

The News Meeting
The Observer
Every Monday and Friday three journalists battle it out to try and convince the editor that their pitch should lead the news. Discover what goes on behind the scenes in a newsroom. Why do some stories dominate, while others fail to make the cut?Tell us if you agree with the final running order - email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com Book your place at a news meeting live in our newsroom - https://www.tortoisemedia.com/our-events Executive Producer: Rebecca MooreProducer: Casey MagloireTo 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 31, 2023 • 32min
Why should you care about a coup in Niger and what is carbon capture?
What should lead the news? Three journalists pitch the story they think matters most to Liz Moseley. They discuss Rishi Sunak’s new carbon capture scheme in the North Sea, the coup in Niger and the death of Rianna Cleary’s baby in prison.Get in touch to tell us about the stories we missed. Email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com.The producer was Rebecca Moore and the executive producer was Lewis Vickers. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 28, 2023 • 35min
How do you report climate science and should UFOs ever lead the news?
What should lead the news? Three journalists pitch the story they think matters most to Tortoise's deputy editor Giles Whittell. They discuss a new law that curtails the power of Israel's Supreme Court, Nigel Farage’s war on Coutts and whether the Gulf Stream will really collapse by 2025. They also find time to talk about the US congressional hearings on UFOs.Get in touch to tell us about the story you think should lead the news. Email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com.The producer was Rebecca Moore and the executive producer was Lewis Vickers. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 24, 2023 • 34min
Odesa cathedral, green policies reconsidered and Cookham Wood
In this episode Liz Moseley is in the editor’s chair. She’s joined by Tortoise editors Jess Winch, Cat Neilan and Ceri Thomas. They discuss the Russian attack that damaged Odesa cathedral, the fallout from last week’s by-elections and shocking failures at a young offender institution.Get in touch to tell us about the story you think should lead the news. Email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com.The producer was Rebecca Moore and the executive producer was Lewis Vickers. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 21, 2023 • 35min
Post Office scandal, Starmer benefit row, and grain deal
In this episode, recorded in front of an audience in the Tortoise newsroom, James Harding is joined by Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff, Liz Moseley and Katie Gunning. The team discusses the row within Labour over Keir Starmer’s refusal to scrap the two-child benefit cap, Russia's withdrawal from the deal allowing Ukraine to safely export grain through the Black Sea, and the ongoing scandal over the treatment of Post Office workers affected by the Horizon IT system failure.Get in touch to tell us about the stories you think should lead the news. Email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com.The producer was Rebecca Moore and the executive producer was Lewis Vickers. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 17, 2023 • 33min
European heat storm, inheritance tax, and Hollywood strikes
The team discusses the record-breaking heatwave in southern Europe, potential plans to scrap inheritance tax, and why Hollywood’s actors and writers are going on strike. James Harding also reflects on The Sun’s coverage of the Huw Edwards allegations.Get in touch to tell us about the story you think should lead the news. Email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com.The producer was Rebecca Moore and the executive producer was Lewis Vickers. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 14, 2023 • 33min
El Niño, mortgage costs, and missing migrant boats
Basia Cummings is in the editor’s chair. She’s joined by Cat Neilan, Claudia Williams and Stephen Armstrong who pitch rising mortgage rates, migrant boats missing in the Atlantic and catastrophic weather in the US.Get in touch to tell us about the story you think should lead the news. Email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com.The producer was Rebecca Moore and the executive producer was Lewis Vickers. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 11, 2023 • 24min
Bonus episode: the BBC presenter and privacy
In this special episode James Harding explores why the media is reluctant to name the BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager for explicit images. He’s joined by Pia Sarma, editorial legal director at Times newspapers, and former BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw.Get in touch to tell us about the story you think should lead the news. Email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com.For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 10, 2023 • 34min
BBC presenter suspended, NHS & big pharma, and cluster bombs
Before founding Tortoise James Harding was head of BBC News. In this episode he’s joined by journalists Liz Moseley, Will Brown and Ceri Thomas, a former editor of Radio 4’s Today programme, to discuss the scandal surrounding a BBC presenter and what it means for the corporation. They also cover the US government’s decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine, and the links between the NHS and big pharma.Get in touch to tell us about the story you think should lead the news. Email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com.For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 7, 2023 • 33min
Threads vs. Twitter, OnlyFans billboard, and Horizon membership
The team discusses Meta launching Threads to challenge Elon Musk’s Twitter, the billboard advertising an explicit OnlyFans account that sparked complaints and the UK edging closer to rejoining the EU’s Horizon programme.Get in touch to tell us about the story you think should lead the news. Email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com.For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 3, 2023 • 33min
France riots, Ukraine's counteroffensive, and affirmative action
In our first Monday episode the team discusses the violence that has erupted in France, Ukraine's faltering counteroffensive and the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn race-based college admissions.Listen to 'Into The Dirt', Tortoise's new investigative series, here.Get in touch to tell us about the story you think should lead the news. Email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com.For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.