Media Storm

This week is Refugee Week, a time to celebrate the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. And here at Media Storm, we can't do it without delving into media hypocrisy when reporting on the group. Why do closed borders not work - and why, in the face of hard evidence, do politicians still continue to ignore the facts and figures on displacement?  We're joined in the studio by Ugandan model and transgender refugee rights activist, ⁠Amanda Kamanda⁠, and Iranian Refugee Olympic athlete, ⁠Dorsa Yavarivafa⁠. They tell us about the importance of LGBTQ+ refugee protection and the power of sport to create community. In contrast, we cover the rise of homophobia and transphobia in the West, and specifically in media coverage of migration. After the break, we turn our focus onto the US where anti-ICE protests embody the theme of this week's Refugee Week: ‘Community as a Superpower'. And as we approach the one-year anniversary of UK riots after the Southport stabbing, our guests also respond to Keir Starmer's ‘Island of Strangers' speech.  The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠)  The music is by⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠ Support us on⁠⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠⁠! Follow us on⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠ TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time for another News Watch, helping you get your head around the headlines. Locals face-off law enforcement in LA, as Trump sends the military to flatten (or fan up) protests. Meanwhile, Western media are dodging terms like ‘authoritarian' better than their reporters are dodging police bullets. Assisted dying is back in the headlines as legalisation goes through UK and France's parliaments. Disabled people and terminally ill people are often pitched on opposite sides of the debate: how do we elevate both communities' voices, without pitting minorities against each other? Freedom Flotilla or "selfie yacht"? Humanitarian aid or vanity stunt? Whatever you think of Greta Thunberg and the Madleen crew, it doesn't change the fact that Gaza is under siege. If the media's so sick of Greta's selfies, perhaps they could cover the story behind the ‘stunt'? ALSO: tune in to hear about Helena's smear test and the show's working titles before it became ‘Media Storm'... Buy Rachel Charlton-Dailey's book, Ramping Up Rights. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠)  The music is by⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠ Support us on⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠! Follow us on⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠,⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠, and⁠⁠ TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do we 'cancel' Fascism without censorship? Can we protect free speech as well as fact-checking? This week, something different: we dive deep into social justice theory and question how to actually achieve it. Media Storm brings missing expert voices into the conversation. These are normally people with lived experience, but as politics becomes evermore polarised, we sought out a world-class philosopher to help us rise above partisanship and understand the core questions driving division. AC Grayling is Master of the New College of the Humanities and has written and edited over 30 books. But he does not see philosophy as an ivory tower practice, rather a useful subject for real life implementation. We put that to the test. The episode is produced and presented by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall). The music is by Samfire (@soundofsamfire). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let's talk about how the media is fuelling the rise of Reform. This is not a new topic. The News Agents called it a "lefty cop-out" to blame the media for the rise of Reform. But what about the media cop-outs? What about the media's refusal to change, even as the Far-Right returns to the mainstream? The truth, Media Storm argues, is this: our media did not just fuel the rise of Reform, they cashed in on it. So on this week's episode, while Mathilda struggles with corrupted live show audio (sorry), we bring you a special audio article on the topic instead, and introduce you to the Media Storm column in Byline Times - out every Friday. This episode is produced and presented by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall). The music is by Samfire (@soundofsamfire). Support Media Storm on Patreon, and follow the column on Byline Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Warning: this episode contains mentions of baby loss. Three years ago, we brought you the story of a Nigerian fishing community suing Shell in UK courts over oil spills. This year marks 10 years since their battle began, and the year it finally goes to trial. The Niger Delta is one of the ten most important wetland ecosystems in the world, home to some 31 million people. But the river that sustains so many lives of so many species has become poisoned over decades by oil. Environmental justice is a long and winding road, but communities are standing firm in their bids to hold the world's most powerful corporations to account. They rely on media coverage to keep their fights in the limelight, yet they often struggle to be seen. Why is that? In this episode, we are joined by Lazarus Tamana, UK president of the Movement For The Survival of The Ogoni People , and Dr Emem Okon, Executive Director of community-led NGO Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre. They help us unpick the media's coverage of the climate crisis - examining undisclosed relationships between news outlets and corporations, a failure to understand national vs. ‘World' news, and telling choices of media language. Follow Amnesty UK's ‘No Clean Up, No Justice', read Dr Emem Okon's research, with the Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre and Both Ends. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠@mathildamall⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠@helenawadia⁠) , with Lily Erwood as Assistant Producer. The music is by ⁠@soundofsamfire⁠ Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, and ⁠TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LAST CHANCE TO GET YOUR LIVE SHOW TICKETS! Media Storm is back for SERIES 6! And we're here to help you get your head around the headlines (however unhinged they are). But this week, we had a little identity crisis… should we be using the term ‘mainstream media' when it's become such a conspiracy buzzword? And if not, how do we point out all the mainstream media mishaps?! Let us know your thoughts... Stories we delve into this week include: Two post-Brexit trade deals got very different reactions in the UK media. Spoiler: we think race has something to do with it. We look at the UK-India trade deal, and the UK-US trade deal - and ask why one got too much scrutiny, and the other almost none at all. Next up, Gérard Depardieu was convicted for two counts of sexual assault. So why are much of the media labelling him as a 'legend' - and why is The Telegraph telling us 'all is not lost' for him? And we break down Keir Starmer's now infamous immigration speech, likened by his own party members to Enoch Powell's xenophobic ‘rivers of blood'. This is headline politics at its worst. As usual, we end with Eyes on Palestine. Follow the Committee to Protect Journalists here. Click here to complain to the BBC about their interview with Palantir. Read the report by Doctors of the World UK and Médecins Sans Frontières about Wethersfield. