Media Storm – Details, episodes & analysis

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

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

This week, Faiza Shaheen announced she has resigned from the Labour Party, after a shock email revealed she had been deselected as a candidate in this year's General Election. The Labour Party candidate selection committee called into question tweets that Faiza had 'liked', some from 10 years ago. But behind the apparent distractions of old tweets is something far more sinister: what Faiza has described as “a systematic campaign of racism, Islamophobia, and bullying". Are people of colour held to a higher standard in public and in the media? We discuss this, how the routine dehumanisation of brown skinned people has lead to desensitisation when it comes to coverage of Palestine, and why we need to push beyond 'representation'. Plus, your round up of the headlines through a Media Storm lens - Government policies putting a dampener on Pride Month, a hidden story about Israeli interference in the ICC that didn't make it to the mainstream, does the media gives Nigel Farage a free pass, and was the viral AI-generated 'All Eyes on Rafah' image 'slacktivism'? Joining Helena this week is GUEST HOST Coco Khan (Pod Save the UK) We are joined in the studio by Sharan Dhaliwal, founder of feminist South Asian magazine Burnt Roti, and Shaista Aziz, ex-Labour councillor, journalist, and director of The Three Hijabis. 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

As South Africans head to the polls, Media Storm is seizing the opportunity to break out of the Western worldview. Last season, former UN Security Council President Kishore Mahbubani criticised the "arrogance" of the UK media and its failure to expose people in 'the West' to how 88% of the world's population see things differently to them. South Africa gives us some clues as to why. Their coverage of the raging conflict in Gaza paints a far more black-and-white narrative of events, condemning Israeli "apartheid" and "genocide" against Palestinians. Meanwhile, coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine muddies the stark solidarity expressed in Western media. We speak to South African Political Analyst Mpumelelo Mkhabela, comedian Tats Nkonzo, and South African former politician Andrew Feinstein about Israel-Palestine and Russia-Ukraine. And we hear from South Africans spanning classes, genders, races, ages to hear how their voting today – collectively, their testimonies tell us as much about our own democracies as theirs. Hosts: Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) and Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) Music: @soundofsamfire Support us on Patreon! patreon.com/MediaStormPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Content warning: mentions of violence against women, rape, and assault. This episode was recorded just before the general election was announced! Register to vote here. This week, it was reported the number of Met police officers being dismissed reached a new peak. A police officer has been handed a guilty sentence for assault, after arresting and handcuffing a Black woman over an apparent bus fare evasion. And last year the Casey Review found the Met Police was institutionally sexist, racist and homophobic. Have we made any progress? And is reform possible? If one bad apple spoils the barrel... Joining Helena this week is GUEST HOST Coco Khan (Pod Save the UK) This week, we are joined by Patsy Stevenson - the campaigner, equal rights activist, and writer who was awarded damages by the Met Police after being forcibly arrested in 2021 at the Clapham Common vigil for Sarah Everard. We're also joined by Dr Leyla Hussein - psychotherapist and activist, specialising in supporting survivors of sexual abuse. She's the founder of the Dahlia Project, the first counselling service specifically for survivors of female genital mutilation (FGM), and the co-founder of Safe Spaces for Black Women. Plus, your round-up of the headlines through a Media Storm lens - we discuss the Government's new sex education proposals (have your say here), a failed crackdown on protesting, and a hidden climate headline you might have missed. Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Researcher: Sophie Clark Support Media Storm on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The climate crisis is wreaking havoc in headlines this week: heatwaves in southeast Asia, flooding in Kenya and Brazil, and exotic spiders smuggling their way into the UK - all this marks a record leap in atmospheric CO2. One climate-related story has haunted UK news cycles for almost five years: The London mayor’s controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Yet it's not reported as a climate story at all - so much as a political one. This week, we're joined by Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, mother of the Ella, the only person in the world with pollution listed as her legal cause of death. She tells us air pollution is a human story, not a political one. We're also joined by Akshat Rathi, award winning climate reporter at Bloomberg Green, host of the podcast 'Zero', and author of Climate Capitalism, to discuss solutions-focussed climate reporting. Plus, your round up of the headlines through a Media Storm lens - we discuss Rwanda, Voter ID, the power of boycotts at Eurovision and The Great Escape festival, and why no journalist should doorstop national treasure Rylan's mum. Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Support Media Storm on Patreon patreon.com/MediaStormPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s a morbid theme to Media Storm’s first new weekly format - but that’s ok because it’s Dying Matters Awareness Week so we all need to get talking about death! Our key voices today are people with terminal illnesses - as we discuss the late Kris Hallenga’s legacy beyond 'CoppaFeel!' and the debates on assisted dying laws unfolding across the British Isles. And - we reveal the inside scoop on a controversial BBC documentary dropping next week on ‘assisted suicide’. Plus, your round up of the headlines through a Media Storm lens - if you read right-leaning papers you’ll have gotten an eyeful, but left-leaning readers are left in the dark… We pick apart a divisive story about a Holocaust Memorial Day protest in Poland. It’s a story that tells us more about the media than what’s actually happening on the ground. This episode features lived experience speakers Jenny Carruthers, Kit, Gareth, Anne and Warwick. Plus Lord Charlie Falconer, comedian and host of Conversations in Company Isabelle Farah, and Sarah Wootton from Dignity in Dying. Access their open letter here. Hosts: Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia) Music: Samfire (@soundofsamfire) Assistant Producer: Katie Grant Read our Q&A in PodBible! Support Media Storm on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're back for Series 4! It’s been a while, so here's your refresher episode which tells you everything you need to know about Media Storm - plus, we tell you all about our new format! Media Storm is dedicated to platforming the most important people in the story– the ones living it. Despite them, ironically, being the most absent from mainstream news. Every Thursday, we’ll be using our Media Storm lens to bring you the biggest news story of the week and dissect the headlines as usual - except on this current affairs show, you’ll hear from the people actually living the news stories…  Make sure you're subscribed to be the first in the know! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Media Storm returns next week! Get a taste for what is to come from your essential guide to today’s chaotic clickbait climate. It's your weekly current affairs round-up - but not as you know it. Featuring cross-platform comparisons, shrewd bullsh*t-radars, and finding the facts behind the fear-mongering, Media Storm is guaranteed to leave you with plenty to talk about. Out weekly, every Thursday from May 2nd. Follow us @mediastormpod @helenawadia @mathildamall Become a supporter: patreon.com/MediaStormPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices