach the political "firewall" that has long kept it out of power, as election disinformation from both the US and Russia disrupts the German media’s election coverage. Contributors: Olaf Böhnke - Berlin director, Alliance of Democracies Foundation Ulrich Brückner - Political analyst Michaela Küfner - Chief political editor, DW On our radar: This week, US President Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for starting the war with Russia, kicking off an exchange of barbs with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the diplomatic fallout and the Russian media’s gleeful response. Bukele's media machine: Controlling the narrative in El Salvador Mass arrests, silencing dissent, and prisons for hire; six years on, President Nayib Bukele’s unique brand of populism remains wildly popular in El Salvador. The Listening Post’s Elettra Scrivo reports on the price some journalists have had to pay for it. Featuring: Sergio Arauz - President, the Journalist Association of El Salvador Jessica Ávalos - Investigative journalist Víctor Barahona - Community journalist Andrés Guzman - Presidential commissioner, human rights and freedom of expression

In this engaging discussion, Donald Trump, the former U.S. president, and Elon Musk, the entrepreneurial mastermind behind SpaceX and Tesla, delve into the chaotic landscape of American politics. They explore how Trump's media strategy overwhelms journalists, raising questions about who truly governs. The conversation also critiques the influence of wealth on political decisions, with Musk's contributions highlighting the intertwining of power, media, and policy. Listeners are prompted to reconsider the implications of this tumultuous control over media narratives.

The return of more than half a million displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, having survived war, siege and starvation, is a historic moment. For right-wing media outlets in Israel, however, it's a humiliation. Contributors: Abdullah Al-Arian – Associate Professor, Georgetown University in Qatar Jehad Abusalim – Executive Director, Institute for Palestine Studies Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man – Director of Israel-Palestine Research, DAWN Yara Hawari – Co-Director, Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network On our radar The new White House press secretary gives the media briefing a Trumpian makeover. Ryan Kohl reports. Black Myth: Wukong - China’s journey to the west Merging traditional Chinese folklore with modern technology, the video game Black Myth: Wukong is revolutionising China’s gaming industry - and politicians in Beijing are reaping the rewards. Featuring: Daniel Camilo – China Gaming Consultant Lizzi Lee – Host, The China Project Tingting Liu – Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney

In this discussion, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, an insightful editor focused on Sudan, and Hager Ali, a research fellow specializing in global affairs, dissect the ongoing civil war in Sudan amid a backdrop of media neglect. They highlight the staggering humanitarian crisis, emphasizing the displacement and hunger facing millions. The duo critiques the imbalanced media coverage and explores the international dynamics at play. They also shine a light on the courage of Sudanese resistance committees pushing for democracy despite overwhelming odds.

The algorithms that Big Tech designed - and the genocide they assisted. The Listening Post explores how Israel’s killing campaign of Palestinians has relied on artificial intelligence to choose its targets. A dystopian nightmare serves as a marketing campaign for technology flawed by design, and deepens the global digital divide.Contributors:Sophia Goodfriend – Researcher, Duke UniversityMona Shtaya – Digital rights scholarMatthew Mahmoudi – Researcher, Amnesty TechSebastian Ben Daniel – Journalist, +972 MagazineOn our radar:Nicaragua put Germany in the dock at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of facilitating genocide in Gaza. Germany is the second largest weapons supplier to Israel.Meenakshi Ravi dissects the reaction from Berlin and the German media to the case.Truth to power in wartime UkraineThree years into Ukraine’s war with Russia, journalists are feeling the pressure. Where once investigative outlet Bihus.info was relied on to expose Russian war crimes, they’re now undergoing Soviet-style surveillance by security services for exposing corruption in Ukraine.Featuring:Yaroslav Yurchyshyn – Ukrainian Member of Parliament and chair, Freedom of Speech CommitteeNatalia Ligachova – Editor-in-Chief, Detector MediaMaria Zemlyanska – Investigative journalist, Bihus.InfoDenys Bihus – Founder, Bihus.InfoSubscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News

It is election season in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems set to win a third successive term in the national elections — for good reason, say his supporters. They claim 10 years of the Modi government have transformed India, from lifting millions out of poverty to elevating India’s global status, but his critics say Modi’s record is far from perfect.In this episode of The India Report, we analyse how India has fared in the past decade on the foreign policy and economic policy fronts.Featuring:Jayati Ghosh - Professor of economics, University of MassachusettsAnand Gurumurthy - BJP spokesperson  and economistSuhasini Haider - Diplomatic affairs editor, The HinduRaghuram Rajan - Former governor, Reserve Bank of IndiaVeena Sikri - Former external affairs diplomat for India

With international reporters locked out, Palestinian journalists have made huge sacrifices to keep the world informed of the unprecedented killing and destruction in Gaza.More media workers have been killed by Israel since October 7 than in any other conflict in modern history.Like the rest of the population, Gaza's journalists have also been maimed, arrested or threatened, have seen their homes and offices destroyed and are grieving over the loss of those close to them.The Listening Post spent time with three Al Jazeera journalists between February and March 2024.Contributors:Anas al-Sharif – Reporter, Al Jazeera ArabicHind Khoudary – Reporter, Al Jazeera EnglishMarah Elwadiya – Journalist, Al Jazeera DigitalA Listening Post/Ain Media co-production.Tariq Nafi – Senior ProducerShrouq Aila – Gaza-based ProducerAhmed Madi – ProducerKit Harwood – EditorMeenakshi Ravi – Executive ProducerSubscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News