10 episodes
Can I tell you a secret? The Guardian
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- News
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4.5 • 178 Ratings
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It starts the same way... A seemingly innocent message from someone who appears to be a young woman: ‘Can I tell you a secret?’ But as this six-part podcast explores, people are rarely their true selves online – and one man took it much further. What happened when this cyberstalker wreaked havoc across the internet and ruined people’s lives. And why did he do it?Can I Tell You A Secret - a Guardian podcast series about obsession, fear, and the lives we lead online
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The Guardian’s new podcast series about AI: Black Box – prologue
We wanted to bring you this episode from our new series, Black Box. In it, Michael Safi explores seven stories and the thread that ties them together: artificial intelligence. In this prologue, Hannah (not her real name) has met Noah and he has changed her life for the better. So why does she have concerns about him? If you like what you hear, make sure to search and subscribe to Black Box, with new episodes every Monday and Thursday.
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Can I tell you a secret? Ben Roberts-Smith v the media – podcast trailer
We wanted to tell you about another Guardian podcast series from our colleagues in Australia. Australia’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, is suing three of the country’s most trusted newspapers for defamation over articles he says falsely accuse him of war crimes. Whatever the outcome, the ramifications will be immense for public interest journalism, Australia’s military and a man venerated as a modern-day war hero. Search for ‘Ben Roberts-Smith v the media’, wherever you get your podcasts
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Can I tell you a secret? Episode seven: an update
Guardian producer Lucy Hough and reporter Matthew Weaver give an update on the outcome of Matthew Hardy’s appeal
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Can I tell you a secret? Episode six: the winding clock
As the years tick by, journalist Sirin Kale speaks to victims and those who know Matthew to ask whether his stalking will ever truly end
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Can I tell you a secret? Episode five: a mother’s love
Journalist Sirin Kale meets Matthew’s mother to uncover more about his past, and find out what might have motivated him to cyberstalk his victims for so many years
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Can I tell you a secret? Episode four: a reckoning
Matthew’s victims come face to face with him as an attempt is made to stop his torment once and for all
Customer Reviews
Enjoyed listening
Great podcast.
Listening to Donna was frustrating! She slut shames and victim blames the victims - unbelievable!
Reckless and divisive storytelling
Either you side with Matthew or his victims.
What’s more sinister - physical harm or psychological harm?
Either you take stalking seriously or you don’t.
So much of this podcast is presented as a simple binary assessment, but the reality is so much more complex.
It is possible for there to be multiple victims in this scenario - including the perpetrator and his family. Victims who will be looking over their shoulder for the rest of their lives; but also a neurodivergent person who didn’t get the help they needed at an early stage and whose challenges will only be exacerbated in prison.
The podcast says it tries to answer the questions of who Matthew is, why he does what he does, and how he gets away with it. But it doesn’t do much more than retelling the facts of the case. There is only light touch consideration of what he complex overlay of autism and criminology, mostly coming back to the point that “not all autistic people are prone to stalking” - which is a fair point but a weird one to focus on.
Worse than a missed opportunity to explore an interesting range of complex factors, this was genuinely dangerous and demonising. I kept waiting for it to show some compassion and dig a bit deeper, but was left feeling let down and angry by the end of the last episode. I really wished I never listened to this.
Excellent Podcast
Thoroughly enjoyed this podcast. So well researched and very balanced. Raises some timely issues regarding cyber abuse and what’s been done to address it as law enforcement struggles to catch up . Also highlights the lack of support for both people with mental disabilities which may have helped prevent this and support for victims of stalking and their P T S D