Media Confidential

You’ve been listening to the Prospect Podcast, Media Confidential’s sister podcast. To subscribe on Spotify, click HERE. For Apple podcasts, click HERE. In the final podcast of the year, Ellen and Alona look back at their favourite episodes from 2025. During a dark year, Prospect has been collecting glimmers of hope. They asked some of the most interesting thinkers today—from politics, to environment to tech—for their perspectives on hope and optimism. What keeps them fighting for a more just world?Philosopher Slavoj Zizek and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan talk about the merits of pessimism. Human rights lawyer Philippe Sands discusses justice in the age of international impunity, while authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat considers the situation in the US.Poet and writer Robert Macfarlane reflects on preserving nature in a time of destruction. Cory Doctorow and Laura Bates weigh in on transformations in technology and artificial intelligence. Yassmin Abdel-Magied discusses the humanitarianism crisis in Sudan, while Nicola Kelly explores the untold immigration story.Plus, veteran journalist and outgoing Prospect editor Alan Rusbridger joins the podcast to reflect on his journey, his mistakes, and how he feels about the future—including the contentious thing that unexpectedly makes him feel hopeful.You can revisit all our episodes from the past year here.

You’ve been listening to the Prospect Podcast, Media Confidential’s sister podcast. To subscribe on Spotify, click HERE. For Apple podcasts, click HERE. Why does every platform seem to get worse over time? Ellen Halliday and Alona Ferber are joined by journalist, tech activist and sci-fi writer Cory Doctorow, who coined the term “enshittification” to describe the decay of digital services into exploitative, user-hostile platforms.As constraints that once kept platforms in check have broken down, Cory shares how tech giants polluted the digital landscape, why AI-generated “slop” has sped it up, and why we should all care. What’s in it for tech CEOs? What is this is doing to us as humans? And what would real de-enshittification look like?Cory discusses how to grab people’s attention, and how to fight back against tech giants.Cory’s book ‘Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It’ is published by Verso

Back in July, Alan and Lionel were joined by Line Vaaben, who is ‘existential editor’ at Danish newspaper Politiken.Line and her team write stories that explore the complexities of life, love and death. She discussed her award-winning journalism with Alan and Lionel, which included spending time embedded in a palliative care ward, notepad in hand, as people took their last breaths.To listen to all past episodes of Media Confidential, click here.

Does “no-platforming” have a place in journalism? Alan and Lionel are joined by Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief of the Economist.They discuss how to cover far-right politics and whether a reporter should ever avoid interviewing divisive figures. Zanny and Lionel talk about the backlash they each received after interviewing Steve Bannon.The three also reflect on biggest news stories of the year, the “extraordinary” state of politics in the USA and the challenges of mainstream media in covering the Trump administration.Plus, Zanny explains how the Economist created a new AI lab and changed its strategy to adapt to how readers consume journalism now. And, with the biggest UK media job of still up for grabs, could she be in the running for director general of the BBC?

As his time as editor comes to an end, Alan talks to Lionel about his final edition of Prospect—and what he plans to do next. He reflects on his time at the magazine and how it compares to his old haunt at the Guardian.The pair also discuss Netflix’s bid for Warner Bros, the hunt for Channel 4’s new CEO and the murky world of content moderation.‘Media Confidential’ with Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber will continue on Monday.

This week, Alan and Lionel discuss editorial independence, the BBC’s search for a new director general and ask if the current structure is even working.Is the role too much for one person? As the post-budget scrutiny rumbles on, they also talk about which publications are producing the best analysis—and whose is best avoided...Plus, the hosts discuss 40 years of the Independent after learning of the death of one of its founders, Andreas Whittam Smith, and reminisce about the life and legacy of the late Tom Stoppard.Today’s episode is brought to you by ENERGISE AFRICA – the innovative UK-based investment site that helps bring vital solar energy access to people across sub-Saharan Africa.

Alan and Lionel are joined by documentary maker Ben Zand, founder of documentary company Zandland and co-host of the new current affairs podcast Untangled.He talks about the era of podcasts, how to reach younger audiences and what being “authentic” means in practice. Ben also shares his journey from self-shooting to the BBC, to starting his own company.He gives advice for early career journalists, including how to cope with rejection, and discusses the democratisation of media. What opportunities have opened up?Plus, the trio discuss the challenges facing the BBC, its strengths and how it must adapt to survive.

After this month’s media chaos, Alan shares his experience of Monday’s select committee hearing, where BBC board members were brought before MPs. But why did no-one address the elephant in the room?As Lionel returns from his overseas travels, the reunited hosts discuss the media bombshells that dropped in his absence. They also examine claims by historian Rutger Bregman that the BBC censored his speech at its annual lecture to remove negative mentions of Donald Trump.Finally, after the OBR accidentally published its budget forecast before the chancellor’s speech, the pair answer a question about reporting on leaks.You can read Alan’s BBC analysis here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/71655/firestorm-has-ripped-through-bbc-no-one-will-say-why