The Media Show

BBC Radio 4
  • 5.0 (3)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Social media, anti-social media, breaking news, faking news: this is the programme about a revolution in media.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Revelations about the Murdoch dynasty in new book, Reporting on the Starmer crisis, Washington Post cuts, Ofcom under scrutiny

    Gabriel Sherman joins Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins to discuss the real‑life Murdoch family battle at the heart of his new book , Bonfire of the Murdochs, including the secret Nevada court case that pitted Rupert Murdoch against his own children. We assess the reporting of a turbulent week in Westminster with Catherine Neilan, Whitehall Editor at The Observer and Simon Nixon, publisher of the Wealth of Nations newsletter and a former journalist at the Wall Street Journal and The Times. As The Washington Post lays off around 300 staff, we talk to one of them, reporter Marissa Lang and former senior managing editor, Cameron Barr, assesses what comes next. And we discuss the issue of balance and due impartiality in the digital age as Ofcom faces criticism for declining to investigate a GB News interview with Donald Trump. Producers: Lisa Jenkinson & Dan Hardoon

    42 min

  2. 5 FEB

    Tina Brown on the latest Epstein files, the boundaries of behind-the-scenes access in sport, reporting on a rocket launch

    On The Media Show Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins consider the new Epstein files and how journalists work through huge document releases while avoiding misinterpretation. The Financial Times’ Jim Pickard explains how newsrooms decide what is reliable and what is not and the veteran editor Tina Brown gives her take from across the Atlantic. We look at the growing demand for behind the scenes cameras in sport. Former British tennis number one Johanna Konta and Minal Modha from Ampere Analysis discuss how much access athletes should be expected to give and whether privacy is being eroded. And finally, with the delay of the Artemis II mission the BBC’s Science Editor Rebecca Morelle and Dr Chris Lintott from The Sky at Night talk about launch scrubs, shifting timelines and the practical realities of reporting on spaceflight. Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Assistant Producer: Emily Channon

    38 min

  3. 28 JAN

    Viral videos shaping reporting in Minnesota, Radio 1’s Christmas Presenter Takeover, Algorithm Transparency and Skyscraper Live

    On The Media Show with Ros Atkins. Meg Anderson, NPR correspondent in Minneapolis, explains how newsrooms are managing a surge of online footage and what it means for journalism. Aled Haydn Jones, Radio 1 Controller; DJ Sian Eleri and Chelsea Little on the Radio 1 Christmas Presenter Takeover. James Ball Tech journalist and author of “The System: Who Owns The Internet And How It Owns Us” unpacks what algorithms are, and whether the move towards increased transparency by platforms will actually give users more control. And Vicky Jessop, commissioning editor and culture writer at the Evening Standard, joins us to discuss Netflix’s Skyscraper Live and whether extreme risk is becoming a new form of entertainment. Presenter: Ros Atkins Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Assistant Producer: Laura Cain

    43 min

  4. 21 JAN

    Greenland coverage, Australia’s social media ban, Brand Beckham

    As tensions rise between the US and Europe over Greenland, how are international media reporting the story? Elisabet Svane, political analyst at Politiken in Denmark, and Michael Birnbaum, White House reporter for The Washington Post discuss their approach. Jamie Angus, former head of the BBC World Service, says the BBC should move faster into unblockable technologies to reach people in repressive regimes. He explains why, alongside Evie Aspinall, Director of the British Foreign Policy Group. One month on, how successful is Australia's under 16s social media ban? We hear from Bronte Gossling from the Sydney Morning Herald as the UK government considers a similar move. And we unpack the media storm surrounding Brooklyn Beckham’s bombshell Instagram post with Simon Boyle, freelance showbiz journalist and former showbiz editor at The Sun; and Mail on Sunday columnist and former editor of British Vogue Alexandra Shulman.

    43 min

  5. 14 JAN

    Grok AI, Media coverage of the Iran protests, Hamnet film producer Liza Marshall and inside prison radio

    Katie Razzall and guests discuss how Iran’s recent protests have sparked debate about how they were covered by international media. We speak to BBC Persian’s Behrang Tajdin, Lyse Doucet, and Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat about the challenges of reporting from one of the world’s most restricted environments. Also, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is under fire for generating sexualised, non-consensual images of women and children. Ofcom has launched an investigation under the Online Safety Act, and the UK government is preparing new laws to ban ‘nudification’ tools. We hear from Chi Onwurah MP and CNN’s Hadas Gold on what this means for tech regulation. Plus, Phil Maguire, co-founder of the Prison Radio Association, reflects on building the world’s first national radio station for prisoners and its impact on rehabilitation. And Liza Marshall, producer of the new film Hamnet, reveals how she secured the rights early - before Maggie O’Farrell’s novel became a global sensation- and what it takes to back a winner in Hollywood. Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

    43 min

  6. 7 JAN

    US raid on Venezuela & what it says about military-media relations, Actors & AI, Influencers at Westminster & the lobby system

    Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins on what the media knew and when regarding the US military raid on Venezuala. They're joined by US based journalist Max Tani from Semafor the Defence Editor at the Times Larisa Brown and Brigadier Geoffrey Dodds who oversees the UK’s D notice system. Actors fight back against the TV and film industry using AI scanning on their images without consent with the General Secretary of Equity Paul Fleming. And as the government brings in changes to the lobby briefing system for journalists with more influencers being invited to press events we talk to personal finance content creator Rachel Harris, journalist Steve Richards and head of the Westminster press lobby Lizzy Buchan. Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Content Producer: Lucy Wai

    43 min

  7. 31/12/2025

    How to Make a Hit TV Show

    Have you ever wondered how reality TV gets made? Why some shows become instant classics, while others vanish without trace? In this special edition of The Media Show, four of the UK’s top creatives in unscripted television reveal their secrets. From The Traitors to Pointless, Hunted to Gogglebox, they discuss what makes a hit format, how casting decisions are made, how streamers and influencers are changing the landscape, and where the next big hit might come from. Guests:  Tim Harcourt, Chief Creative Officer, Studio Lambert; Matt Bennett, Director of Programmes, Shine Television; Tamara Gilder, Joint MD, Remarkable Entertainment; Art Sejdiu, Head of Commissioning Development, Channel Four. Presenters: Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall Producer: Dan Hardoon

    43 min

  8. 17/12/2025

    Jeremy Vine’s legal battle, Bondi Beach attack coverage, , BBC charter renewal pressures, Trump’s $5bn lawsuit and microdramas

    Ros Atkins on some of this week's biggest global media stories. Jacqueline Maley of the Sydney Morning Herald talks us through the newsroom’s challenge in covering the Bondi Beach attack during a Hanukkah celebration - a story shaped by rapidly circulating bystander video, fraught community tensions and intense scrutiny over tone and verification. Jeremy Vine reflects on his hard‑fought legal victory after sustained defamatory and harassing posts from former footballer Joey Barton. Media correspondent Alex Farber of The Times examines the BBC’s newly launched charter renewal process, the debate around future funding models, and how all this intersects with President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the corporation over an edited Panorama clip. And finally, Mengchen Zhangfrom the BBC’s Global China Unit explains the rapid global rise of the microdrama - the ultra‑short, phone‑first video dramas attracting huge investment and reshaping viewing habits around the world. Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

    43 min
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Hosts & Guests

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Social media, anti-social media, breaking news, faking news: this is the programme about a revolution in media.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2008 - 2026
  • Episodes
    816
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Show Website
    The Media Show
  • Provider

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