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠@mathildamall⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠@helenawadia⁠)  The music is by⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠ Support us on⁠ Patreon⁠! Follow us on⁠ Instagram⁠,⁠ Bluesky⁠, and⁠ TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Date: Tue 20 May 2025 Location: The Podcast Show, ⁠Business Design Centre⁠, 52 Upper Street London N1 0QH Doors Open: 18:30 | Show Begins: 19:00 (1hr) GET YOUR TICKETS | ACCESSIBLE TICKETS | AMEX TICKETS The descent to dictatorship, the ‘invasion' of borders, the war on free speech… what's a global crisis, and what's just another media storm? Join co-hosts Helena Wadia and Mathilda Mallinson – and special guests Natasha Devon and Milo Edwards – as they storm through the most unhinged headlines of 2025. Come for a brutal biopsy of the big stories, and leave a little wiser about the media's wily ways. Natasha Devon is writer, speaker, and broadcaster on LBC. Milo Edwards is a stand-up comedian and host of the podcasts Trash Future, Masters of Our Domain, and Glue Factory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join us for the Media Storm LIVE SHOW with special guests Natasha Devon and Milo Edwards - Tuesday 20th May 7pm @ the Business Design Centre in Islington. Tickets are available HERE! Kim, an asylum seeker from Zimbabwe, lives on £7-a-day while supporting a newborn in cockroach-infested accommodation… HOW is she supposed to pay the £10,000 NHS bill she received after giving birth? This week, Kim shares her story, and the Media Storm team unpack the mainstream media myths that feed the wider healthcare, migration and gender injustices behind it. Myths like: ‘Why are all asylum seekers MEN?!' Don't they come for free healthcare?' ‘Illegal migrants are living in luxury hotels' ‘The asylum backlog is out of control!' We pick apart some current, culpable headlines, and compare the stories they tell with the first-hand experiences of the people living it. Also joining us in the studio is Judith Dennis, head of policy at Maternity Action, which works for the rights of pregnant women and new parents irrespective of migration status, and is campaigning for changes alongside the National Childbirth Trust. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join us for the Media Storm LIVE SHOW! Tuesday 20th May 7pm, @ the Business Design Centre in Islington. Tickets available HERE  Time for another weekly news debrief: we pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media, helping you consume the news critically. This week, Katy Perry was blasted - into space, and in the media (4:50). As news broke that the Supreme Court ruled the legal definition of a woman is based on 'biological sex' (a ruling that didn't consult a single transgender person), we look at the rollbacks of queer rights around the world (10:20). Plus, how three front pages defined differently an attack on prison officers at HMP Frankland by the Manchester arena bomber's brother (22:32), a rebuttal against an ableist Daily Mail column on stammering (31:53), and why one article about asylum seekers living in 'luxury hotels' fails on facts (36:34). To keep Eyes on Palestine (41:02), we look at the case of Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student at Columbia university abducted by ICE in the US, and discuss a small but mighty change in a BBC headline. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia)  The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join us for the Media Storm LIVE SHOW! Tuesday 20th May 7pm @ the Business Design Centre in Islington. Tickets are available at 10am today via AEG Presents HERE! Paid Patreon subscribers get access to tickets ONE HOUR EARLIER at 9am What's the bigger threat to free speech: the ‘woke mob', or the MAGA word police? Where's the line between free speech and hate speech? How can you have free market of ideas - when most of the media is owned by political suck-ups? Is free speech actually free if some people have more free speech than others? And with ‘free speech crusaders' censoring anyone whose views they dislike… WHAT DOES ‘FREE SPEECH' EVEN MEAN ANYMORE? Journalist and political activist Femi Oluwole joins Helena Wadia and Mathilda Mallinson to put the mainstream media's ‘free speech' debates under the microscope: from the arresting of keyboard criminals, to the abduction of students calling attention to Palestine, to the hypocrisy of MAGA leaders, and the social media algorithms shaping public discourse. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join us for the Media Storm LIVE SHOW! Tuesday 20th May 7pm, @ the Business Design Centre in Islington. Tickets available at 10am on Friday via AEG Presents HERE  Paid Patreon subscribers get access to tickets ONE HOUR EARLIER at 9am - support us on Patreon and get early access!   Content warning: Rape and sexual assault. If you need support you can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222 Time for another weekly news debrief: we pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media, helping you consume the news critically. This week, some million people in the US protested for democracy and against the Trump administration - but you wouldn't know it from the front pages (3:10). One grievance on the protest agenda was against Trump's tariffs, described as ‘reciprocal' in the media - but it turns out they're anything but (10:25).  Plus - can we do anything about Meta's AI stealing over 7 million books? (9:12) (Sign the petition from The Society of Authors here!) Why did The Telegraph call Lucy Connolly, jailed for calling on rioters to set fire to asylum seeker hotels on X, a political prisoner? (21:03) And why intersectional reporting is so important in the case of serial rapist Zhenhao Zou. (31:11) Finally, keeping Eyes on Palestine, we look at the compliant reporting even the face of evidence that Israel's army killed 15 Palestinian paramedics and civil emergency responders. (39:14)  The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia)  The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Warning: this episode contains mentions of suicide. If you need support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123 Reports of image-based sexual abuse in the UK have increased tenfold over the past few years. Women are five times more likely to be victims of intimate image abuse. The true scale of the problem is probably larger, as many victims do not come forward. But sensationalist headlines about so-called 'revenge porn' are doing a disservice to survivors. The term 'revenge' welcomes victim-blaming, the term 'porn' undermines the severity of the crime. Articles about apparent new protections for victims are written from Government press releases, with fact-checking thrown out the window, leaving tired survivors to take on crucial work as campaigners. Legal frameworks also can't seem to keep up with rising technology - AI generated image-based sexual abuse, also known as 'deepfakes', increased 400% between 2022 and 2023. Is the media failing to point to a culture of misogyny behind this crime? What steps can we take to combat IBSA? And how can we put survivors first every step of the way? Joining Media Storm this week is Elena Michael, co-founder and director of #NotYourPorn (you can sign their open letter to address the critical gaps in current legislation), and founder of anti-share technology Image Angel, Madelaine Thomas. