
The Listening Post
A weekly programme that examines and dissects the world's media, how they operate and the stories they cover.
Latest episodes

Oct 22, 2023 • 26min
Israel-Gaza: Genocidal rhetoric and the fog of war | The Listening Post
Two weeks into Israel’s war on Gaza, what the world is witnessing - from Israeli leaders' racist and genocidal rhetoric to the mass killing of Palestinian civilians - bears the hallmarks of a historic crime. This episode looks at how the media are responding - in Israel and beyond.Contributors:Neve Gordon - professor of international law and human rights, Queen Mary UniversityTariq Kenney-Shawa - US policy fellow, Al-ShabakaAntony Loewenstein - Author of books such as The Palestine LaboratoryYousef Munayyer - senior fellow, Arab Center Washington, DCSherine Tadros - deputy director of advocacy & UN representative, Amnesty InternationalFrom disinformation to 'shadow banning': Marwa Fatafta on the digital front lineWith journalists locked out of the Gaza Strip, social platforms have become a vital means of finding and sharing information as well as another front in the propaganda war. Marwa Fatafta, a Palestinian digital rights analyst, talks us through the online dimension of this conflict - including disinformation, hate speech and the censorship of Palestinian voices.Contributor:Marwa Fatafta - MENA policy manager, Access Now

Oct 14, 2023 • 29min
The crucial context of Israel’s war on Gaza | The Listening Post
What we are seeing in the occupied Gaza Strip and Israel has no precedent - thebarbarism, the talk of vengeance, the war crimes. And the signs, all too familiar ones, of journalists succumbing to the pressures under the powers that be.In this special episode, we delve into the news coverage of the war in Palestine and Israel. We examine the narratives that have emerged since Hamas’s surprise attack - a seismic news event that is destined to take ownership of the date on which it happened - October 7, 2023.Contributors:Mariam Barghouti - Writer and JournalistDaniel Levy - President, US/Middle East ProjectMouin Rabbani - Co-editor, JadaliyyaMeron Rapoport - Editor, Local CallSarah Leah Whitson - Executive Director, DAWN

Oct 7, 2023 • 25min
Why Poland’s election is so important for Europe | The Listening Post
With a week to go until elections in Poland, the ruling Law and Justice Party has used its control of the public broadcaster to drown out opposition voices and push its anti-European Union, anti-migrant messaging.Contributors:Jan Cienski - Senior Policy Editor, Politico EuropePaulina Lenik - Assistant Professor, Kozminski UniversityAnita Prazmowska - Professor in International History, LSEWojciech Przybylski - Editor-in-Chief, Visegrad InsightOn our radar:Police in Delhi raided the offices of news website NewsClick, detaining journalists over accusations of spreading Chinese propaganda. Johanna Hoes reports on the climate of tense Sino-Indian relations behind the arrests, and the unlikely source of the tip-off.Why Russia is looting Ukraine’s art:From the moment the Russian invasion began, museum workers in Ukraine knew they were coming for their collections. Tariq Nafi looks into the war being waged against Ukraine’s heritage and history.Contributors:Milena Chorna - Head of the International Exhibitions Department, National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World WarAlina Dotsenko - Director, Kherson Regional Art MuseumIhor Poshyvailo - General Director, Maidan MuseumSubscribe 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

Sep 30, 2023 • 25min
Rupert Murdoch steps down, Lachlan Murdoch steps up | The Listening Post
The resignation of 92-year-old media magnate Rupert Murdoch has set in motion the long-awaited succession of his empire. What effect will his son Lachlan’s leadership have on media - and politics - worldwide?Contributors:Kerry Flynn - Media Reporter, AxiosDes Freedman - Professor, Goldsmiths, University of LondonMatt Gertz - Senior Fellow, Media Matters for AmericaPaddy Manning - Author, The SuccessorOn our radar:With a general election just two weeks away, a Polish film telling the story of Syrian and Afghan refugees has drawn the ire of the country’s ruling party. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the campaign targeting the film’s director.The Mafia’s TikTok takeover:Elements of the Italian underworld are surfacing … online. Flo Phillips reports, from Rome, on the Mafia’s new stomping ground - TikTok.Contributors:Alessandra Dolci - Deputy Prosecutor, Milan Anti-Mafia DirectorateNico Falco - Journalist, FanpageMarcello Ravveduto - Professor of Public and Digital History, University of SalernoSubscribe 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

Sep 23, 2023 • 25min
Libya: Media clampdown amidst a disaster | The Listening Post
As the residents of the city of Derna count their dead, authorities in eastern Libya expel news crews from the city and evade scrutiny of their role in the disaster.Contributors:Elham Saudi - Co-founder & director, Lawyers for Justice in LibyaSami Zaptia - Editor-in-chief, Libya HeraldAnas El Gomati - Director, Sadeq InstituteOn our radar:Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch announced his resignation this week aged 92, handing over the reins of his empire to his son. Reporter Johanna Hoes explains the implications of the long-awaited move.Archiving Nigeria’s past in print:Fu’ad Lawal is a Nigerian journalist on a mission; to make a free online archive of the country’s newspapers since 1960. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the ambitious project aiming to bring Nigeria’s past to life.Contributors:Fu’ad Lawal - Founder, Archivi.NgRuth Zakari - Editor-in-chief, ZikokoToyin Falola - Author, Decolonizing African Studies, Professor, University of Texas at AustinSubscribe 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

