The Media Show

Tina Brown on the latest Epstein files, the boundaries of behind-the-scenes access in sport, reporting on a rocket launch

22 snips
Feb 5, 2026
Tina Brown, veteran magazine editor and founder of The Daily Beast, recalls early reporting on Jeffrey Epstein and the pushback she encountered. Jim Pickard, FT political editor, explains handling massive document drops and verification challenges. Johanna Konta, former British number one tennis player, discusses rising behind-the-scenes cameras and athlete privacy trade-offs.
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INSIGHT

Wait For Legally Defendable Evidence

  • Journalists must balance legal defensibility with pursuing leads from credible sources.
  • Jim Pickard describes withholding publication until documents double-sourced the claim about payments tied to Mandelson.
ADVICE

Prepare Searches Before Documents Drop

  • Prepare specific search terms and technical capacity before a document dump arrives.
  • Jim Pickard recommends building search models and having colleagues ready to index incoming files.
ANECDOTE

Epstein Showed Up In Person

  • Jeffrey Epstein walked into Tina Brown's office after legal warnings and demanded she stop reporting.
  • Brown refused and told him to take it up with lawyers, and Epstein left without suing immediately.
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