The News Meeting

This week the President made the erroneous link between pregnant women taking paracetamol to autism. What happens now that trust in basic pain relief is shaken? Has Reform miscalculated with its climate-skeptical stance? And Nike has teamed up with Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS - but is their new campaign crossing the line by sexualising female athletes?

Giles Whittell is joined by journalist and author David Aaronovitch, the Observer’...

Could Tiktok become MAGA-tok? What are the implications of recognising a Palestinian state? Should Rwanda be hosting an international cycling competition?

Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Bex Sander and Serena Cesareo as they pitch their top stories of the day.

Find the team’s Must Reads here:

• The Rabbit Hole
• What it means to get really really high
• Hidden Valley Road

**Join us at the N...

What did we learn from Donald Trump and Keir Starmer’s press conference? Why is Israel invading Gaza City? What does the suspension of the Jimmy Kimmel show tell us about press freedom in America?

Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Erica Wagner, Steve Bloomfield and Rachel Sylvester as they try and pitch the top stories of the day.

**Join us at the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 23rd September at 6:30pm** 

Rebecca Mo...

With young people in Nepal using social media sites like Discord to organise protests, are we witnessing the South Asian Spring? How influential is Elon Musk in British politics following his message to the Unite the Kingdom protestors? And how did the Assad regime systematically steal hundreds of children from their families? 

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Patricia Clarke, Chloe Hadjimatheou and Stephen Armstr...

What does the sacking of Peter Mandelson mean for Keir Starmer? Does Vladimir Putin want war with NATO? Is the UK at risk of an uptick in political violence?

Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Jessica Hayden, Katie Gunning and Bernard Gray as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.

Find the team’s must reads:

• Bosses can reject applicants who support rival football team
• Cultural Capital

**Join us ...

Why can’t the French government pass a budget? Who will win in the fight for the soul of the Labour Party? Why do pensioners keep being arrested?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Tom Gatti and Serna Cesareo, as well as the journalist and author Charlie Brinkhurst Cuff, as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.

Find the team’s must reads:l

• The Missing Sister
• Back to Petroleum
• How Music Criticism Lost Its E...

Will revelations about Angela Rayner’s taxes be the end of her political career? How will Melvyn Bragg’s exit from In Our Time impact the iconic show? Why did Nigel Farage compare the UK to North Korea in his plea to US politicians? 

Giles Whittell is joined by the Observer’s Cat Neilan, Paul Hayward and Alex O’Connell as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.

Must Reads:

• 'Jimmy Breslin Essential Writings'

Will Afghanistan get the aid it needs? Is China the new America when it comes to globalisation? Could a lawsuit from a dark corner of the internet affect the Online Safety Act?

Rebecca Moore is joined by Observer reporters Stephen Armstrong, Phoebe Davis and Bex Sander as they pitch their stop stories of the day.

Links to the team’s Must Reads and recommendations here: 

• Inside the world of the Great British Bake Off
• Fi...

Will SpaceX’s latest triumph mean Elon Musk will make it to Mars? Why will the price of Mounjaro weightless drugs go up? Benjamin Netanyahu called the IDF’s airstrike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital a “tragic misstep" but so far 240 Palestinian journalists have died since the beginning of the conflict.

Giles Whittell is joined by the Observer’s International Editor, Steve Bloomfield, our Acting National News Editor, Rebecca Myers and ...

An Essex council has been granted a High Court injunction to stop a local hotel from housing asylum seekers. What is behind the massive growth of Women’s Rugby and support for the Red Roses? Will a tax on tourists help boost local economies and support the arts? 

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Ceri Thomas, Vanessa Thorpe and Jessica Hayden, as each try to pitch the top story of the day.

Read more on today’s s...

Will Zelensky find any success with Trump, in the wake of the Alaska Summit? What does the militarisation of Washington DC tell us about America’s political direction? And why are MPs making TikToks? 

Rebecca Moore is joined by the Financial Times’ Working It Editor Isabel Berwick, Plus The 

Observer’s Katie Riley and Stephen Armstrong, as each try to pitch the top story of the day.

Links to the team’s Must Reads and...

Will facial recognition technology change law enforcement forever? JD Vance has been wooing his British political allies in the Cotswolds, but will a new think-tank deepen US influence in right wing politics? Is the government at risk of losing public support after the Palestine Action arrests? 

Giles Whittell is joined by the Observer’s Whitehall Editor Cat Neilan, News Reporter Jon Ungoed Thomas and Consulting Editor for ...

What proof has Israel provided to support their claim that Anas al Sharif ran a Hamas cell in Gaza? Why has the partnership between Premier League Football and Stonewall ended? And will Putin’s visit to the US bring an end to the war in Ukraine? 

Giles Whittell is joined by NPR’s International Correspondent, Lauren Frayer. Plus the Observer’s Serena Cesareo and Jessy Parker Humphreys, as they battle it out and pitch the top...

Is it wrong for the government to ask police to release information on the ethnicity and immigration status of crime suspects? As countries gather for the UN plastics summit, just how much of our lives are contaminated by plastic? Who is the YouTuber behind the misinformation campaign targeting France’s First Lady?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Political Editor Rachel Sylvester, reporter Phoebe Davis and reporter Ja...

As the UK Parliament takes its summer break, has Reform seized the media spotlight and emerged as a viable third-party contender? What are the risks of uploading ID to age-restricted websites under the Online Safety Act? Will Trump impose his peace deal deadline on Russia if Putin refuses negotiations?

Rebecca Moore is joined by The New Statesman’s Associate Political Editor, Rachel Cunliffe. Plus the Observer’s Poppy Bullard an...

Are male novelists a dying breed? Can women trust apps with their personal data? Are tariffs the only way Donald Trump knows how to do diplomacy?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Home Affairs Editor John Simpson, Head of Data and Graphics Katie Riley and Consulting Editor for Comment, Erica Wagner. 

Links to the team’s Must Reads here: 

• What do tweens really want?
• DOGE-pilled

Read Erica’s piece o...

Is the UK’s decision to conditionally recognise the state of Palestine more symbolic than practical? As protests in Epping continue, how is rhetoric around asylum seekers impacting children from ethnic minority backgrounds? Now that the Lionesses have won the Euros for a second time, is this confirmation that the hard work put into the women’s game has paid off?

Giles Whittell is joined by ITV News Presenter and Loose Women pane...

Are Labour’s concerns about social cohesion a sign that they may be aligning with some of Reforms ideas on immigration? Why does Kemi Badenoch want to outlaw doctors’ strikes? And are the latest aid drops in Gaza a sign of change to come? 

Jasper Corbett is joined by journalist and broadcaster David Aaronovitch. Plus, the Observer reporter Stephen Armstrong and senior producer Katie Gunning.

**Listen to the Sensemaker po...

Is Belgium paving the way for more international action over Gaza? Have the Lionesses paved the way for a permanent change in English football culture? What’s going on at Unite? 

Rebecca Moore is joined by three Observer journalists. Senior Digital Editor Claudia Williams, Sports Reporter Jessy Parker Humphreys and Architecture Critic Rowan Moore. 

Links to the team’s Must Reads here: 

• The billionaire and th...