Media Confidential

Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber talk to NYT tech journalists Kate Conger and Ryan Mac about their new book Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter.The editors also explore the tumult at the Jewish Chronicle, a newspaper now plagued with allegations of fake news and a decline in journalistic standards. With four of its top columnists resigning, they ask what the future is for the oldest Jewish newspaper in the world.And as news breaks that the Observer—the world’s oldest Sunday paper—has received a bid from “minnow” Tortoise Media, what implications could this have for the newspaper landscape in the UK?Click here to watch our episodes on YouTube: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/youtube

Alan and Lionel return with their weekly Media Confidential: Questions and Answers show to tackle your burning questions and shed some light on the inner workings of the media industry.This week the two former newspaper editors discuss why Prince Harry continues to be targeted by the print media in the UK, what the return on inverstment is for a deep investigation carried out by journalists for a publication and they reveal who the bravest journalist they have ever worked with is.Send your questions and comments to us at mediaconfidential@prospectmagazine.co.uk or via X, at @mediaconfpod

According to the writer, historian and activist Rebecca Solnit, US media are failing to cover Donald Trump properly. “His incapacity to be coherent is pretty much hidden from the public, unless they’re listening directly or reading alternative media,” she says. Solnit, whose essay Men Explain Things To Me inspired the word “mansplaining”, says she’s convinced that the US mainstream press—including the New York Times—are “sanewashing” the former president and the gibberish he has spouted during the election campaign. Instead of showing how rambling and off-topic he is, they piece together fragments of his speeches to come up with a few crisp sentences. This week, Solnit joins Alan and Lionel on the podcast to explain why, in her view, the real story is not being covered. Together, they hone in on how the media should cover Trump’s false claims—such as the one he made during this week’s debate, that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio “are eating the dogs… eating the cats…eating the pets of the people that live there.” ABC News factchecked this incredible statement. It wasn’t true. Solnit says Americans aren’t getting enough of the truth—so can the news better reflect the reality of Donald Trump?

Alan and Lionel introduce a brand new, weekly bonus episode of Media Confidential. Every Sunday they answer listeners’ questions about how the media really works.In the first show they contemplate the rise of the Mail Online, assess the role played by the right-wing media in this summer’s riots, and much, much more. Plus, the big question: who was harder to deal with in government—Tony Blair’s chief press secretary Alastair Campbell or former chief adviser to Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings? Listen here to find out! Send your questions and queries on the media to mediaconfidential@prospectmagazine.co.uk or via X, @mediaconfpodThis episode is sponsored by Reviewed & Cleared.

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has become the champion of free speech—but at what cost? During a summer of unrest in the UK, a hornet’s nest of hatred was stirred up on X. Elon Musk himself gave the nest a good kicking when he provocatively claimed that the UK was heading to civil war. And when Alan responded with a column about the post, he was met by a barrage of abuse from Musk’s supporters. So, is Elon Musk—with his 196m followers—out of control? And what does his support for Donald Trump in the upcoming US election tell us about X’s relationship with democracy? One person who understands the inner workings of the platform is Twitter’s former vice president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Bruce Daisley. He believes that the platform was weaponised to stoke the racist riots in England and Northern Ireland this summer—and that Musk played a role as well. One way to stop this happening again, Daisley says, would be to threaten him with personal legal liability. So, what kind of regulation could make a difference? Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber explore the question: how do you solve a problem like X?

Following the shocking attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump, social media platforms were flooded not only with truthful accounts of what happened at the rally, but also with lies, conspiracies and “fake news” concerning the shooting. Alan and Lionel are joined by Jay Rosen, associate professor of journalism at New York University, to explore how to cover a presidential campaign in a time of misinformation, and when a culture war is pitching social media platforms and new forms of media against the so-called “mainstream” or legacy media. Jay shares his views that producing quality journalism may not even matter right now, because those for whom most news analysis is intended aren’t paying attention and don’t want to read it. Alan and Lionel also reflect on the near-success of the England men’s football team. They’re joined by sportswriter Paul Hayward to discuss how the media relationship with football has evolved during Gareth Southgate’s time with the national squad.

Can Biden stay in presidential race or will concern about the state of his health force him out of the running? There are plenty of reporters who say his time is up, but how did the president get to this stage in the campaign without anyone running a health-check on him? Jill Abramson, the first female executive editor of the New York Times, joins Alan and Lionel on this episode. She explains that when she was in charge, she had a physician on the staff who’d be in touch with the candidates’ doctors to ensure the paper knew the health status of a potential president. But any journalist speaking out about the president’s health risks being attacked by Democrats, who don’t want Biden to be hounded out of the race by the press. But what’s the alternative? A candidate who seems intent on destroying democracy? Alan and Lionel are also joined by Steven Brill, author of The Death of Truth. His latest book is a deep dive into the sludge of fake news and how social media channels have assisted the spread of conspiracy theories. Now the struggle to revive the truth begins in earnest.  

As Britain goes to the polls, what role has the media played in shaping the way that nation votes? Traditionally, the tabloid media, mainly Murdoch’s Sun, had a significant role in influencing the public, simlpy due to the huge swathes of the population that read the paper. But what about this year? Where have the tabloids and the broadsheets put their faith? Alan and Lionel are joined by David Yelland. David was once editor of the Sun and now presents a podcast for the BBC called When It Hits The Fan. David believes the Sun has lost all of its influence. But then, at the last minute, the Sun decided to back Starmer—only not very passionately. Alan, Lionel and David react to the breaking news.