The Listening Post

After 12 years of being shunned for his crackdown on protests that pushed Syria towards civil war, President Bashar al-Assad returned to the Arab League’s annual summit. The process of al-Assad’s rehabilitation - spearheaded by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman - has taken years of PR, spin, photo ops and the casting aside of history.Contributors:Arwa Damon - Former senior international correspondent, CNNFaisal Al Yafai - International editor, New Lines magazineNabih Bulos - Middle East bureau chief, Los Angeles TimesSarah Hunaidi - Human rights advocateOn our radar:With a year and a half left to go before the US presidential elections, a sideshow has been unfolding within the right-wing media - it is all about who gets to tell the story first. Producer Meenakshi Ravi reports on the battle that sees Twitter pitted against Fox News.The exposé that exposed the Ecuadorian presidentEcuador’s president, Guillermo Lasso, is hanging by a thread. He faces an impeachment trial with accusations of corruption at the highest level. Producer Flo Phillips looks into the journalists and the investigative outlet - La Posta - that broke the story.Contributors:Andersson Boscán - Founder and editor-in-chief, La PostaManel Palos-Pons - Assistant professor of journalism, San Jose State UniversityMaría Sol Borja - Political editor, GKSubscribe 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

With President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the verge of re-election in the second round next week, what’s next for what is left of Turkish journalism?Contributors:Mustafa Akyol - Senior Fellow, Cato InstituteRavza Kavakci Kan - AK Party Member of ParliamentSeren Selvin Korkmaz - Co-founder, IstanPol Institute & Lecturer, Stockholm UniversityGüney Yildiz - Researcher & AnalystOn our radar:Another death in Guatemala. Producer Flo Phillips reports on elPeriódico, the investigative magazine forced to close after coming into conflict with the powers that be.US vs China: The (cold) war of words:Reflecting tensions or creating them? Producer Meenakshi Ravi looks at the media’s role in the geopolitical staredown between two of the world’s great economic and military powers - China and the United States.Contributors:Kaiser Kuo - Host, Sinica PodcastLizzi Lee - Journalist, Wall Street TVEinar Tangen - Senior Fellow, Taihe Institute & Founder, Asia NarrativesSubscribe 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

Palestinian existence in Jerusalem is under threat - carefully watched, recorded and restricted. In the Old City’s narrow streets and alleys, cameras are inescapable.In the second episode of a two-part special, Tariq Nafi reports from the occupied West Bank, on how Israel’s surveillance machine infiltrates the lives of Palestinians. He also speaks with a former Israeli lieutenant in Unit 8200 - the elite intelligence unit responsible for spying on Palestinians.Contributors:Rula Jamal - Head of Monitoring & Documentation, Al HaqJalal Abukhater - WriterAmal Sumarin - Silwan residentHelga Tawil-Souri - Associate Professor, NYUIsraeli former Lieutenant Eli - Unit 8200Watch Part one: https://youtu.be/B1RNj8FXKqYSubscribe 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

Palestinians in Hebron are some of the most heavily monitored and controlled people on the planet.In the first episode of a two-part special, Tariq Nafi reports from the occupied West Bank on the previously unknown facial recognition system ‘Red Wolf’, uncovered by Amnesty International and Breaking the Silence.Contributors:  Izzat Karaki — activist; volunteer, Youth Against SettlementsSophia Goodfriend — journalist; researcher, Duke UniversityMatt Mahmoudi — researcher and adviser, Amnesty InternationalFormer Major General B — ex-Israeli military officer who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymityWith thanks to Amnesty International, Breaking the Silence, B’Tselem, Durham University, Akevot Institute, and Rona Sela.Subscribe 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

The Sudanese capital, Khartoum, looks like a war zone these days, as two generals and their armies fight for control of one country. Both are pushing their narratives on social media and jostling for command of the state-run airwaves.Contributors:Declan Walsh - Chief Africa correspondent, The New York TimesMatthew Benson - Sudan research director, London School of EconomicsYassmin Abdel-Magied - Author, Talking About A RevolutionHager Ali - Research fellow, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)Dallia Mohammed Abdelmoneim – Sudanese activistOn our radar:This past week marked the 75th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel and, as producer Meenakshi Ravi explains, the words one European official chose to mark the occasion have drawn a furious backlash.Racism and repression in Kais Saied’s Tunisia:Producer Tariq Nafi reports on the xenophobic rhetoric of Tunisia’s president, Kais Saied, and the surge in violence it has triggered against the country’s Black community.Contributors:Monia Ben Hamadi - Editor-in-chief, InkyfadaReem Garfi - Anti-racism activistAmine Snoussi - Journalist and political analystSubscribe 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

Twitter, the damage that Elon Musk has done to the brand and the journalists who can’t quite quit the platformContributors:Bobby Allyn - technology reporter, NPRMatt Binder - reporter, MashableShirin Ghaffary - senior social media correspondent, VOXAmanda Silberling - senior culture writer, TechCrunchOn our radar:Fox News settles with Dominion Voting Systems. "The Big Lie" came with a big price tag, but producer Flo Phillips explains how the conservative news network got away with a lot more than it paid for.Venezuela's alternative media movement:The social infrastructure in Venezuela is collapsing, and when journalists bring that up, they have to contend with President Nicolás Maduro’s government and its authoritarian tendencies. Producer Ryan Kohls looks at the media outlets driven underground in Maduro’s Venezuela.Contributors:Daniela Alvarado - The Press & Society Institute of VenezuelaLaura Helena Castillo Rodríguez - co-founder, El Bus TVRoberto Deniz  - journalist, Armando.infoVladimir Villegas - host, Vladimir Villegas TVSubscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ajlisteningpostFind us on Facebook https://www.instagram.com/ajlisteningpostCheck our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#news #twitter #elonmusk #musk #us #politics

