The Listening Post

Al Jazeera English
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A weekly programme that examines and dissects the world's media, how they operate and the stories they cover.

  1. The crackdown in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination | The Listening Post

    7 HR AGO

    The crackdown in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination | The Listening Post

    It’s been just more than a week since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and in death, as in life, the far-right podcaster is proving divisive. While his supporters mourn, many critics have seized the moment to call out his polarising legacy - a legacy now being weaponised by far-right leaders from DC to Tel Aviv. Contributors: Jeffrey Sharlet - Professor, Dartmouth College Jude Russo - Managing editor, The American Conservative Kyle Spencer - CEO, The Pro-Democracy Information Lab Meredith Clark - UNC Hussman School of Journalism & Media On our radar: This week, the UN formally declared what Palestinians have long been saying: That Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. In English, Israeli officials are indignant at the charge. But in Hebrew, they continue to provide more evidence of their genocidal intent. Ryan Kohls reports. Russia, Ukraine and The Trump Effect Donald Trump’s second term has injected unpredictability into the Russia-Ukraine war: Unsettling Kyiv, emboldening Moscow and forcing media on both sides to recalibrate. The Listening Post hears from an exiled Russian journalist and a Ukrainian media scholar on how the conflict is being framed - and what both sides fear will come next. Featuring: Dariya Orlova - Associate professor, Mohyla School of Journalism Mikhail Fishman - Journalist, TV Rain

    26 min
  2. Attack on Qatar: Israel’s ever-expanding war | The Listening Post

    13 SEPT

    Attack on Qatar: Israel’s ever-expanding war | The Listening Post

    Israel’s rampage through the Middle East continues, with an attack on United States ally, Qatar. As Arab nations evaluate the value of a US security guarantee, we examine the fallout in the region and beyond. Contributors: Elham Fakhro – Research Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Laleh Khalili – Professor of Gulf Studies, University of Exeter Yossi Mekelberg – Senior Fellow, Chatham House Yousef Munayyer – Senior Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC On our radar: A youth-led social media movement over the luxurious lifestyles of Nepal’s "nepo kids" culminated this week in the ouster of the country’s prime minister and days of violent unrest. Meenakshi Ravi examines the government’s unsuccessful effort to control the narrative. Covering corruption in South Africa Thirty years after the end of apartheid in South Africa, the African National Congress’s rampant corruption has widened inequality. Those trying to expose that corruption - whistleblowers - are paying the ultimate price - with their lives. Featuring:  Devoshum Moodley-Veera – Whistleblower activist Pieter-Louis Myburgh – Investigative Journalist, Daily Maverick Songezo Zibi – Leader, Rise Mzansi

    26 min
  3. Israel’s most lethal operation in Gaza is under way

    6 SEPT

    Israel’s most lethal operation in Gaza is under way

    Israel’s renewed offensive in Gaza City - the largest Palestinian population centre - is being framed as an assault on Hamas’s “final stronghold”. But behind that narrative lies a campaign of expulsion and erasure that bears all the hallmarks of an endgame. Contributors:  Dana Mills - Writer, Local Call & +972 Magazine Muhammad Shehada - Journalist Saree Makdisi - Professor of English & Comparative Literature, UCLA Tahani Mustafa - Visiting fellow, ECFR On our radar: A new AI-generated website unveiled by an Israeli minister claims to “uncover the hidden ties” between Palestinian journalists and Hamas. And despite its amateurish feel, it follows a pattern of dangerous smears against Palestinians. Post’s Tariq Nafi reports. The sci-fi obsessions of the tech elite Silicon Valley’s tech titans often say they are shaping a better tomorrow. This is a clique of men - names like Musk, Zuckerberg, Thiel and Altman - who all say they’ve been heavily influenced by science fiction. But those imagined sci-fi futures often come with a dystopian side, warnings that tech billionaires have seemingly failed to understand. Featuring:  Alex Hanna - Director, Distributed AI Research Institute Max Read - Senior editor, New York magazine Tim Maughan - Author and Journalist

    25 min
  4. Inside India’s expulsion of Bengali Muslims | The Listening Post

    2 AUG

    Inside India’s expulsion of Bengali Muslims | The Listening Post

    India is expelling Bengali Muslims - stripping citizenship, detaining and deporting them to Bangladesh. The crackdown has spread nationwide, prompted by years of BJP propaganda and a news media all too willing to sell the story of a Muslim "enemy within". Contributors:  Shoaib Daniyal - Political editor, Scroll Fatima Khan - Political journalist Vaishna Roy - Editor, Frontline magazine Paranjoy Guha Thakurta - Journalist and filmmaker On our radar: The images of starving Palestinians in Gaza have provoked global outrage. Israel has launched a PR campaign to deflect blame. Ryan Kohls reports. An interview with Alex Shephard Alex Shephard of The New Republic explains how Donald Trump is putting unprecedented pressure on US media outlets. After CBS was forced to settle out of court with the president, Trump is now suing the Wall Street Journal and its owner - Rupert Murdoch - as well as politicising the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Featuring: Alex Shephard - Senior editor, The New Republic

    25 min
  5. The Epstein Crisis: A MAGA mess of Trump’s making

    19 JUL

    The Epstein Crisis: A MAGA mess of Trump’s making

    The Epstein saga has flipped the script within the MAGA movement. Having spent years accusing the Democrats of an establishment cover-up, many right-wing influencers are now turning against their idol, President Trump, as he resists calls to release the files. Contributors: Joan Donovan - Director, CriticalNet Mehdi Hasan - Editor-in-chief, Zeteo News Miles Klee - Culture writer, Rolling Stone Danielle Moodie - Host, The Danielle Moodie Show On our radar: For 21 months, mainstream media outlets have avoided calling Israel’s assault on Gaza a genocide. But this past week has seen a notable shift - prompted not by Palestinian voices, but by an Israeli scholar. Tariq Nafi reports on The New York Times, the breaking of a media taboo, and why, for many, it’s too little, too late. Palestinians are being erased in German media Mass surveillance, a crackdown on protest, and a media unwilling to question power: In Germany, pro-Palestinian voices are being silenced. Nicholas Muirhead reports from Berlin on the mounting assault on free expression. Featuring: Wael Eskander - Berlin-based journalist Martin Gak - Former Deutsche Welle journalist Sabine Schiffer - Director, Media Responsibility Institute

    25 min
  6. “Nobody is better than Netanyahu at manipulating the US” | The Listening Post

    12 JUL

    “Nobody is better than Netanyahu at manipulating the US” | The Listening Post

    As Netanyahu courts Trump with peace prizes and platitudes, divisions over Israel in the MAGA media space are deepening. Contributors: Laura Albast – Fellow, Institute for Palestine Studies Mitchell Plitnick – Author, Except for Palestine Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya Jude Russo – Managing editor, The American Conservative On our radar: Since the US-Israeli GHF took over the distribution of aid, more than 800 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to collect it. New reporting uncovers the foundation’s links to plans for Gaza’s ethnic cleansing. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Georgia under fire: The crackdown on protests and the press Mass protests, a tightening grip on media and a creeping authoritarianism; eight months on, the struggle over Georgia's democracy is intensifying. Elettra Scrivo reports from Tbilisi on the mounting crackdown on journalists and independent voices. Featuring: Irakli Rukhadze – Owner, Imedi TV Nestan Tsetkhladze – Editor, Netgazeti Nino Zautashvili – Former host, Real Space

    26 min
  7. “Decisions are being made out of fear” BBC and the Gaza double standard | The Listening Post

    5 JUL

    “Decisions are being made out of fear” BBC and the Gaza double standard | The Listening Post

    At Glastonbury, Britain’s biggest music festival, two artists called out Israel’s genocide in Gaza and accused the British government of complicity. On-stage remarks by one of them - Bob Vylan - plunged the country's public broadcaster, the BBC, which livestreamed the performance, into yet another Gaza-shaped row. Contributors: Des Freedman – Author, The Media Manifesto Peter Oborne – Journalist and broadcaster Karishma Patel – Former newsreader, BBC Justin Schlosberg – Professor of Media and Communications, University Of Westminster On our radar: In the United States, Zohran Mamdani has secured the Democratic nomination for New York mayor, despite relentless media attacks that focus less on his policies and more on his outspoken stance against Israel’s war on Gaza. Tariq Nafi reports. Palestinians are seen as some sort of existential threat, just for being there While debates rage in international media over phrases like “from the river to the sea” and “death to the IDF,” far less scrutiny falls on the anti-Palestinian abuse that has become normal inside Israel - from pop songs to viral chants. Palestinian analyst Abdaljawad Omar joins us from Ramallah to unpack this everyday Israeli racism. Featuring: Abdaljawad Omar – Lecturer, Birzeit University

    26 min
  8. Trump battles for credit for his Iran intervention | The Listening Post

    28 JUN

    Trump battles for credit for his Iran intervention | The Listening Post

    From negotiating with Iran to bombing its nuclear facilities and then brokering a ceasefire, Trump’s erratic pivots appear to be driven more by optics than coherent diplomacy. Mainstream Western news outlets, however, are making the job easier - painting Iran as an existential threat while downplaying Israel’s illegal actions. Contributors:  Roxane Farmanfarmaian – Senior fellow, European Leadership Network Seamus Malekafzali – Journalist Mohsen Milani – Author, Iran’s Rise and Rivalry with the US Samira Mohyeddin – Journalist, On the Line Media On our radar Few atrocities compare to the massacres Israel is perpetrating, repeatedly, against starving refugees in Gaza - yet they are receiving minimal attention in mainstream media. Nic Muirhead reports on the latest developments at the aid distribution sites that have turned into death traps. Assal Rad: "It's really important to get headlines right" Over the past 20 months, historian Assal Rad has been correcting misleading mainstream news headlines on Israel’s genocide in Gaza. She talks us through the unmistakable parallels she has noticed with the coverage of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran. Featuring: Assal Rad – Non-resident fellow, Arab Center Washington DC

    26 min
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About

A weekly programme that examines and dissects the world's media, how they operate and the stories they cover.

Information

  • Channel
    Al Jazeera English
  • Creator
    Al Jazeera
  • Years Active
    2011 - 2025
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Al Jazeera Media Network. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Listening Post
  • Provider

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