The Media Show BBC Radio 4

A week into the election, we explore party control of the media message and the gaffes that happen when things go wrong. We hear live from the Labour battle bus, talk to Boris Johnson's former social media strategist and look at the way the different campaigns are crafting their message on TikTok.
Shona Ghosh, Senior Editor, Bloomberg; Martha Lane Fox, former Board Member, Twitter/X; Katy Balls, Political Editor, The Spectator; Sean Topham, Co-Founder, Topham Guerin; Jessica Elgot, Deputy Political Editor, The Guardian; Timandra Harkness, writer and author of Technology is Not the Problem; Sam Jeffers, Executive  Director, Who Targets Me

At the end of this week Newsnight as we know it comes to an end. From Tuesday, its format will change – and it’ll be shorter too. To discuss the end of an era, Katie and Ros speak to an all-star Newsnight line up: Kirsty Wark, Peter Snow, Michael Crick. They're also joined by Professor Suzanne Franks, who researches changing broadcast news consumption.
On Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury to become boxing's undisputed heavyweight champion. The high-profile match was held in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of ‘sportswashing’. Alex Pattle from The Independent reveals what it was like reporting from the event, and Prof Simon Chadwick analyses the Saudi sports investment strategy.
The actor Scarlett Johansson has accused OpenAI of deliberately copying her voice for its latest chatbot ‘Sky’. OpenAI said that it would remove the voice, but insisted that it was not meant to be an "imitation" of the star. Lawyer Susan Aslan assesses if the actor has a case, and tech journalist Takara Small updates us on the latest AI releases.
Guests: Kirsty Wark, broadcaster; Peter Snow, broadcaster; Michael Crick, broadcaster; Alex Pattle, Combat Sports correspondent, The Independent; Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy, Skema Business school; Takara Small, technology journalist; Susan Aslan, Partner, ACK Media Law.
Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins
Producer: Simon Richardson

Katie and Ros go inside the controversy about Netflix drama Baby Reindeer which has raised questions about the impact drama inspired by true events can have on real people. They’ll be helped by Piers Morgan who just interviewed one of the alleged subjects; Clive Coleman, legal expert and dramatist; and Chris Banatvala, former Head of Standards at Ofcom who can explain the rules for these kinds of productions.
Also in the programme, ahead of the infected blood inquiry publishing its final report on Monday, we speak to Caroline Wheeler who has followed the story for over two decades. We're also joined by Maggie Harrison Dupree, the journalist who broke the story of Sports Illustrated allegedly publishing AI generated stories. Plus, how do you compose an iconic news theme? As the BBC news theme celebrates its 25th birthday, we speak to its composer David Lowe and Victor Vlam, who owns the largest collection of news theme tunes in the world.
Guests: Piers Morgan, presenter, Piers Morgan Uncensored; Chris Banatvala former Ofcom Director of Standards; Clive Coleman, Partner at Maltin PR and former BBC News Legal Correspondent; Caroline Wheeler, Political editor, The Sunday Times; Maggie Harrison Dupre, tech writer, Futurism; Victor Vlam, Founder, Network News Music
Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins
Producer: Simon Richardson

US university campuses have been the scene of pro-Palestinian demonstrations over the last month. We assess the challenges of reporting the protests and hear why student journalists have been crucial to our understanding of the story. We also look at Israel’s ban of Al Jazeera where the government accuses it of being a mouthpiece for Hamas, a charge the network denies. Plus, what’s it like to cover the Met Gala? And how are the media strategies of political parties evolving as we approach a general election in the UK?
Guests: Pippa Crerar, Political Editor, The Guardian; Ben Riley-Smith, Political Editor, The Daily Telegraph; Leila Nathoo, Political Correspondent, BBC News; Richard Hall, Senior US Correspondent, The Independent; Julia Vargas Jones, Reporter, CNN; Doug MacLeod, Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Jada Yuan, National Culture Writer, Washington Post; Shaina Oppenheimer, Journalist, BBC Monitoring Jerusalem; Mohamed Moawad, Managing Editor, Al Jazeera
Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins
Producer: Simon Richardson

An information iron curtain has fallen across large parts of the globe, where access to impartial news reporting and information has never been more difficult. With the help of BBC specialists, Ros and Katie consider the impact of censorship and technological controls on Russia, Iran and China; how ingrained state disinformation has become and how it has distorted their citizens’ perception of the world. Our panel also look at attempts to circumvent internet blocking and state restrictions on free media, from the use of VPNs by those on the inside, to the innovative tactics adopted by outsiders who are trying to deliver truthful news to an often indoctrinated audience.

Guests: Kerry Allen, China media analyst, BBC; Francis Scarr, journalist, BBC Monitoring; Kia Atri, journalist, BBC Middle East; Suzanne Raine, Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge; Joe Tidy, cyber correspondent, BBC News; Fabian Falch, tech entrepreneur; Evie Aspinall, Director, British Foreign Policy Group, Jonathan Munro Deputy CEO & Director of Journalism, BBC News; Famil Ismailov, News Editor, BBC Russian Service.
Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins
Producer: Simon Richardson

Katie and Ros explore the place of creativity in modern media, from advertising to game show formats. They talk to the producers behind ITV’s The 1% Club and Channel 4’s Hunted. They’ll also hear about concerns over dating app Grindr’s use of user data and talk to media regulator Ofcom about new research into how audiences feel about politicians presenting current affairs programmes.
Guests: Cristina Nicolotti Squires, Group Director, Ofcom; Decca Aitkenhead, Chief Interviewer, The Sunday Times; Matt Bennett, Senior Executive Producer, Shine TV; Dean Nabarro, Co-founder, Magnum Media; Sir John Hegarty, Advertising Executive, The Garage Soho; Josh Parry, Senior Journalist LGBT and Identity, BBC; Zoe Schiffer, Managing Editor, Platformer
Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins
Producer: Simon Richardson