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.Subscribe to The Observer and use the code AUDIO50 to get 50% off your annual subscription: Early access, bonus content and ad-free listening to our podcastsA daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a weekPuzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crosswordRecipes for every occasionFree tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or online Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
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.
Mar 12, 2020 • 25min
The rules: can we fix our broken politics?
UK politics has torn itself apart over Brexit. Parliament, the prime minister, 'the people' and the courts have been at each others' throats, and old conventions governing the way the system works have been ripped up. Tortoise has set out to answer an old and important question: instead of celebrating the fact that Britain is one of the few countries in the world without a written constitution, is it time for us to draft one? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 5, 2020 • 33min
A college with secrets
Trinity Hall is a small Cambridge college - one of the 30+ which make up the university. After an investigation over several months, Tortoise has brought to light a number of allegations of sexual impropriety and assault. In each case, there's evidence that the college may have put its own interests ahead of the victims'. The question has been asked: is this the #MeToo moment for British universities? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 27, 2020 • 33min
My mother's murder - episode 4: The last domino
Daphne Caruana Galizia was Malta's pre-eminent investigative journalist. She exposed corruption at the highest levels of politics and business in the country until, in October 2017, she was murdered by a car bomb. Since her death, her family has fought tirelessly for justice in the face of overwhelming odds. In this four-part series, Daphne's son Paul Caruana Galizia returns to Malta to uncover an assassination plot which extends into the highest reaches of the Maltese government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