Twitter, the damage that Elon Musk has done to the brand and the journalists who can’t quite quit the platformContributors:Bobby Allyn - technology reporter, NPRMatt Binder - reporter, MashableShirin Ghaffary - senior social media correspondent, VOXAmanda Silberling - senior culture writer, TechCrunchOn our radar:Fox News settles with Dominion Voting Systems. "The Big Lie" came with a big price tag, but producer Flo Phillips explains how the conservative news network got away with a lot more than it paid for.Venezuela's alternative media movement:The social infrastructure in Venezuela is collapsing, and when journalists bring that up, they have to contend with President Nicolás Maduro’s government and its authoritarian tendencies. Producer Ryan Kohls looks at the media outlets driven underground in Maduro’s Venezuela.Contributors:Daniela Alvarado - The Press & Society Institute of VenezuelaLaura Helena Castillo Rodríguez - co-founder, El Bus TVRoberto Deniz  - journalist, Armando.infoVladimir Villegas - host, Vladimir Villegas TVSubscribe 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

Washington is dealing with the biggest United States intelligence leak in a decade. Among the secrets already revealed: sensitive information on the war in Ukraine and evidence of the US spying on its allies. American officials are in diplomatic damage control mode, trying to manage the coverage of a story that shows no sign of letting up.Contributors:Anatol Lieven - Eurasia programme director, Quincy Institute for Responsible StatecraftAnton Barbashin - Editorial director, RiddleIdrees Ali - National security correspondent, ReutersLucy Birge - Russian media specialist and open-source researcherOn our radar:Producer Flo Phillips looks into leaks of a different kind at Fox News. An upcoming lawsuit and a bunch of private text messages, made public, turn an interview with former President Donald Trump into an awkward affair.Street papers changing the perception of homelessness:"Street papers" are part of the media landscape worldwide - providing the unhoused vendors who sell them an income, and the audiences that read them stories surrounding homelessness. Producer Johanna Hoes looks into Street Roots, a paper based in Portland, Oregon, telling the word on the street, from the ground up.Contributors:Israel Bayer - Director, International Network of Street Papers North AmericaDumpsta D - Vendor and poet, Street RootsKaren Flemming - Vendor, Street RootsChris Herring - Professor of sociology, UCLANettie Johnson - Vendor and writer, Street RootsDeVon Pouncey - Vendor program director, Street RootsKaia Sand - Executive director, Street RootsSubscribe 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

The hard-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu is facing off against Israeli protesters triggered by sweeping changes to judicial powers in the country. Adding to the cacophony is news coverage from outlets that range from the Fox-style Channel 14, with its conspiracy theories and pro-government talking points, to the opportunistic Channel 13, which is trying to recast itself as being supportive of the protests.Contributors:Eva Berger - Senior lecturer in media studies, COLMANJoshua Leifer - Contributing editor, Jewish CurrentsDiana Buttu - Lawyer and political activistOren Persico - Writer, The Seventh EyeOn our radar:In the geopolitical battle between the United States and China, one of the world’s most popular social media sites - TikTok - is taking a beating. And there is no resolution in sight just yet. Meenakshi Ravi has been tracking this story.Greece’s spyware scandal:Greece is facing a continuing surveillance scandal after it was revealed that several journalists had their phones hacked by spyware employed for surveillance by the Greek intelligence service. While a scandal of this magnitude should typically attract the attention of the country’s media, it is not. Producer Phillips Flo reports on Greece’s spyware scandal and the silence of the country’s media on the affair.Contributors:Eliza Triantafillou - Investigative journalist, Inside StoryThanasis Koukakis - Financial editor, CNN GreeceStefanos Loukopoulos - Co-founder and director, VouliwatchSubscribe 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

When former United States president Donal Trump posted news of his imminent indictment, it set off a wave of headlines. News coverage in the US was divided along standard partisan lines, and all of them were fodder for Trump’s 2024 campaign machine.Contributors:Ankush Khardori - Former federal prosecutor; contributing editor, New York MagazineJon Allsop - JournalistJohn Nichols - Co-Author, The Death and Life of American Journalism; national affairs correspondent, The NationJennifer Stromer-Galley - Professor of Information Studies, Syracuse UniversityOn our radar:Within days of the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, the Kremlin orchestrated a photo op with the president of China. The message: that Russia does not stand alone. Producer Johanna Hoes has more.Nicaragua: Hell for journalists:What is life like for journalists in Nicaragua? In the 15 years President Daniel Ortega has been in power, the country has become a living hell for journalists. The Listening Post’s Tariq Nafi reports on how the one-time poster child of the international left turned into an enemy of the press and the journalists in Nicaragua who continue to show resistance.Contributors:Carlos Fernando Chamorro - Director, Esta SemanaJournalist - Founder, ConfidencialBianca Jagger - Human rights advocateSubscribe 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