Media Confidential

In this week’s episode of Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by Rainey Reitman, writer and civil liberties advocate. She is the co-founder and president of the board of Freedom of the Press Foundation and is the author of Transaction Denied: Big Finance’s Power to Punish Speech.The three explore financial censorship: how companies like Visa, PayPal, and Mastercard have cut off support for journalists, activists and small media outlets and use their power to silence dissenting voices. What effect does this have on democracy?They discuss a number of cases, including the historic banking blockade that crippled WikiLeaks.

In this episode of Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel discuss the reporting on the “madness of ‘King Trump’”, the war in Iran and the developments since the last episode, in which journalist Susan Glasser described the president as “the big, fat, naked emperor in the room”.As a surprising pick is announced as the new Ofcom chair, the editors spill the beans on what they know about him and their hopes for his tenure.They also talk about Sam Altman and the furore surrounding his departure from (and subsequent rehiring by) OpenAI, following a lengthy New Yorker article discussing the many faces of the tech titan.And they answer a listener’s question on why US police are releasing videos on social media from the arrests of public figures like Justin Timberlake and Tiger Woods—would it happen in the UK?

On this week’s Media Confidential interview, New Yorker columnist Susan Glasser joins Alan and Lionel to discuss how reporters should deal with President Trump.The three discuss how to hold power to account when the president’s communications are so vast, from phone interviews to social media posts. They also talk about the risks of US media “sanewashing” Trump and normalising a distorted new reality.In this wide-ranging discussion, Susan, Alan and Lionel muse on the dangers of a president wielding largely unchecked power—and consider how his next decisions will affect the world.

Alan and Lionel discuss the Observer after investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr, the paper’s former features writer, suggests that some of its new funders may not be who they seem.And as Scott Bessent, US secretary to the Treasury, takes aim at the Financial Times—claiming that a story about him was “manufactured”—former FT editor Lionel gives a considered reply.The editors also examine the selection process for the new head of Ofcom. What’s taking so long?And they discuss the BBC’s sacking of Scott Mills, following new information about abuse allegations.

In this week’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by former Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi.The three discuss the Post’s editor-in-chief Will Lewis, following his resignation in February. They discuss how Lewis got the role, his tenure and his abrupt exit, days after overseeing mass layoffs.They also talk about key decisions made by Post owner Jeff Bezos and how they led to the loss of more than 250,000 subscribers. Is there any hope for the publication?

In this episode of Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel react to the news that Matt Brittin has been confirmed as the new director-general of the BBC. They discuss his suitability for the role and make their predictions. What will his first moves be?Following Alan’s recent investigation into GB News, the duo ask if the electoral commission should be paying attention to the channel for its coverage of Reform UK.Alan also shares what he learned from speaking to Ben Habib and Rupert Lowe, who confirm that their guest invitations to GB News dried up after defecting from Nigel Farage’s party.Plus, a year Observer’s sale to Tortoise Media, the hosts also discuss the paper’s offer of voluntary redundancy to its entire workforce.To read Alan’s column on GB News and Ofcom, click here or head to prospectmagazine.co.uk. 

In today’s episode of Media Confidential Alan and Lionel are joined by Chris Banatvala. Chris was Ofcom’s founding director of standards and executive member of the content board.The three discuss Ofcom’s approach to GB News after Alan headed an investigation into the broadcaster and ask if the regulator is turning a blind eye to the channel’s content.They also discuss the evolution of Ofcom’s investigation and complaint handling over recent years and question if there is a two-tier impartiality system for public broadcasters like the BBC and commercial channels like GB News.

In today’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel talk about the US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, after he told a CNN reporter he was looking forward to the CNN takeover by the family of billionaire Larry Ellison.They’ll also discuss the comments of Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in which he threatened to censor broadcasters who don’t toe the Republican party line, and the BBC’s response to Donald Trump suing it for $10m in a defamation case in Florida.Plus, they review the work of Bellingcat and the New York Times in uncovering who was behind the missile that hit a girls’ school in Iran. And publisher Reach accused the BBC of bulldozing local journalism: does that statement ring true?You can listen to Alan and Lionel talking to Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins here. 

In today’s episode of Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by Margaret Sullivan, former public editor at the New York Times and writer of the Substack newsletter American Crisis.The three talk about the war in Iran and how it has been covered by the American press, as well as debating whether certain other stories have fallen to the wayside because war is dominating the headlines. They’ll talk who benefits from having some stories swept under the carpet. As three former editors they also discuss when it is good to feel uncomfortable, and what the role of the public editor is. The New York Times no longer has one—is it time the position came back?