Sep 16, 2023 • 25min
Understanding the Saudi sports investment | The Listening Post
Saudi Arabia’s massive spending on sport is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s strategy to diversify the petrostate’s economy and re-shape its brand.Contributors:Abdullah Al-Arian - Author, Football in the Middle EastGregg Carlstrom - Middle East Correspondent, The EconomistKristin Diwan - Senior Research Scholar, The Arab Gulf States InstituteRayhan Uddin - Journalist, Middle East EyeOn our radar:This week saw the launch of the biggest antitrust trial of the century against tech behemoth, Google. Flo Phillips explains what’s at stake, and why governments in the US and Europe are taking big tech to task.God and atheism on YouTube:Religious evangelists of all stripes have long enjoyed large platforms on social media - now, atheism is growing online. The Listening Post’s Ryan Kohls reports from the US on the country's Godless apostles on YouTube.Contributors:Seth Andrews - YouTuber, @TheThinkingAtheistDrew McCoy - YouTuber, @GeneticallyModifiedSkepticChrissy Stroop - Senior Correspondent, Religion DispatchesSubscribe 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

Sep 9, 2023 • 25min
The Holocaust and the Politics of Memory | The Listening Post
Politicians have long had a tendency to frame the past in a way that suits their political agenda in the present and the Holocaust is no different.In this special episode of The Listening Post, Johanna Hoes reports on historical revisionism in Poland; the governing right-wing Law and Justice party’s attempts to portray all Polish people as heroes or victims while concealing an uncomfortable truth: that some Poles collaborated with the Nazis and were complicit in crimes against Jews.Contributors:Nelly Ben-Or - Holocaust Survivor & PianistMindu Hornick - Auschwitz SurvivorPawel Sawicki - Press Officer, Auschwitz-Birkenau State MuseumJan Grabowski - Professor of History, University of OttawaKatia Patin - Multimedia Editor, Coda StorySubscribe 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

Aug 5, 2023 • 25min
What’s Russia doing in Niger? | The Listening Post
A military takeover in Niger as the Kremlin and Russian mercenaries lurk on the sidelines and the airwaves. But would Russia be any less exploitative than Niger’s old colonial masters?Contributors:Alexis Akwagyiram - Managing editor, Semafor AfricaMathieu Oliver - Journalist, Jeune AfriqueAanu Adeoye - West Africa correspondent, Financial TimesDelina Goxho - Security analystOn our radar:China wants its citizens to be on the lookout - online - for spies. Johanna Hoes looks at their tips and tricks for spotting the difference between work and espionage.India’s media whistleblower:"India’s media is one of its biggest problems right now," says veteran Indian journalist Ravish Kumar, offering a sobering temperature check on the country's news media ahead of an upcoming election.Contributor:Ravish Kumar - Former host, NDTV IndiaSubscribe 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

Jul 29, 2023 • 25min
The video that shattered the silence around Manipur
A viral video revealing a shocking case of sexual assault has put the northeastern Indian state of Manipur on the radar and shed light on a place that the mainstream media has paid scant attention to.Contributors:Anubha Bhonsle - founder, NewsworthySamrat Choudhury - journalist and author, Northeast India: A Political HistoryPatricia Mukhim - editor, The Shillong TimesSushant Singh - consulting editor, The Caravan; senior fellow, Centre for Policy ResearchOn our radar:Israelis are describing the fight over judicial reform as a looming civil war. Producer Tariq Nafi looks at how the Israeli media has covered the story.Satellite imagery: the final frontier for news?:Satellites have entered the newsroom, but are they the all-seeing eye their makers claim them to be? Producer Ahmed Madi reports on the stories they are telling - and the stories they aren't.Contributors:Michael Cruickshank - geospatial analyst and open-source journalistChris Quilty - satellite and space industry analyst; CEO, Quilty AnalyticsLisa Parks - director, Global Media Technologies & Cultures Lab; author, Cultures in Orbit: Satellites and the Televisual

Jul 22, 2023 • 25min
What’s at the heart of the Hollywood strike? | The Listening Post
For the first time in 63 years, Hollywood actors have joined writers in a double strike against studio powerhouses, demanding better pay, fairer working conditions, and protections from present and future AI threats.Contributors:Miranda Banks - Media professor, Loyola Marymount University's School of Film and TelevisionDaheli Hall - Writer and actorMeg James - Senior entertainment writer, Los Angeles TimesSharon Waxman - CEO and founder, The WrapOn our radar:Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the United States this past week in an attempt to smooth over some diplomatic tensions. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the ceremonies and spectacle of the visit.The politics behind football’s greatest rivalry:Spanish voters head to the polls in a general election that could result in the strongest showing for the far right since the days of the Franco dictatorship. Flo Phillips explores the role football has played, and still plays, in Spanish politics and propaganda.Contributors:Guillem Balague - Football journalist and commentatorSid Lowe - Author of Fear and Loathing in La LigaAlejandro Quiroga - Reader in Spanish history, Newcastle UniversitySubscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News
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