Media Confidential

Alan and Lionel are asked about Tortoise's imminent takeover of the Observer. The hosts discuss a surprisingly timely encounter, and share some breaking news about Prospect.

They also discuss blasting off into space and whether they’d rather put their lives in the hands of Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk. 

Plus, has the press regulator IPSO lost its teeth? Has it ever had any?

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Does it matter who funds and owns the media?

This week, Alan and Lionel are joined by Rodney Benson, professor and author of How Media Ownership Matters, who compares the ways in which newspapers are funded around the world—and how this fundamentally shapes democracy.

Plus, Alan shares stories from his recent trip to Perugia, which holds the annual International Journalism festival. He discusses his mood after the f...

In this week’s Q&A, Alan and Lionel are asked what makes a good story—and which big ones they’ve missed.

They reminisce over the hedonistic days of Vanity Fair magazine, following the release of former editor Graydon Carter’s swashbuckling new memoir.

And they remember the legacies, lives and careers of two former colleagues: Gwen Robinson, former foreign correspondent for the Financial Times and Tim ...

On Media Confidential this week, Alan and Lionel discuss the world being turned upside down by Donald Trump’s tariffs.

As former editor of the Financial Times, Lionel weighs in on how the press are handling the situation: what are they getting right…and what are they missing? Have financial journalists failed to spot the biggest story yet?

And amid a slew of suspensions and politically-motivated arrests at Columbia Unive...

What would you do if you realised your work was putting you in danger?

This week, Alan and Lionel are asked if they’ve ever been unsafe because of their journalism.

They talk about Tom McTague moving jobs across the political spectrum, from UnHerd's political editor, to editor at the New Statesman.

And as Jim Mullen announces his departure from the media company Reach, the hosts discuss his tenure.

If you hav...

This week, Alan and Lionel discuss alarming threats to global press freedom with guests Jodie Ginsberg and former war correspondent Peter Greste.

As an award-winning journalist with Al Jazeera, Peter was reporting on the Arab Spring when he was arrested under charges of terrorism. He shares his story of being wrongfully imprisoned in Egypt for 400 days (later dramatised in the film The Correspondent).

Jodie, director of ...

What would you do if you got added to a messaging group that was discussing top-level classified information?

This week, Alan and Lionel are asked about the Atlantic’s stunning report that some of the highest level figures in American defence discussed war plans in a Signal group containing its editor, Jeff Goldberg.

How have new communication technologies changed journalism—and the search for a scoop?

Alan and Lion...

In this episode Alan and Lionel talk to journalist and author Michael Wolff, who has chronicled the rise and fall and rise again of Donald Trump across his “Fire and Fury” book series.

The latest instalment, “All or Nothing” was published just after Trump re-entered the White House in January.The trio discuss the future of media under Donald Trump, how he has taken control of news cycles and what happens when corporate interest...

How will artificial intelligence change how people consume media?

Alan and Lionel discuss more listeners' questions on this week's Q&A.The editors also chew over how best to tackle conspiracy theories, and how media outlets can avoid being part of the problem.

If you have a question for Alan and Lionel send them to mediaconfidential@prospectmagazine.co.uk

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This week, Alan and Lionel are joined by former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers to discuss the new world order...or should that be disorder?

They share their views on the threat posed by the second Trump presidency and whether the world has reverted to “might is right”. John raises concerns over the future of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance—which consists of the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the US. Could this mean the e...

Alan and Lionel respond to more listeners’ questions on this week’s Q&A.

In this episode they are asked if the amount of low quality journalism available has an impact on public trust in journalism and they discuss the concept of 'flooding the zone' and what can be done by newsrooms to reclaim the narrative.

Plus whether or not journalists play a role in promoting and investigating fraudulent influencers.

If you h...

Journalist and political commentator Ash Sarkar joins Alan and Lionel to talk about her debut book Minority rule, adventures in the culture war, which tackles free speech and how so-called culture wars have been manufactured to stoke division and influence politics. How have cultural battles eclipsed economic struggle in public debate?

Ash examines the media’s role in fuelling the culture wars, the impact of social media a...

Alan and Lionel respond to more listeners’ questions on this week’s Q&A.

In a world where the news never sleeps, the editors are asked whether news coverage is proactive or reactive.

They also discuss the importance of fact-checking, and whether or not young people are equipped with the tools to pick up on political bias across news platforms.

Plus, Alan explains what a “dead cat” is journalistic jargon for, and h...

Gen Z aren't switching on the TV for the 10 o’clock news. They aren't picking up newspapers, and they're less likely to trust the big media names in the same way their parents did.

But they are consuming vast amounts of news...Alex Mahon is the CEO of Channel 4.

She joins Alan and Lionel at Prospect HQ to talk about how journalists can capture the attention and, more importantly, the trust of a generation.

The ...

In this second special episode, Alan and Lionel are joined by aspiring journalists from Oxford Brookes University to tackle their tough questions about the industry’s future.

Alan and Lionel discuss optimism: when journalism is suffering a crisis of trust, what can we do to be hopeful?

Plus, the editors are asked what sources they trust when it comes to keeping informed.

Send us your questions via email at m...

One of the world's biggest media dynasties is in crisis. Last December, in a Nevada court, the Murdoch family battled to decide who would take control of its media empire. 

Alan and Lionel are joined by Jim Rutenberg, writer-at-large for the New York Times, who was one of two journalists who obtained copies of sealed court documents and published details of the case.

He shares the story of reporting on Murdoch’s sec...

In a rapidly changing world, can journalists still cut through the noise? In this special episode, Alan and Lionel are joined by aspiring journalists from Oxford Brookes University to tackle their tough questions about the industry’s future.

They explore why gen Z seems increasingly sceptical of democratic processes, whether Prince Harry’s recent trial signals the need for another Leveson Inquiry, and what it truly means to ‘know yo...

If someone wanted to take over British institutions like Trump's government has done in the USA, what would their first steps be—and how could we guard against them?

Joining Alan and Lionel in the Prospect studios is a panel of expert guests: Jean Seaton is Professor of Media History and the Official Historian of the BBC, Peter York and Patrick Barwise are co-authors of the book The War against the BBC: How an Unp...

Which actor would you want to be played by? Though that question isn’t hypothetical for Alan (shoutout Toby Jones), Lionel shares his own thoughts in this week’s Media Confidential Q&A.

And with the recent arrival of digital newspaper The Londoner, what impact has it had on the capital’s local media landscape? The editors give their verdict on Joshi Hermann’s latest endeavour.

Alan and Lionel are asked what measures ...