Media Confidential Prospect Magazine

Back in 2009, journalist Nick Davies uncovered a scandal: newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch had been hacking the phones of celebrities, public figures and even victims of crimes—notably the missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler—in search of stories. The Leveson inquiry was established to investigate, and the world moved on.
 
For this month’s Prospect magazine, Nick Davies has trawled through documents to unearth new evidence which suggests that the phones of some politicians were still being hacked during the Leveson inquiry, and at moments when key decisions were being made in government that would affect the commercial interests of Murdoch’s papers. It turns out the story is far from over… Nick joins Lionel Barber and Alan Rusbridger to discuss his findings.
 
To read the story in full, and the response from News Group Newspapers to Davies’s claims, visit the Prospect website: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/phone-hacking/65918/the-murdoch-spy-papers

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Lionel Barber and Alan Rusbridger are joined by Maurizio Molinari, editor of Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica to explore exactly what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is doing with Italian state media.
 
Renowned historian Antonio Scurati was booked to deliver a monologue on a talk show on Italian broadcaster RAI 3 on 25th April, Italy’s Liberation Day, when it commemorates victory over fascism. In this speech, he was planning to accuse Meloni’s government of sticking to ideologies of neo-fascist culture. But then his appearance was cancelled—leading to allegations that the Italian PM is trying to turn state broadcasters into her own “megaphone”.
 
She wouldn’t be the first European leader exert control over their country’s media. There are concerns that Meloni is planning to take the Italian media down a similar road to that of Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, where independent journalists operate in a climate of fear and intimidation.

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Tensions in the Middle East ramped up at the weekend with the massive drone and missile attack launched by Iran on Israel. The eyes of the world refocused on the region, particularly Gaza—but what about the other occupied Palestinian territory, the West Bank?
 
Gideon Levy is an award-winning journalist who has been writing a column in Haaretz called “The Twilight Zone” for many years. On the podcast, he discusses his current view of life in the West Bank with Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber.
 
Gideon has been visiting Gaza and the West Bank on a weekly basis for over 30 years now, reporting the stories of Palestinians living in the occupied territories. Gaza was closed to all Israelis after the second Intifada, but Gideon has continued his weekly visits to the West Bank since. The people he has met have told him many moving stories, which he has relayed as part of what he says is his mission to tell the truth. Behind it all, Gideon sees himself as a journalist and a human first, and then an Israeli— and believes this should be a message for all journalists. 
 
‘I’ve crossed some lines’ he says, because he walks a difficult path. He’s been shot by Israeli soldiers, too. But he insists that someone must tell the story of the people living in the occupied territories, currently living through hell in the West Bank and in Gaza.

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The war in Ukraine has been grinding on for over two years now, and the media spotlight on the region has dimmed over the last few months. But Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and writer for the Atlantic, has been following the conflict closely.
 
Because much of the world’s media has turned attention away from Ukraine, with editors focusing time and money instead on the war in Gaza, Anne explains that the innovation of Ukrainians in the war is being under-reported. So is there more going on than meets the eye? Despite not having a navy, Ukraine has been able to destroy much of the Russian Black Sea Fleet—but that hasn’t been widely covered, as no journalists are present to witness successful missions. As the war enters a crucial new phase, Anne, Lionel and Alan discuss the challenges of covering the conflict—and what the media can do better.
  
Also on the podcast, Celia Richardson from the National Trust joins Alan and Lionel to talk about the accusations made by the Daily Mail that the scones sold in its tea rooms and made with no butter were “woke”. A storm in a teacup?

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Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu has passed a law that will ban foreign media from operating within the country. Al Jazeera is one of the main outlets on the ground providing reportage, and the most watched network in the region—so what impact will the closure of their operations in Israel have on the ability to get news out of the war zone? Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber are joined by journalist and humanitarian Khaled Mansour to discuss where genuine news reporting from the conflict will come from with the ban in place.
 
Also this week: in the past, UK political parties have relied on backing from Murdoch-run news media to ensure victory in general elections. Journalist and author Tom Baldwin discusses with Alan and Lionel whether that will be the case in the next election too. With the media landscape vastly different to previous elections, do the Times and the Sun still hold the power to sway the population?

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This week, Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber are joined by Gavin Esler and Michael Crick as they get stuck into GB News, broadcaster bias—and what it’s like to watch and appear on the channel.
 
Previously, Alan had tasked Gavin with watching GB News’s output for a month. The outcome? Tory MPs interviewing Tory MPs, “shallow” reporting, and a lack of balance not just about politics but about the reality of issues such as housing in UK society. Michael Crick is a contributor to GB News—albeit a combative one—and explains why he continues appearing on the channel, despite repeatedly calling for it to be shut down.
 
With such a lack of impartiality, how does the channel dodge being challenged by the regulator, Ofcom? Plus, ahead of the looming general election, tighter rules apply to broadcasters. How will GB News be able to report on the poll with so many politicians involved as presenters?
 
This episode of Media Confidential was recorded in front of an audience.

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