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Time for another weekly news debrief: we pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media, helping you consume the news critically. So many media storm's blowing up our radar this week! The ICE abduction of a Turkish PhD student in the US (01:17); a coordinated effort by the Times, Telegraph, TalkTV, GB News, and Robert Jenrick to mislead the public about new sentencing guidelines (5:02); meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene and her MAGA friends blame migrants, Biden, and everyone but themselves for the Signal group-chat security scandal (17:56). Plus - and this is where it gets awkward AF - Sky New's Sophie Ridge confuses two Muslim MPs for each other (22:00); a double stabbing in Bournemouth reveals how sensationalist media can play unwittingly into the hands of murderous men (26:05); and did you know - Adolescence is a true story? (34:24) And if you have concerns about the knee-jerk reaction of showing Adolescence in schools, here's the open letter you can sign. Finally, for Eyes on Palestine, we report on the discovery of a mass grave of Palestinian doctors that has reignited accusations of Israeli war crimes. (38:20) The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We live in the age of sanctions - with Trump dishing out punitive foreign policy willy-nilly, and Russia's war in Ukraine attracting more sanctions then the next top-sanctioned countries combined. It's time to ask: who are they really helping? Activists often call on their leaders to sanction foreign governments they see as breaking human rights laws. We're told that sanctions help protect civilians from their own, and neighbouring, oppressive regimes. But when civilian voices are left out of the conversation, and coverage constantly fails to examine the impact on the ground, how do we know if this is really what's happening? How do we learn from mistakes? Because there are mistakes. Venezuelan sanctions today, like Iraqi sanctions in the 1990s, are estimated to have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people. Yet just this week, we've seen more introduced. Media Storm speaks to civilians from countries around the world, and discusses the real-life consequences of sanctions with one of the leading reporters on the topic - and the few to have consistently centred civilian voices - Murtaza Hussain from Drop Site News. The episode also features Ilona Oleksiuk, from Ukrainian anti-fossil fuel group, Razom We Stand; Tata Chikviladze, Georgian journalist and protester; and Danielle Bett, Scottish-Israeli pro-democracy activist with Yachad. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you need help with drug addiction, you can find support here. Tickets for Unchained Nights here! Time for another weekly news debrief: we pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media, helping you consume the news critically. This week, the TV show on everyone's mind: Adolescence. We discuss our reaction to the Netflix hit, whether showing the series in schools will do anything to change minds on misogyny, and how we can involve boys in the conversation without stigmatising them. (21:25) Also this episode: Drag Race icon The Vivienne's cause of death was revealed to be cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking ketamine. A campaign has started to raise awareness of the dangers of ketamine, and to move the drug from Class B to Class A. But while the media uncritically supports the move, they fail to report on the wider context: that the more we have pursued a war on drugs, the more drug use, drug fatalities, and racialised inequality has risen. (04:01) Next, former president of Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) - but why did he call it 'white man's justice'? The uncomfortable truth about inconsistent international law. (14:25) And, we discuss the irony that a new four-lane highway is being built in the Brazilian city of Belém, cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest - all in aid of easing traffic at the climate summit COP30. You couldn't write it, but it's true. Read more from Ione Well's reporting here, and hear why we need to put the lived experience of indigenous voices at the forefront of the climate solution. (33:51) The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Content warning: baby loss "When a court sentences a pregnant woman to prison, they sentence her to a high risk pregnancy" There are hundreds of pregnant women in UK prisons - a third of them yet to actually be convicted of a crime. Babies born to women in prison are 7x more likely to be stillborn than the norm. In recent years, two babies died when their incarcerated mothers went into labour and their calls for help were ignored. Last month, harrowing stories emerged of women at HMP Bronzefield being unlawfully handcuffed to male officers during childbirth. Media Storm asks: will prison ever be a safe place to be pregnant? And if not, does the media care? And why, when debating this issue, did one LBC presenter get fixated on lamb chops?! (19:25) Plus, Helena delves into far more detail than anybody asked for when talking about the EastEnders storyline which saw the iconic character Sonia Fowler pregnant in prison - an example of pop culture's influence on real-life issues. Joining Media Storm this week is co-director of gender justice group Level Up, Janey Starling, and 'Anna' - co-founder of the Level Up campaign No Births Behind Bars, who was first sent to prison when 6 months pregnant. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia)  The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Time for another weekly news debrief: Europe's surging defence budgets and the hidden realities of the nuclear armament debate (03:09), the attack on benefits in our government and media - which are cutting more disability voices from the debate, than actual costs from the budget (10:07), and the overlooked importance of US airstrikes in Yemen (24:51). Plus, how Gaza's ceasefire ended long before this week's devastating airstrikes (30:39). Walk with us through the week's top stories and learn how to critically consume the mainstream media, spot the missing contexts and voices, and get a better understanding of what's happening in our world. UPDATE: Since recording, Gaza's death toll has continued to rise and has now surpassed 500 deaths since Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia)   The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Introducing...The News Meeting from our friends at Tortoise. Your Media Storm hosts Mathilda & Helena were invited on Tortoise's podcast to pitch a story we think should lead the news. Are welfare reforms Labour's only hope of saving money ahead of the Spring Statement? Who are the hundreds of Venezuelans who have been forcibly removed from the US? And what is the media getting wrong when it comes to reporting on femicide by an intimate partner? We join Tortoise's Deputy Editor Giles Whittell and reporter Claudia Williams for The News Meeting. You can listen to the full episode here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Media Storm investigates how universities handle sexual misconduct cases - when their prestigious professors are at the centre of the scandal. It all started when our intern, a student at LSE, told us about student activism stirring at her university, after a dozen sexual misconduct allegations against one male professor resulted in no disciplinary action for him - and several female staff resigning in protest. It's not a secret that women drop out of academia at disproportionate rates to men. The female-male ratio slips from over 50/50 at postgraduate studies to 30/70 at the highest rank of professor – giving the sector the reputation of a “leaky pipeline”. But staff sexual misconduct (and universities' failures to address it), is rarely, if ever, explored as a reason. We investigated. And to borrow the resigning words of one female professor, what we found, at times, “reads like a textbook on how to turn a complaints process into a gauntlet, into a warning to women not to challenge the behaviour of men and the institutions that protect them”.   The episode was co-produced by Mathilda Mallinson and Camilla Tiana, and hosted by Mathilda Mallinson and Helena Wadia. The music is by Samfire. Academic resources: ·       Eradicating Sexual Violence in Tertiary Education (UCU, 2021) ·       Power in the academy: staff sexual misconduct in UK higher education (NUS, 2021) ·       Misconduct Disclosure Scheme proposal (1752, 2024)  ·        ‘How Do Institutional Gender Regimes Affect Formal Reporting Processes for Sexual Harassment? A Qualitative Study of UK Higher Education,' by Anna Bull, and Erin Shannon (Law & Policy, 2024) Response from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) spokesperson:   “LSE is committed to a working and learning environment where people can achieve their full potential free of all types of harassment and violence. We take reports of sexual harassment extremely seriously and encourage any member of the LSE community who has experienced or witnessed this to get in touch via one of our many channels. Further, if a complaint of misconduct is received against any member of our faculty, staff or student body we will always investigate fairly and fully, following our policies and procedures. “LSE has developed, and continues to develop, a number of measures to ensure any allegation of misconduct receives a trauma-informed, robust and compassionate response.  “These measures include the new Report + Support system- an online tool where staff and students can report issues of concern and which provides information about support, policies and procedures and campaigns. This enables us to address issues more quickly and consistently across the School and vastly improve our approach to case management and communication with all involved. In line with sector best practice, we also plan to make greater use of external investigators in the future.  "We have commissioned Rape Crisis South London and Survivors UK to run an Independent Sexual Violence Advisory service for the School. This provides practical and emotional support for any student or staff member who needs it and supports them through a reporting process and/or the criminal justice process if they wish. This service is available to access online without a waiting list. This represents a step-change in the level of specialist support we're offering our students.  “We have also implemented a tailored all-staff online training course on addressing harassment and sexual misconduct affecting students, developed with Advance HE. This is being rolled out as required training across the School."  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Media Storm delves into a vastly underreported topic - and one of the biggest potential barriers to gender equality, child welfare and family security. The UK has the least generous paternity leave entitlement in Europe, currently set at a measly two weeks. On the surface, maternity leave looks generous in length - but compared to OECD countries, the rate of pay is one of the lowest. As the government and media put culture wars over real-life policies, spread muddled misinformation about benefits that are designed to be difficult, and gender equality faces major cultural setbacks.... we ask young parents campaigning for change: why? (And how they're doing it while 5 months' pregnant?!) Joining us this week are the founders of Dope Black Dads - Marvyn Harrison, and of Nugget Savings - Katie Guild.  The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia)  The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Time for another weekly news debrief: we pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media, helping you consume the news critically. In this episode, we take you through the Media Storm mission: we're not about conspiracy, we're about media literacy. THAT Zelensky-Trump press conference set the tone for world news this week, as Western leaders rolled out red carpets and tried to decipher diplomatic rationale from clickbait MAGA politics. So who was the rude reporter that set the wheels in motion? And what should we make of the pantomime that's become of the White House's press room? Imagine, instead, if Netanyahu had been in the hot seat (we play it out for you): warned by Trump and Vance that he is gambling with World War Three. That he has no cards to play, if the US wants a ceasefire. Instead of applying such pressure, the US government pushed through an emergency arms sale to Israel this week - days before imposing new terms on the ceasefire with Hamas. But is that how the press reported it? Now for something NOT TRUMP. Ever heard of joint enterprise? The little-known law putting Black boys in prison has failed to attract much press scrutiny, so we dive in. And finally, Mathilda's secret aristocratic background has been exposed by the Daily Mail! Find out why Helena's so disappointed. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Warning: strong language For the first time since they wrapped filming, Mathilda, Jess, & Nathan from Channel 4's four-part documentary Go Back To Where You Came From are reunited! In the documentary, Mathilda traced a common refugee route from Somalia to the UK - alongside Jess, from a small town in Wales, and Nathan, a trucker from Barnsley. At the start of their journey, Nathan & Jess had very strong anti-immigration views. But by the final episode of the show, after talking to migrants and seeing firsthand the situations that refugees flee, the audience sees their views change - and an unlikely friendship develop between the group. How do we apply the lessons learnt from this documentary to our lives? How do we fight dehumanisation, and build bridges with those who think differently to us? The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vote for Samfire to perform at Tramlines festival! Time for another weekly news debrief: we pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media, helping you consume the news critically. One murder trial unfolding in the US has all the ingredients for a media storm: a child's 'grandfather-like' figure becoming his fanaticised murderer. But the killer was motivated by anti-Palestinian radicalisation, and for that the mainstream media itself should be on trial. Perhaps that's why there's not a whisper about the case in our press. But the death of Wadea Al-Fayoume is no less tragic than the death of every child in this war. We compare news coverage of different child fatalities, depending on whether they're Israeli or Palestinian. And we question the BBC's ‘spineless' decision to pull a documentary covering the lives of Palestinian children. ‘Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone' was taken offline after intervention from UK and Israeli government officials. Germany's general election results shocked many due to an ‘unprecedented' spike in votes for the far-right AfD. But zoom out on the history timeline, and a very familiar pattern emerges. Scroll through the interactive history Mathilda's loving HERE. The Pope is ill: cue a scramble for power in the Vatican, avidly followed by Western media. But why are they so unfazed about the very same patriarchy they vehemently damn in non-Western religions? And finally: “Queen of Woke” Ash Sarkar rejects identity politics in a “spectacular Damascene conversion” - at least according to the Telegraph. And yet, their account of her new book doesn't include a single direct quote... The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between the rise of the far-right and Israel's ongoing warfare, today's world is a feeding frenzy for antisemitism, and many Jewish people are afraid of prejudice and attack. But as many provocateurs turn antisemitism into a political weapon, the root causes of racism are being overlooked and enabled. All the while, the mainstream media has become a weapon of mass destruction in the war of words - often failing to spotlight the biggest drivers of hate. Is it possible to be anti-Zionist without being antisemitic? What does Israel's war mean for Jewish protection worldwide? Are Elon Musk and Kanye West's competing for the most “Nazi swag”? These are all questions we'll put to our guests - Anthony Feinstein, son of a Holocaust survivor and former comrade of Nelson Mandela in the war against Apartheid, white supremacy and antisemitism in South Africa. And Alex Kane, senior reporter at the historic, post-Nazi Jewish Currents in the US. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Time for another weekly news debrief: we pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media, helping you consume the news critically. The UK agreed to hand the Chagos Islands “back” to Mauritius. But colonial history makes this decision complicated - and crucially, Chagossians were excluded from the discussions… much like Ukraine this week, who were left out of US-Russia peace negotiations. This news made every front page, except for the Daily Mail who wrote about wokeness and the Daily Star who wrote about... sausages. Other stories we cover: more than 65,000 people have complained to Ofcom over a GB News comment comparing queerness to (prepare yourself) paedophilia. We discuss this record-breaking number, and the doubled-down defence of the presenter. And finally, why anti-migrant sentiment led to Sweden's worst mass shooting - and whether the media does a better job at reporting crises, or creating them. