The News Meeting

Is climate politics full of hot air? What’s next for the government’s Prevent scheme? What’s behind falling vaccine rates in some parts of the country? 

Rebecca Moore is joined by a trio of Observer reporters: Whitehall editor Cat Neilan, Senior Audio Producer Katie Gunning and Senior Writer Francisco Garcia.

You can read Rebecca’s Must Read HERE

And you can read Francisco’s Must Read HERE

**Join us at the News Mee...

The Observer recently published a major investigation into the bestselling memoir The Salt Path. In this special episode, Giles Whittell is joined by the journalist behind the story, Chloe Hadjimatheou, and her editor, Alexi Mostrous, to discuss how the investigation unfolded. 

To read Chloe’s piece click here.

To read Raynor Winn’s rebuttal, click here.

To listen to the episode of The Sensemaker outlining Chloe’s pie...

Are Britain and France on the cusp of yet another agreement over small boats? Could the Texan floods have been prevented? Can women trust the justice system? 

Rebecca Moore is joined by Observer reporters Phoebe Davies and Serena Cesareo, and the journalist and author Jenny Evans, whose book Don’t Let It Break You, Honey details her experience being assaulted by a high profile figure, and her subsequent fight to find out wh...

Why did the case to prosecute rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs fail? Who’s to blame for Rachel Reeve’s terrible week? Should kids be taught to read faster? 

Giles Whittell is joined by a trio of Observer reporters. Cat Neilan is the Whitehall Editor, Vanessa Thorpe is the Media and Arts reporter and Stephen Armstrong, who has been covering the Diddy trial for the paper. 

**Join us at the News Meeting Live: 

• LIV...

Is Keir Starmer facing his most significant rebellion yet? Why is Chinese billionaire Justin Sun being accused of buying access to Donald Trump? And what should Health Secretary Wes Streeting focus on if he wants to fix the NHS? 

Rebecca Moore is joined by host of the Westminster Inside podcast Sascha O’Sullivan, alongside The Observer’s Patricia Clarke and Jon Ungoed-Thomas, as they battle it out and pitch the top stories ...

Why are TV audiences for women’s sport falling? Was the Nato summit a victory lap for Donald Trump? And who is Zohran Mamdani, the charismatic progressive running for New York City Mayor?

Giles Whittell is joined by Katie Riley, data editor at The Observer; Jessica Hayden, The Observer’s assistant sports editor and author of The Red Roses: Behind the Scenes with the England Women’s Rugby Team; and Ivo Daalder, former US ambassad...

Has Netanyahu got the Middle East exactly where he wants it? How will Iran respond to the US strikes on its nuclear facilities? Will the the conflict in the region change British politics forever?

Rebecca Moore is joined by the journalists Rana Rahimpour and Jotam Confino, and former advisor to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, as they battle it out for the top story of the day. 

**Join us at the News Meeting Live: 

...

Is Ayatollah Khamenei becoming increasingly isolated? Who’s got Donald Trump’s ear in the decision to strike Iran? How can we find out what’s happening on the ground in Gaza?

Jess Winch is joined by the Observer’s Head of Audio Jasper Corbett, journalist Rana Rahimpour and the author of Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall, as they battle it out for the top story of the day. 

**Join us at the News Meeting Live: 

Could the latest developments in Iran and Israel end the Cold War of the Middle East? Why has it taken 40 years to start the process of identifying the bodies of 800 unknown babies in Ireland? And will President Trump’s MAGA support base buy into his family’s latest venture? 

Rebecca Moore is joined by the Observer’s managing editor Jess Winch, NPR’s Lauren Frayer and co-host of Good Bad Billionaire Zing Tsjeng, as they bat...

In this special episode of The News Meeting, Jess Winch is joined by Jerusalem-based reporter Noga Tarnopolsky, along with The Observer’s Chloe Hadjimatheou and Stephen Armstrong. Together, they unpack the Middle East conflict through the perspectives of America, Israel and Iran.

**Join us at the News Meeting Live: 

• LIVE from the Observer Newsroom on Tuesday 17 June - with Zing Tsjeng and NPR’s Lauren Frayer 
• LIV...

OpenAI’s Sam Altman self-publishes chat GPT’s water and energy consumption for the first time, but how can tech companies continue to expand in a more sustainable way? How will RFK Jr’s appointment of known anti-vaxers to the CDC panel shape vaccination policy in the US? And are generational labels a problematic myth? 

Following Israeli strikes on Iran, The Observer’s Chloe Hadjimatheou and Jess Winch discuss the latest dev...

What’s behind the president’s decision to deploy the National Guard in response to protests over immigration raids? Is Greta Thunberg’s journey aboard the detained Madleen flotilla the most effective way to highlight the plight of Gazans? And how should we tackle the soaring water use of AI?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Katie Gunning, Jon Ungoed-thomas and Serena Cesareo, as they battle to pitch the top story of th...

Why has the American Evangelical leader Johnnie Moore been chosen to chair the Gaza Humanitarian Fund? How will slipping data collection standards in the US undermine critics of the Trump administration? What is the rationale behind President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban placed on 12 countries? 

Giles Whittell is joined by journalist Anu Anand, along with The Observer’s Katie Riley and Jasper Corbett, as they battle to ...

In his stark new film on the fishing industry, David Attenborough warns we're "almost out of time" to save the oceans. Are Nigel Farage’s calls to change UK abortion laws the start of a new culture war? And with Thames Water in crisis, should the government step in?

James Harding is joined by Pod Save the UK’s Coco Khan, along with The Observer’s Basia Cummings and Miranda Sawyer, as they battle to pitch the top story of the day...

The UK government’s new Strategic Defence Review says it’s time for British citizens to step up. In southern Gaza, the Red Cross says 21 people were “declared dead on arrival” at a field hospital after an incident near an aid distribution centre. And could Ukraine’s Operation Spider’s Web change the face of modern warfare?

Giles Whittell is joined by Media Storm’s Mathilda Mallinson along with The Observer’s Cat Neilan and Jaspe...

If the book is good, do we care if it was written by AI? Should we be concerned by the distribution of aid in Gaza by non-UN services? A team of British climbers recently reached Everest’s summit in just five days after using xenon gas to boost performance. Does this kind of enhancement challenge traditional ideas of mountaineering achievement?

Giles Whittell is joined by author, political adviser, and foreign policy specialist ...

What links Elon Musk’s business ties in South Africa to the US president’s attack on Cyril Ramaphosa? Will AI hit women in the workforce hardest? And could the case of Adriana Smith - a brain-dead pregnant woman being kept alive because she’s pregnant - reshape abortion laws in states like Georgia?

Giles Whittell is joined by writer and journalist Marisa Bate, along with Observer reporters Stephen Armstrong and Phoebe Davis, as ...

Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper’s book, Original Sin alleges that officials working for Biden’s administration tried to keep what they describe as the president’s mental decline hidden. Is the media guilty of sensationalising Cassie Ventura’s testimony and the trial involving Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs? Why are changes to the fisheries policies between the EU and UK causing such a fuss?

Giles Whittell is joined by Anu Anand, Stephen Armst...

Why did Bradley Wiggins seek advice from disgraced former cyclist Lance Armstrong to help him recover from cocaine addiction? What does the indictment of a US judge tell us about President Trump’s plans to take on the judiciary? How is a law from the 1800s being used to criminalise women who have abortions in 2025? 

Jess Winch is joined by Marie Le Conte, Rowan Moore and Andrew Butler, as they battle to pitch the top story ...