

The Media Show
BBC Radio 4
Social media, anti-social media, breaking news, faking news: this is the programme about a revolution in media.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 17, 2023 • 56min
Writing a First Draft of History
Journalist Gary Younge has seen up close some of the defining moments of our age. From Nelson Mandela's rise to power, to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, to the Black Lives Matter protests, he's been there to report the story. Presenter: Katie RazzallProducer: Dan Hardoon

Mar 15, 2023 • 57min
The Great Impartiality Debate
After a tweet by Gary Lineker triggered a BBC crisis, The Media Show asks whether the concept of impartiality is still relevant to audiences. What does the word even mean? Are BBC guidelines compatible with wider trends in media of opinionated presenters and loud polemic? And might the fallout from Lineker's tweet even hasten the end of the licence fee? Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall debate with an expert panel.Producers: Helen Fitzhenry and Dan HardoonPresenters: Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall

Mar 8, 2023 • 28min
We Need to Talk About Gary
The BBC says that it is having a “frank conversation” with Gary Lineker after he tweeted that the language setting out the government’s new plan for small boats crossing the channel was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".Also in the programme, Elon Musk picks a twitter fight with a sacked employee – and then says sorry, and the role algorithms play in how we consume media.Guests: Roger Mosey, former director of BBC Sport, Alva Ray, Host of POLITICO’s Westminster Insider Podcast, Kara Swisher, Host of "On with Kara Swisher", Noah Giansiracusa, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Bentley University, and Katy Leeson, CEO of Relentless MediaPresenter: Ros AtkinsProducer: Helen Fitzhenry

Mar 1, 2023 • 28min
Covid's back in the news
The Daily Telegraph has got hold of thousands of WhatsApp messages sent by Matt Hancock when he was Health secretary during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the FBI has said it believes the most likely explanation for the origin of the pandemic is a lab leak in China. Both stories provide big questions for the business of journalism; what are the ethics of working with leaked private correspondence, and were some journalists too quick to dismiss the 'lab leak theory' when it first emerged?Guests: Heather Brooke, freedom of information campaigner; Vivian Schiller, executive director of Aspen Digital; Paul Nuki, senior editor, Global Health Security and Campaigns at The Telegraph; Tim Caulfield, professor of health law and science policy at the University of Alberta; Pippa Allen-Kinros, Full Fact, and Erik Wemple, Washington Post columnistPresenter: Ros AtkinsProducer: Helen Fitzhenry

Feb 22, 2023 • 28min
The 'shameful' coverage of Nicola Bulley
Nicola Bulley's family have denounced some media coverage of her disappearance as 'shameful'. What are the lessons for the media in reporting missing person cases? Also in the programme, a year on from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, how has war reporting changed?Guests: Josh Halliday, north of England correspondent at The Guardian; Andy Trotter, former chief constable, British Transport Police; Orla Guerin, senior international correspondent at BBC News; Kateryna Malofieieva, freelance journalist and producer; Rohit Kachroo, global security editor at ITN; John Sweeney, independent journalist.Producer: Dan HardoonPresenter: Katie Razzall

Feb 15, 2023 • 28min
Charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent... and more!
Meet one of the pioneers of reality TV; Fenton Bailey hung out with Andy Warhol in the 80s, launched RuPaul’s pop career in the 90s, and made what might be reality TV’s most successful show: RuPaul’s Drag Race. His company, World of Wonder, has also made films about Monica Lewinsky, Britney Spears and the TV Evangelist Tammy Faye. And long before that, he brought the cult comedy duo Adam and Joe to Channel 4. Fenton and Katie discuss an extraordinary career, how drag provides the perfect parody of celebrity, and why reality TV has always been camp. Image credit: Lucille Flood, World of Wonder Productions. Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Helen Fitzhenry

Feb 8, 2023 • 28min
Free speech at GB News
GB News launched almost two years ago, promising to shake up traditional news channels. But as one of its star presenters quits, is the channel in trouble? Also in the programme, a new BBC documentary and podcast about Shamima Begum.Guests: Angelos Frangopoulos, CEO, GB News; Lis Howell, Professor Emeritus of Journalism, City University; Josh Baker, reporter, and Sara Obeidat, producer, The Shamima Begum Story.Producer: Dan HardoonPresenter: Katie Razzall

Feb 1, 2023 • 28min
BBC's Modi documentary controversy
In India, a BBC documentary about India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is causing controversy. The documentary explores tensions between Narendra Modi and India's Muslim minority. The Indian government says it has ordered Twitter and YouTube to take down video clips from the documentary, but what are the implications for press freedom in India? Also in the programme, how Spotify's podcast strategy is changing and what it means for how we listen to radio and podcasts in the future.Guests: Rishi Iyengar, staff writer at Foreign Policy magazine; Supriya Sharma, Executive Editor of the news website Scroll; Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia policy director at Access Now; Nick Hilton, podcast industry analyst and founder of Podot; Arielle Nissenblatt, founder of the EarBuds Podcast Collective newsletter.Producer: Dan Hardoon
Presenter: Ros Atkins

Jan 25, 2023 • 28min
The Story Behind the Nadhim Zahawi Scoop
The story of Nadhim Zahawi's tax affairs was broken thanks to the work of journalists and investigators. Katie Razzall meets two of them. Also in the programme, why Netflix has bought its first Welsh language crime drama.Guests: Anna Isaac, City Editor, The Guardian, Dan Neidle, Founder, Tax Policy Associates, Adrian Bate, Co-founder, Vox Pictures, and Llinos Griffin-Williams, Chief Content Officer, S4C.Presenter: Katie RazzallProducer: Helen Fitzhenry

Jan 24, 2023 • 16min
Why the BBC chairman says he won't quit
Richard Sharp is accused of helping facilitate a loan to the then prime minister, Boris Johnson, when Mr Sharp was applying to be BBC chairman. His appointment is now under review by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. In this interview with Katie Razzall, Mr Sharp denies being involved in any loan and explains why he believes he will be exonerated because he "was appointed on merit".