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Valentine's Day! A day full of overpriced chocolates, high expectations, and focus on how much sex you're going to have. So what about those who have no interest in it? 'Ace' is an umbrella term used to describe people who experience little, fluctuating, or no sexual attraction. There are also aromantic people - who experience little to no romantic attraction. Asexuality is often widely misunderstood, including within the LGBTQ+ community. Asexual people are also not recognised in legislation, such as under the UK Equality Act, and Stonewall found asexual people may be at a higher risk of conversion therapy than gay, lesbian and bi individuals. But when asexual activists take to the media to raise these issues, they are met with a chorus of criticism, ignorance, and insults: they're vying for victimhood, or they're offered the enlightening advice to simply "get laid". Here to help us understand why exactly the media are so angry is Yasmin Benoit, model, academic and activist. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Follow us @mediastormpod Support us on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

! JOIN US AT SAMFIRE'S EP LAUNCH PARTY TONIGHT ! This week's political news reads like a playbook in fascist propaganda - and rule number 1 is throwing minorities under the bus. Whether it's Trump's America, Merz's Germany or Starmer's Great Britain, leadership apparently now means bowing to the myths of the masses - myths the media has miserably failed to correct. Is there really a ‘migrant crime wave'? We review worldwide data to equip listeners with the facts missing from the mainstream media. What about ‘the war on women's sports'? How many transgender athletes does it take for the Trump administration to ceremoniously sign a national ban? (Apparently, just 10 - we wonder what Musk's ‘Department of Government Efficiency' makes of that use of federal funds.) And guess who predicted Hamas' hesitation over hostage releases, following Trump's plans to “take over” Gaza? The families of those hostages. So why did their concerns barely make the press? We finish News Watch with Eyes On Palestine: new frontiers of war emerge in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) The music is by Samfire (@samfire) Follow us @mediastormpod Support us on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we've decided to cover a topic that's hugely underreported in the mainstream media: FGM. Yesterday was FGM Zero Tolerance Day, so you may have seen a (very small) flurry of articles about the topic - but this week's guests say that it needs to be covered all year round. FGM stands for Female Genital Mutilation - the deliberate cutting or removal of a female's external genitalia. It is currently documented in 92 countries around the world, the highest share in Africa - countries including Somalia, Egypt, Mali, Sudan and Ethiopia. It is also found in Asian and Middle Eastern countries, and in diaspora communities in the West. Over 200 million women globally have been subjected to FGM. This should be a media storm. But instead, there's near silence. So we've asked FGM survivors why the coverage is lacking, what they need from the media, and what we can do to help. Joining us is Dr Leyla Hussein, psychotherapist and award-winning international campaigner leading the fight against FGM, and Ifrah Ahmed, Somali-Irish humanitarian worker, activist, and founder of the Ifrah Foundation, a charity with the aim of the absolute abandonment of FGM in Somalia. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Follow us @mediastormpod Support us on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the first episode of Media Storm series 5! Helena questions Mathilda about her motivations in taking part in a Channel 4 documentary about polarised immigration opinions, called Go Back To Where You Came From. Then it's onto our weekly news debrief: we pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media, helping you consume the news critically. This week's news - like last week's and probably next week - is the Trump show. But how much are the media playing into his hands by making all world news about Trump's actions? And how do we sort the fascism from the frenzy? We also decipher Trump's call for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, which is dressed up as compassion. Other stories we cover: Why is everything except male violence to blame for the actions of Southport killer Axel Rudakubana? Plus, we look at reporting on the rebel M23 forces who have seized the eastern city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo - and why this reporting under the 'Africa' tab of your news page is not as far from home as you think. Finally, why all reporting corrections should be splashed on the front page... The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Follow us @mediastormpod Support us on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Media Storm is returning next week! Series 5 will begin on Thursday 6th February - and there are now TWO episodes of Media Storm every week. Every Thursday, we'll be dropping Media Storm's News Watch - where Mathilda & Helena will run through the main stories of the week, picking apart the most unhinged headlines to help you make sense of the mainstream media. Every Friday, we'll release our regular episodes - our deep-dives into a topic that we think has been misrepresented in the mainstream media. And we'll do that with the most important (and most overlooked) people in the story - the ones living it.  Until then, here is one from the archives: Media Storm's first ever investigation about the so-called refugee 'crisis'. With headlines reporting ‘record numbers of migrants' reaching the UK in dinghies, Media Storm headed across the Channel to find out why they're coming. The UK claims that accepting asylum seekers creates a ‘pull factor' and encourages more people to come - we look at whether this is really what's causing the crisis. Plus, we've republished our conversation from last series, where we busted the biggest myths about refugees with two people who have lived experience - Journalist Osama Gaweesh, and Afghan journalist, newsreader, and women's rights activist, Zahra Shaheer. Make sure you have your notifications on so you can join us, TWICE weekly, from Thursday 6th Feb for Series 5! Follow us: Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) Media Storm (@mediastormpod) Support Media Storm on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Mathilda and Helena on their weekly news debriefs! We pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media - helping you consume the news critically. In our final News Watch before Christmas, we pick apart an outrageous claim in The Telegraph that the NHS 'catering to' transgender people is making more pregnant women die - a claim that is an opinion, but presented as fact. Plus, Trump is Time's Person of the Year - and he takes the time to speak about transgender 'bathroom issues' - though what he says might surprise you. Next, a shooting spree in Dunkirk that you probably didn't read about in the media. Is the media ignoring the targeting of two migrants? And finally, we have to talk about Luigi Mangione mania - the man who shot the UnitedHealthcare CEO - which has given cause to criticise across the political spectrum. Donate to Mobile Refugee Support in Dunkirk The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Follow us @mediastormpod and support us on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Content warning: descriptions of violence, mentions of rape, descriptions of transphobia Join Mathilda and Helena on their weekly news debriefs! We pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media - helping you consume the news critically. This week, we point out a gaping blind spot in the international press: Georgia, a country at the intersection of Europe and Asia and on the southern border of Russia, is on fire politically. And its people need the world to care. We hear from journalists on the ground, and spotlight how and why this story has been underreported, and its global significance downplayed. Next, serious allegations of sexual misconduct against the founders of PinkNews have been uncovered, thanks to over 30 former and current staff members at the outlet. But some media outlets and personalities have capitalised on victims' testimonies to promote transphobia - and they think they can get away with it. And finally, one day after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the UK has paused decisions on Syrian asylum claims. We discuss why this announcement is politically trigger happy: focused on cheap domestic wins, not international emergencies. Also... Helena holds more space for Wicked. