10 episodes
Pig Iron Tortoise
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- News
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4.7 • 226 Ratings
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Christopher Allen was trying to make it as a war reporter when, aged just 26, he was shot and killed on the frontline in South Sudan. But as news of his death began to spread, suspicion grew. Some claimed he was really there as a mercenary, a fighter. Others said he was a reckless freelancer, in over his head. And there was another question: was he killed on purpose, or was this another accident of war? From Tortoise and the team behind Sweet Bobby, Pig Iron is a dark adventure in war and journalism – and into what really happened to Christopher Allen.
Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows, 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.
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Episode one: White rebel
Five years after his death on a distant frontline in South Sudan, the truth about what happened to Christopher Allen is still a mystery. Was he a reckless freelancer? A mercenary? Or a young and ambitious reporter, caught in the crossfire? Approached by a family member looking for answers, journalist Basia Cummings begins investigating.
Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows, 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. -
Episode two: Spring break
At just 22 years old, Chris travels to Ukraine for his spring break, keen to see war up close. For the first time, he experiences the thrill and horror of the frontline. He's hooked. Five years later, Basia, along with Chris's cousin, Jeremy, visit Chris's parents in America to piece together who he really was. There they learn a troubling new detail about Chris's time in Ukraine.
All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get access to more of our investigations, and invites to exclusive events. Go to tortoisemedia.com/pigiron and enter the code Basia50 for half price membership.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
Episode three: The lonely impulse
Basia traces Chris's career as a young freelancer. By now, it's clear his death is tied to his life as a reporter. But who was he trying to be? Just how close was he to a group of fighters? And after years in Ukraine, how did he end up in a remote corner of South Sudan?
All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get access to more of our investigations, and invites to exclusive events. Go to tortoisemedia.com/pigiron and enter the code Basia50 for half price membership.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
Episode four: The kaleidoscope
There is a new layer of horror to Chris's story – and in trying to understand it, Basia investigates the evidence that Chris was killed on purpose. The team figures out how to get to South Sudan – and how to finally meet the essay-writer.
Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows, 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. -
Episode five: Kaya
Months after Jeremy first approached Basia, the team fly to Nairobi to sit down with the mysterious essay writer. And it turns out that he is not the only person ready to share what he knows about who killed Christopher Allen.
Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows, 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. -
Episode six: The rope
The team tries to understand the connection between Chris's trip to South Sudan, and one taken by a group of American fighters just weeks before. Could this explain why Chris was called a white rebel? And after months investigating, Basia finally speaks to the fighter who fascinated Chris, and she asks – how close really were you?
Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows, 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.
Customer Reviews
Love it - listened to it twice
I listened once, then read the Brabazon book, then listened again. Really interesting to think about the characters who choose to go to war zones, and the ethics of journalism.
Outstanding investigative journalism
So intelligent and honest. This really captures the nuances of war and the people that are drawn to report it.
Host is a great journalist. Jeremy is creepy
No one cares that much about their cousin to get involved to this extent. My feeling is that the deceased young man crossed the line out of desperation, due to the collapse of war journalism. Jeremy is a weirdo and brings nothing to the story other than a feeling of unease. Perhaps narcissism, a need for attention.