Sensemaker

The Slow Newscast from Tortoise takes the news slowly. We investigate, and every week we focus on stories that really matter in the UK and around the world. From the war in Ukraine, the downfall of Boris Johnson, to true crime and injustice and real life mysteries, The Slow Newscast team is devoted to narrative investigations. From a startup newsroom with a different approach to journalism. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists,  download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts. If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to all six episodes today. Rob Moore had a successful career in television until one day he ran out of ideas. After a stint as a gardener, a more enticing door was opened for him. He was offered a job in the shadowy world of corporate intelligence - he became a spy. Tasked with working undercover to extract information from an environmental campaign group, Rob Moore says he eventually became sympathetic to the campaigners’ aims. He decided to turn on his employers and support the group he was meant to be infiltrating. Only it wasn’t that straightforward. He never told the campaigners who he really was and he never told his spymasters what he was really doing. Neither side knew the whole truth.  That was until 2016, when after years of being in control of these two disparate worlds he was unexpectedly outed. Now, the campaigners see him as a traitor who betrayed their trust. He sees himself as a misunderstood whistleblower. From the team that brought you Sweet Bobby, and over three years in the making, Into The Dirt is a story about truth, spies and the stories we tell ourselves The six-part series launches Tuesday 27th June. To get early access to the first 3 episodes and for the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts. If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All six episodes of Real Money are available now to listen for free. The world of cryptocurrencies is shaking. It might be just one domino-fall away from a complete crash, and that domino has a name. It’s called Tether. Tether is a crypto coin that holds up the entire cryptocurrency industry. There are over 70 billion Tethers in circulation and for every Tether that exists, a dollar should sit in a bank somewhere. But no one has seen the money it claims to have in the bank and now little-known company that specialises in financial detective work has offered a million dollar bounty to anyone who can find it. The people who might have this information are as hard to pin down as the company’s accounts. But Bafta and Emmy winning reporter Aleks Krotoski is on the hunt for the people, the proof, and, oh yes: the million dollars. The Tether story is not just about crypto. It’s about power, accountability and trust - and how far we’ll go when we want to believe that something is real. From the investigative team at Tortoise who brought you Sweet Bobby and Hoaxed, this is Real Money: The Hunt for Tether's Billions. To listen and read more of Tortoise's investigative journalism, visit http://tortoisemedia.com/realmoney Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon Musk is one of the most powerful men in the world. He's a billionaire, the founder of SpaceX, Tesla and more. To his followers, he's a hero; to his critics, a far-right rabble rouser.  But for someone so public, there’s one part of his life that’s less well known. Elon’s Spies investigates how this free-speech champion uses private investigators and surveillance to target everyone from whistleblowers at his companies, to online critics and people in his own life.  Episode 1 is available on Tuesday 8th October, with episodes releasing weekly. To get ad-free access and binge listen to all 3 episodes on Tuesday 8th October, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or by becoming a Tortoise member. You can find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Reporter: Alexi Mostrous Producer: Gary Marshall Original Music & Sound design: Tom Kinsella Podcast artwork: Jon Hill  Executive producer: Ceri Thomas Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By the end of this year, countries making up half the world’s population will have held elections. But not all of them will have been free and fair. In ‘What’s Wrong with Democracy?’ Professor Ben Ansell of Oxford University will, with the help of academics, journalists, activists and writers, figure out whether democracy is working and how best to preserve democratic freedoms, equality and rights.  What’s Wrong with Democracy? is produced by Tortoise Media and supported by The Open Society Foundations.  To find out more about Tortoise: Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com Host: Professor Ben Ansell Producers: Katie Gunning and Ada Barume Editor: Jasper Corbett Original artwork: Jon Hill | Emma O’Neil Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A collection of daily messages from inside Ukraine as the Russian invasion unfolds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.