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Follow us @mediastormpod and support us on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Mathilda and Helena on their weekly news debriefs! We pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media - helping you consume the news critically. This week, Gregg Wallace turned his back on his target audience ("middle-class women of a certain age") while issuing a statement that will surely go down in history as a top PR nightmare. It's all off the back of multiple serious allegations against him - both uncovered AND undermined by The Telegraph. Next, we step outside of the Western worldview to look at events in Syria, as Aleppo has been captured by the armed rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham from government forces. Plus - under a world-first law, sex workers in Belgium will be giving the same rights as any other worker, and is The Times being hypocritical with its article about 'Sickfluencers'? The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia). The music is by Samfire (@soundofsamfire). Follow us @mediastormpod Support us on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Mathilda and Helena on their weekly news debriefs! We'll pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media - helping you consume the news critically. This week, it's hypocritical calls for another general election (while legitimate calls for another Brexit referendum were ignored), Musk interfering in UK politics (we've moved from X to Bluesky, follow us!), a BBC headline about the ICC arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu that failed to dig deeper, accusations of discrimination against Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities from Greater Manchester Police, and Helena tries (and fails) to explain Wicked to Mathilda. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia). The music is by Samfire (@soundofsamfire). Follow us @mediastormpod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Introducing: Media Storm's News Watch! Join Mathilda and Helena on their weekly news debriefs! We'll pick apart the most unhinged headlines and try to make sense of the mainstream media - helping you consume the news critically. This week, it's farmers (protesting the UK's new inheritance tax), football fans (bringing the Israel-Palestine conflict to the streets of Amsterdam), and food (sandwich fillings just too woke for the Daily Mail to handle). It's also Trans Awareness Week - so we'll highlight some vital stories about transgender rights that the mainstream media must have *accidentally* missed. And finally: things to think about when reading headlines on the murder of Harshita Brella. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia). The music is by Safire (@soundofsamfire). Follow us @mediastormpod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The End of Life Bill being debated in UK parliament marks a historic moment for a country with one of the most punitive approaches to assisted dying people in the liberal world. But here at Media Storm, something confuses us about the debate now unfolding in the news, which is the distinctive lack of voices of people for whom the bill is actually designed. People who are terminally ill. So we bring you back an episode dedicated to platforming people who are dying and their loved ones. Theirs are the testimonies anyone refusing legal reform must answer to. The episode is hosted by Mathilda Mallinson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We bring back Media Storm's episode on 'terrorism' to reflect on the escalating war in the Middle East, and ask how geopolitical biases are playing into this week's headlines and restricting our understanding of events. The episode features Lebanese reporter Zahera Harb, Afghan refugee Gulwali Passarlay, former UN Security Council President Kishore Mahbubani, South African freedom fighters from the LSWV, and ex-IRA convict Tony Doherty. Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Support Media Storm on Patreon - and help us out by sending your favourite episode to 3 of your favourite people! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nuclear weapons: peace in our times, or destruction in our future? What you think probably depends on where in the world you are - because what journalists write generally depends on where in the world they are. Here in the UK, nuclear weapons are a necessary deterrent, and that's the end of the story. The coverage is coloured by geopolitical considerations and political voices, while scientific and humanitarian ones are absent. That's why Media Storm is bringing in a Nobel-winning physicist and a Japanese peace activist to dig deeper. Dr Ira Helfand and Yumiko Sakuma join us for (heads up) our scariest Media Storm episode yet. What would survivors tell us if we gave them a voice? What hidden risks are going unreported? Who gets rich from fuelling the arms race? And what would actually happen if nuclear warfare broke out? Also: is there another way? Plus – your weekly Media Storms: Zombie knives and ninja swords, doubt in the details of a Telegraph article about benefits - and why Boris Johnson knows nothing about Bridget Jones. Also, sausages. Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Support Media Storm on Patreon - and help us out by sending your favourite episode to 3 of your favourite people! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prince Harry's 40th birthday, Kate Middleton back at work, and ANOTHER dramatisation of that Prince Andrew interview. Headlines about the Royals are frequent front pages - but is this actually news? The monarchy is given a fairly easy ride in the media - rarely questioned, often praised, history erased. But why don't editorial guidelines about ‘due impartiality' apply to the royal family, when 40% of Brits disagree with its existence? This week, storyteller Kelechi Okafor and author Dr Laura Clancy (who wrote Running the Family Firm: how the monarchy manages its image and our money) join us to talk about monarchy in the media. How much money does the taxpayer spend on the monarchy? What is the actual job of a royal correspondent - and why are they all called Ms England, or Mr Dymond, or Ms Bond? And what actually happened during Elizabeth II's Empire? Plus, your weekly media storms. How the Trump campaign is playing the papers; how British tabloids got a pro-Palestine pregnant mother arrested for calling Sunak and Braverman ‘coconuts'; and what the Jewish Chronicle scandal reveals about our wider media's mistakes. Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Episode research: Camilla Tiana Support Media Storm on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Content warning: rape, sexual assault, and gender-based violence Headlines about gender-based violence are sadly not rare. But over the last week, two harrowing stories have sent shockwaves around the world. In France, pensioner Dominique Pelicot stands trial for recruiting 72 men to join him in drugging and raping his now ex-wife, Gisèle, over the course of a decade.  