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
May 21, 2020 • 28min
Cash and caring: the business of care homes
No part of British society has been harder hit by the coronavirus pandemic than care homes. 15,000 people have died there. Why were they uniquely vulnerable? Partly because they housed vulnerable people; partly because the financial structures that lie behind them left them open to a disaster of this kind. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 14, 2020 • 27min
The jobs tightrope
When coronavirus struck and the UK locked down, the government began paying the wages of furloughed workers. It's a hugely expensive policy. There are risks in continuing it but the risks of stopping may be even greater. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 7, 2020 • 29min
Undercrowded and overfunded: the Nightingale hospitals
The Nightingale hospitals - huge intensive care hospitals built in a matter of days to deal with the overspill if regular hospitals couldn't cope with the numbers of coronavirus patients - are sitting empty. It's good news, but what does it tell us about the way the British government has handled this pandemic? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 30, 2020 • 26min
Coronavirus in Africa: the final straw?
Claude Jibidar is country director for the World Food Programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo - a huge country beset with vast problems, not just food shortages but armed conflict and ebola as well. As the coronavirus hits, this fragile state will struggle to cope. Many of Claude's colleagues have left, fearful of contracting cover-19 in a place with such poor healthcare. But Claude has chosen to stay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 23, 2020 • 29min
No weddings and fourteen funerals
Jan Gould is the vicar for the Church in Wales in the parish of Glen Ely in Cardiff. It's a poor neighbourhood and the church is still an important part of the community. In normal times, there's a natural balance between births, deaths and marriages. But the coronavirus has disrupted that balance. These days, Jan is dealing with a sea of funerals and coping with the restrictions of lockdown that make the job of a parish priest more difficult.We mention Befrienders, an organisation of volunteers who work to prevent suicide. You can find them at https://www.befrienders.org/directory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 16, 2020 • 28min
Covid-19: The 5G conspiracy
This week on the slow news podcast, we’re looking at the messy conspiracy theory of 5G and Covid-19. What has been going on? And why are these ideas spreading? We’ve had the investigative reporter James Ball looking for answers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 9, 2020 • 29min
The zoo-keeper: surviving coronavirus
The coronavirus lockdown is not just a difficult time for business, it's an emotional time. How to survive as a going concern? How to treat workers fairly? And, if your business is running a zoo, how to think about the welfare of animals as well as humans? Twycross Zoo in the UK is celebrated for its role in animal conservation. But that won't protect it from some very difficult decisions ahead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 2, 2020 • 26min
Coronaviolence: domestic abuse in a lockdown
One of the unavoidable consequences of the coronavirus lockdown is that it traps women and children with their abusers. And for women seeking to escape, the routes out may be closed. Even making a phone call for help may be impossible. Basia Cummings has been talking to people trying to help victims of domestic abuse in unimaginably difficult circumstances. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 26, 2020 • 32min
Lives on the line: why is coronavirus killing so many health workers?
In some countries where the coronavirus has hit hard - Italy or Spain - health workers account for up to 20% of people infected, and the death toll among them is mounting. The front line of health has become a very dangerous place, and that may be one of the stories of this pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 19, 2020 • 30min
How pandemics end
Pandemics are part of life. They've caused millions of deaths over the centuries but, in the end, the lesson of history is that, just like the Black Death, smallpox, cholera and many others, this pandemic will pass. How and why does that happen? What do human beings do, what do viruses do, to learn to live with each other? With special guest Professor Deenan Pillay, Professor of Virology at University College London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
