The Slow Newscast
The Observer
The Slow Newscast from The Observer takes the news slowly. We investigate, and every week we focus on stories that really matter in the UK and around the world. From wars in Ukraine and Gaza through to true crime and injustice and real life mysteries, The Slow Newscast team is devoted to narrative investigations covering some of the biggest topics of the day.Who are the people biohacking themselves in a quest for immortality? Or the man taking on an entire nation in the high seas to protect whales? And what happened when humanity's most distant messenger fell silent? From a newsroom with a different approach to journalism these are the stories we tell.To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalistsIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 30, 2020 • 29min
The hopeful Chancellor: is Rishi Sunak the right man for the job?
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is diligent and decent, but is he really the right man for the job of saving the British economy? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 23, 2020 • 34min
Silenced in China: the price of protest
As president Xi uses the pandemic to crack down again, we speak to Dr Teng Biao and Simon Cheng about their treatment in China's battle to control its people Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 16, 2020 • 43min
"How are you?" Mental health in lockdown
"How are you?" used to be a throwaway question, but the pandemic has given it new meaning. Former spin-doctor Alastair Campbell, now a prominent mental health campaigner, asks high-profile people from sport, politics and entertainment how they've coped with life's new realities. Their answers have something to say to all of us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 9, 2020 • 37min
Death at the ministry: a very British injustice
Late every evening in London at the Ministry of Justice, dozens of poorly-paid workers slip into the offices to begin their night-time cleaning jobs. Many - maybe most - have recently arrived in the UK. Economically, their lives are precarious. But when coronavirus struck life itself became precarious. Emanuel Gomes and Luis Eduardo Veintimilla are two of the cleaners at the Ministry who carried on working there as the virus took hold around them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 2, 2020 • 29min
Uncommon wealth: money and the British Crown
The royal family's finances are mysterious, and the strange formula which calculates the money they get from the taxpayer is badly understood. Tortoise has been going through the accounts. What they show is a family which has become enormously richer over recent years and may benefit from huge windfalls in years to come. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 25, 2020 • 31min
Together, with Jurgen Klopp
Like a handful of football managers before him, Jurgen Klopp is fascinating as a leader. His ability to motivate people around him would be exceptional in any occupation, in any circumstances, and the connection he has forged with the city of Liverpool is extraordinary. Klopp's explanation for his success is simplicity itself: a belief in selflessness and community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 18, 2020 • 51min
The sick man: Boris Johnson, Britain and the virus
Boris Johnson could have died from coronavirus. He recovered, but the costs to the country of his illness were huge. Government was paralysed without him and vital decisions weren't taken. How did things fall apart so badly in Number 10 Downing St? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 11, 2020 • 32min
Black Lives Matter 2020
The protests on the streets of the United States and around the world have taken the authorities by surprise. But they haven't sprung from nowhere; they've sprung from attitudes and events dating back hundreds of years. Previous protests demanding racial justice - famously, the riots in Chicago in 1968 - didn't heal the problems of the communities which took to the streets. In fact, in Chicago's case, they created scars which are still visible today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 4, 2020 • 33min
Inside Amazon: a superpower in a pandemic
Amazon is a true economic superpower; a company of a scale and kind we haven't seen before. It's relentless in its pursuit of efficiency on behalf of its customers, but what does it believe in? How does it see its place in the world? Tortoise is investigating the big tech companies as rigorously as if they were countries. What sort of country has Jeff Bezos created? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 28, 2020 • 24min
What if they don't turn up?
It's not just the hopes of young people which depend on them going to university, whole towns and cities rely on them too. The British government estimated that education would be worth £23bn to the UK economy this year. If coronavirus keeps students away, universities, shops, landlords, pubs and clubs will all be poorer. In some places, it could be a devastating blow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