And in Kenya, Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei burned alive after being set on fire by her ex-boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema.  There has been much reporting on these stories - and not all of it good. Joining us in the studio to pick apart the headlines is Daniel Guinness, Director of Beyond Equality - the UK charity working with boys & men; and writer, researcher, and workshop facilitator Nathaniel Cole. Men are being erased from the problem, and excused from the solution. So this week, Media Storm is flipping the script - because if violence against women begins with men, it can also end with men. We also speak to Bryony Ball and Meggan Baker, the co-founders of SLEEC - Survivors Leading Essential Eduction and Change. Plus, your week's media storms: the New Yorker article casting a shadow over the Lucy Letby inquiry, what news talkshows can learn from the Jeremy Kyle inquest, and how to judge AI findings of BBC anti-Israel bias.    Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Episode research: Camilla Tiana Support Media Storm on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Headlines about wars in Ukraine and Gaza have flooded front pages - yet, the "world's biggest humanitarian crisis" is battling for media attention. Why?  In Sudan, a terrible war is raging. What started as a conflict between the Sudan Armed forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has exploded into chaos and bloodshed, with countless militias, ethnic massacres, and foreign proxy self-interest. Over 25 million people face acute hunger. Nearly 11 million have been displaced. And the death count is suspected to be as high as five times as high as in Gaza. But if you were to judge by how much international attention Sudan gets - either from the media, politicians, or humanitarian donors - you wouldn't realise this is happening before the world's eyes.  Joining Media Storm this week is Sudanese activist and the man behind the social media platform Sudan Updates, Ameen Mekki. We are also joined by Sudanese refugee, public speaker, and charity worker Gaida Dirar, to discuss how British colonial history played a part in Sudan's present-day difficulties - and why the war is as urgent to Western audiences as any other. Plus, your week's Media Storms: panic about a potential pub garden smoking ban, an extracted anecdote from Jess Phillips that apparently provided proof of a 'two-tier NHS', misleading claims about crime at Notting Hill Carnival, and the voices missing in Israel-Palestine coverage: though they may not be the voices you think.  Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Episode research: Camilla Tiana Support Media Storm on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Paralympic Games are underway - and there's plenty to celebrate! More coverage than ever before, a public-participating opening ceremony, and over 160 nations televising the event.  But is it enough? There were 10 million tickets available for the Olympics - and only 3 million for the Paralympics. What does it mean that the Paralympics will be broadcast on Channel 4, rather than our state broadcaster BBC (where extensive Olympics coverage takes place). Is this a question of reduced public interest and 'relatability'? Or an underlying bias against disability? Joining us to discuss perplexing media coverage and perpetuating stereotypes of the Paralympics are two para athletes. Wheelchair tennis silver-medallist-turned-fashion expert Samanta Bullock is in the studio, and two-time Paralympian blind footballer Keryn Seal tunes in from Paris.  Plus, your week's Media Storms: the shocking truth behind attention-grabbing headlines about crime at Notting Hill Carnival, journalists band together to denounce Israel's assault on a free press, and why numbers CAN lie when it come to how much immigrants really cost the country...  Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Episode research: Camilla Tiana Support Media Storm on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘UK PRISONS OVERCROWDED AFTER RACIST RIOTS!' ‘A CHILD IS STRIP-SEARCHED EVERY 14 HOURS' ‘SCORES OF CRIMINALS COULD BE FREED IN DAYS' Headlines this week spotlight the UK's criminal justice system, as prison overcrowding triggers emergency measures. Amazingly, serious talks about prison reform have entered the mainstream media - but a key voice is missing from the coverage: prisoners themselves. This week, people with inside knowledge of the system join Helena and Mathilda for the week's top stories. Lady Unchained and David Navarro talk prison overcrowding, child strip-searching, and the new prisons minister, James Timpson. We also ask: was this really all caused by Keir Starmer's ‘clampdown' on far-right rioters? Plus, other Media Storms of the week: Superyacht shipwreck, migrant ‘superheroes', and Steven van de Velde's post-Olympics interviews. Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Episode research: Camilla Tiana Support Media Storm on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cult members. Fanatics. Selfish. Evil. All words that have been used to describe climate activists in the mainstream media. Just Stop Oil have made many headlines since 2022, be it by stopping traffic or throwing powder on Stonehenge in their token orange shade. Last month, five members were sent to prison with the longest sentences ever given for peaceful protest in the UK. But what does the group actually want? If it weren't for the name, Just Stop Oil's aims would be largely absent from press reports, which focus on the public nuisance caused by the group rather than the climate change message behind it. Are the horror stories of blockaded ambulances all to be believed, or is the media misrepresenting the group? If so, why? Why do the public apparently hate them so much? And why hasn't this stopped them? We're joined by Just Stop Oil spokesperson Adrian Johnson and climate journalist Diyora Shadijanova. Plus, your round-up of the headlines through a Media Storm lens: exposés of NHS strike 'plots', the reasons for inaccuracies coming out of Gaza, an Islamophobic Daily Mail front page, and... dogs?  As a take home message, we also speak to Emma Webber, mother of Nottingham attacks victim Barnaby Webber, about victims' consent in true crime and her reaction to the riots that followed the Southport stabbings. Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Support Media Storm on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week has seen stories of bigotry, fuelled by bad information. Anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant riots sprung up across the UK, with no factual basis in the incident that triggered them - a stabbing attack that killed three young girls in Southport last Monday, founded on a widespread fake news story that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker who arrived ‘illegally' by boat. But some mainstream news outlets seemed to have trouble naming the problem. Riots were labelled ‘protests'. Attacking a mosque was called ‘disorder'. And the word Islamophobia? That was nowhere to be found. This week we are joined by Rizwana Hamid, award-winning journalist and the director of The Centre for Media Monitoring - which promotes accurate, fair and responsible reporting of Muslims & Islam. We discuss longstanding Islamophobia in the British media, the treatment of Zarah Sultana MP on Good Morning Britain, and smash tropes and stereotypes including accusations of grooming gangs and extremism. You'll also hear from Sabah Ahmedi, aka @theyoungimam, who invites those who disagree with or fear his faith to step out of their comfort zone, visit a mosque, and see for themselves. Plus, your round-up of the headlines through a Media Storm lens, including tackling the disinformation surrounding the ‘gender eligibility' of two Olympic boxers - Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting. Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Support Media Storm on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Monday, three young girls were killed in a knife attack in Southport at a Taylor Swift themed dance class. They were 6, 7, and 9 years old. Eight other children were stabbed. A community, and a country, are in shock. Even though male violence against women and girls is commonplace, it can be hard to understand in these particular set of circumstances.  A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. That is all we know about the boy who carried out this attack.  But - alternative narratives were formed online, and they spread quickly. On Tuesday evening, rioters believed to include English Defence League (EDL) supporters, formed outside the Southport mosque, screaming abuse and smashing windows. They broke garden walls, and threw bricks, bottles, and rocks. They set a police van alight. 27 police officers were hospitalised. The 17-year-old has no known links to Islam, but those behind the violence had been fired up by social media posts which incorrectly suggested an extreme Islamist link to the stabbings. What makes somebody hijack the grief of a community, and instead use it as an excuse to spread racism, Islamophobia, and more violence? How do people get radicalised into the far-right? In this Media Storm investigation, we speak to reformed Neo-Nazis, far-right grooming victims and undercover counter-extremists. We investigate the recruitment tactics of violent terrorists attempting to spread hatred, and uncover proof that mainstream media and politicians may be playing into their hands. We're finding out what pushes people to the far-right, and crucially, how we can pull them back. Hosts: Helena Wadia @helenawadia Mathilda Mallinson @mathildamall Speakers: Julia Ebner @julie_renbe Dr Rajan Basra @rajanbasra Music: Samfire @soundofsamfire Exit Hate UK offers non-judgemental support for individuals & families impacted by far-right extremism. For support please contact info@exithate.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Warning: Strong language “Race is always seen as Black men's issue, gender is always seen as white women's issue. So Black women always fall through the cracks.” Preferential acceptance rates for White women applying to UK police forces have given a false impression of gender equality, hiding acute discrimination against Black women, Media Storm data shows. This reveals the importance of understanding intersectional discrimination - and one version in particular. ‘Misogynoir': the ingrained prejudice against Black women. This episode heroes Black women speaking about the particular prejudices they face. In a long-form interview, Mina Smallman - teacher, pastor and mother of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, whose murders exposed racist police neglect and abuse - shares the pain, passion and learnings that went into her new book, A Better Tomorrow: Life Lessons in Hope and Strength. The episode is hosted by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia). The music is by Samfire (@soundofsamfire). Speakers: Dr Marina Hasan, criminologist Marcia Ore, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion consultant & former West Midlands Police Officer Mina Smallman, pastor & author Resources: Order Mina Smallman's book, A Better Tomorrow Request Media Storm's policing data  Support Media Storm on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's VOTING DAY! How did you pick who to vote for? Hopefully not by relying too heavily on our mainstream media. Listen to this episode to find out why! It's a dose of media literacy that is so essential, especially in this year of elections. We speak to CEO of independent press regulator Impress, Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana, and TikTok journalist Sophia Smith Galer, about the party politics of our papers, the cringiest MPs rapping on TikTok to try and sway a Gen-Z vote, and how actually engage young people in politics. Plus, no-filter host of Saving Grace podcast GK Barry joins Media Storm to talk about her latest project 'The Turnout'. Take note, if enough young people vote, Alastair Campbell will be forced to watch an episode of Love Island with her. Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Support us on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Quite a lot to NOT be proud of this Pride Month, with corporations creeping away cowardly as ultra-Conservatives boycott their rainbow campaigns. Meanwhile, much of the mainstream media refuses to report on rising threats to LGBT+ equality. Luckily, there's also lots to laugh about! From hilariously hopeless Pride ads to everything that comes out of Olga Koch's mouth - and lots to gossip about too, with celebrity “queerbaiting” up on the agenda. We pick our way through Pride's best and worst reporting, including vital LGBTQIA+ investigations that went under the radar - with QueerAF editor Jamie Wareham, and comedian Olga Koch. This week's lived experience comes from teachers and trans youth, who share firsthand insights on headlines about “gender ideology”, as both the Conservatives and Labour pledge to rigidly censor gender-related education ahead of the general election. Plus, your round-up of the headlines through a Media Storm lens, including debunking myths of a Labour "supermajority", Just Stop Oil's stonehenge protest, and Rwanda refugee watch. And finally… GETTING READY FOR GLASTONBURY?! Find out how Traveller culture has shaped modern-day music festivals, and how you can celebrate them as you celebrate Glastonbury. Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Support Media Storm on Patreon  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today is #WorldRefugeeDay - an international day designated by the UN to honour refugees around the globe. World Refugee Day feels especially relevant at Media Storm, because refugees make one of the strongest cases for this podcast's existence. They are one of the groups characterised most frequently and most voicelessly in our mainstream media, and consequently, clouded by myth. Joining us to bust some of the biggest myths about refugees are two people with lived experience - Journalist, Editor-in-Chief at Egyptwatch, and host of the podcast Untold Stories, Osama Gaweesh - and Afghan journalist, newsreader, and women's rights activist, Zahra Shaheer. We talk about what the mainstream news media so sorely lacks - the focus on inclusion, positivity, and solutions. Plus, we discuss the biggest story in UK immigration and election news - the Tories' Rwanda deportation deal. Find out more: Mobile Refugee Support Refugee Journalism Project IMIX Follow us: Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) Media Storm (@mediastormpod) Music: Samfire @soundofsamfire Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Support Media Storm on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This investigation contains discusses of rape, sexual assault, and suicide which some listeners might find distressing. If you need someone to talk to, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222. Warning: strong language Media Storm's first series featured an investigation into ‘Rape justice: ‘What happens to the 98%?', when we discovered the fates of the many reported rapes that never make it to trial. Today, we speak to “the lucky ones” - the 2% of victims who get the chance to go to court. Or do they? Many are pushed to leave the courtroom and miss the bulk of their trial… and then they must pay tens of thousands of pounds to find out what happened inside. Are government contractors getting rich off of victims' suffering? Or is someone trying to hide something? This is an investigation into the transparency of the UK's justice system, and the treatment of women and victims during rape and sexual assault trials. Links: Discover the campaign: ‘Open Justice For All' Listen to our original investigation Support Media Storm investigations on Patreon Speakers: Juliana Terlizzi @juterlizzi Charlotte @charlottschreu Open Justice For All @openjustice4all @openjusticeforall Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson @mathildamall Helena Wadia @helenawadia Music: Samfire @soundofsamfire Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices