The Listening Post

The tale of the tape that puts the lie to the Israeli PM's media narrative. Plus, the Zimbabwean journalists' dilemma.

Will the White House press corps fall in line or fight back with adversarial journalism? Plus, Obama's media legacy.

The challenges of covering the rise of the far right in Europe, plus, how Israel polices Palestinian voices online.

As US borders tighten, we trace the media narratives on immigrants, refugees and Muslim 'Others'.

We explore what is driving the presidential campaign in France; plus, the threat of fake news in Italy.

We explore Zuma's grip on broadcasters, and Wikimedia Foundation on facts, trust and open source knowledge.

On the streets with Manila's 'night crawlers'. Plus, an in-depth interview with Rappler's Marites Vitug.

We examine the media's softening criticism of President Trump. Plus, Peru launches first Quechua-language news show.

Will Rupert Murdoch’s second attempt at taking over the UK’s largest private broadcaster succeed? Plus, the challenges of reporting on Chechnya.

Could President Erdogan's narrative of a Europe at battle with Turkey sway voters in advance of April's vote?

Rumours that the Kremlin undermined American democracy by helping Donald Trump win kept the US press busy this week.

The attack in Westminster saw British media revert to a familiar template. Plus, Romania's media challenges politicians.

Mexico's journalists face intimidation and assassinations, but is the media business in crisis, too?

A look at the US media's change in covering Trump after the strike against Syrian base. Plus, the power of social media.

Assessing the media's role in the outcome of the referendum. Plus, the dilemma of inclusion: covering the far right.

As the French media rally around centrist candidate Macron, how will the far right's Marine Le Pen tweak her media strategy? Plus, Podemos vs the Spanish media.

Why Brazil's strike was largely ignored by the country's big media outlets. Plus, the challenges of reporting Chechnya.

Four weeks of protest in Venezuela, and the competing media narratives around them. Plus, a look back at the days when Cuban movie theatres delivered the news.

On The Listening Post this week: The UK's left-wing Labour Party is facing down a right-leaning British media with just weeks until the election. Plus, the media black hole in Sinai, Egypt. Balanced or biased? British media coverage of Corbyn With just over two weeks until Britain heads to the polls, the opposition Labour Party and its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, have been savaged by newspapers that lean heavily to the right. Even in broadcast media, critics argue, the ruling Conservatives have journalists fighting their corner. Contributors: Andrew Pierce, journalist, Daily Mail Aaron Bastani, co-founder, Novara Media Peter Catterall, professor of history and policy, University of Westminster Annabelle Sreberny, professor of Global Media and Communications, Director of the Centre for Media Studies, SOAS University of London On Our Radar: The cycle of murder and impunity against journalists continues in Mexico, as yet another prominent reporter pays with his life. Chelsea Manning walks free from US prison, while Sweden drops rape charges against WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange. At least six people are killed and a further twenty four injured after ISIL attack Afghanistan's state-owned broadcaster. The silence in Sinai For the past three years Egyptian forces have been fighting an ISIL offshoot in the Sinai peninsula and all the while, the government of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has kept a tight lid on the story. Having already jailed dozens of journalists, Sinai has become a black hole for news. Reporting that deviates from official government information has been criminalized under an anti-terror law leaving the sole remaining narrative one of military success and heroism trumpeted across all forms of pro-government media. The Listening Post’s Tariq Nafi reports on the stories going untold in Sinai. Contributors: Joe Stork, deputy director for MENA, Human Rights Watch Sherine Tadros, Head of UN office in New York, Amnesty International

On The Listening Post this week: With two billion users and 1.3 million posts a minute Facebook's content moderation challenges are huge. Plus, the people monitoring and moderating the social web. Facebook's status: Tech or media company? This week, the British newspaper The Guardian revealed hundreds of internal Facebook documents that outline the site's ground rules for content moderators. From violence to racism, revenge porn to child abuse - the picture that emerges is one of a company struggling with its responsibilities as a media platform and how to cope with more 1.3 million posts per minute, in multiple languages. Contributors: Alex Hazlett, deputy managing editor, Mashable Olivia Solon, senior technology reporter, Guardian US Jennifer Pybus, senior lecturer, London College of Communication Richard Millington, founder, FeverBee Natasha Tiku, silicon valley reporter, Wired

We examine how acts of terror shaped the British media narrative in the run-up to the UK election. Plus, Cuban cinema. Britain votes: How 'terror' shaped the election coverage When the British Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap election two months ago, her lead in the polls suggested the British Conservatives would run away with a clear majority. But fast forward to election day on June 8, and that scenario vanished into thin air. Despite opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn being demonised by a majority of the right-leaning press, especially in the aftermath of "terror attacks" in Manchester and London, he and his Labour Party shocked the so-called "experts" by winning enough seats to deny the Conservatives a majority government, one that the papers tried - and failed - to deliver. Contributors: Tom Mills, author, The BBC: Myth of a Public Service Afua Hirsch, journalist and broadcaster Richard Seymour, founding editor, Salvage Mary Dejevsky, columnist, The Independent On our radar: The Al Jazeera Media Network, along with other media outlets funded by the state of Qatar, have come under attack amidst a public diplomatic rift that has spread across the Gulf and beyond. The owners of one of the most prominent news channels in India, NDTV, say they are in the BJP-led government's crosshairs for daring to challenge them on the air. American security contractor Reality Leah Winner is under arrest and facing criminal charges, amidst reports that the online news site The Intercept may have revealed her identity as the source of classified documents. The intersection of cinema and journalism in Cuba In Cuba, the government has long used journalism as a tool of propaganda - and for that, until recently, it has been largely unapologetic. Following the revolution, the role of the news media was envisioned as one of education and garnering mass support for the Cuban political project. The Cuban film industry is a different story. Cuban

Testing times as police raid India's liberal NDTV station. Plus, the media wars between Russia and Belarus.

On The Listening Post this week: Distrust in Britain's media grows following the fatal blaze at Grenfell Tower. Plus: the persecution - and resistance - of Vietnam's bloggers. Covering the Grenfell fire: UK media in the spotlight A tower block fire in London that left dozens dead has channeled rage over class, race, economic and social divisions not only at Prime Minister Theresa May but also at the British media. When reporters arrived to cover the blaze, local residents expressed anger that the media had not heeded warnings about safety or engaged more closely with issues affecting their communities during years of government austerity. Voices from a neighbourhood in grief demanded to know if only the spectacle of tragedy could make their lives newsworthy. Contributors: Akwugo Emejulu, professor of Sociology at University of Warwick Dawn Foster, contributing editor for The Guardian on housing Anna Minton, author, "Big Capital: Who Is London For?" Maya Goodfellow, independent writer and researcher On our radar: Nearly a year after the failed military coup in Turkey, dozens of prominent journalists go on trial accused of conspiring against the state. Venezuela accuses Twitter of suspending 180 accounts linked to the government. Reporters in Myanmar face defamation charges under the country's controversial anti-press laws. The persecution and resistance of Vietnam's bloggers Since unification in 1975, Vietnam has been governed by a communist party that maintains tight control over the airwaves. However, bloggers pose a challenge to state-sanctioned narratives for one of the largest online audiences in Southeast Asia. Mainstream outlets are often forced to follow up on stories where bloggers have led the way, sometimes on issues usually declared off limits by government media managers. The Listening Post's Meenakshi Ravi reports on the supine state of Vietnam's mainstream media and the government's attempts to silence the country's b

What does the Al Jazeera media network symbolise in the GCC political crisis? Plus: a politically engineered war of buzzwords in South Africa’s media.

Fake news stories, inaccurate polls and misleading ads in the run-up to Kenya's elections. Plus, Canada's media split over the case of Omar Khadr.

As China and Russia attempt to limit the use of VPNs, we examine the repercussions for media freedom online. Plus, police vs the press in Uganda.

How the Charlottesville fallout has drawn US President Donald Trump out on the far right. Plus, how China manages the message before the 19th Congress.

The most violent week yet in Duterte's Philippines sees over 90 killed and NGO workers threatened. Plus, reporting on labour and the working class in the US.

How Indian media cover the so-called 'godmen' in the country. Plus, Mugabe and Zimbabwe's media.

An in-depth look at the last two years of political turmoil and media power play in Brazil.

How a vicious media campaign has intensified the pressure on an embattled people. Plus, Sinai's media black hole.

Clinton's memoir blames the media, among others, for her election loss. Plus, covering North Korea's nuclear threat.

As Catalonia pushes for independence, we look at how the story is being told in Madrid & Barcelona. Plus: diverse voices on Mexico’s community radio.

Is the Spanish media coverage serving the people or its political masters? Plus, the persecution of Vietnam's bloggers.

Much of India's media spurns a scoop about the son of PM Modi's right-hand man. Plus, NFL as platform for race politics.

How Hollywood and the media failed to expose Harvey Weinstein. Plus, how the CIA and the Pentagon manipulate the movies.

How media on different sides of the Syrian war portrayed the capture of Raqqa from ISIL. Plus, Syria's Lebanon refugees.

We examine Fox News' role as President Donald Trump's media mouthpiece. Plus, media strangled in Eritrea.

Why journalists fail to adequately report on climate change. Plus, the perils of covering the environment in Indonesia.

Riyadh's Middle East power struggle and the role of the news media. Plus, the challenge of covering Manus Island.

The media story behind the downfall of Robert Mugabe after 37 years in power. Plus, police vs the press in Uganda.

In the wake of the Sinai attack, is Egypt's media taking cues from Sisi's government? Plus, Mugabe's media legacy.

How the death of Ali Abdullah Saleh put the media spotlight on Yemen. Plus, a wave of political talk shows in Spain.

Tropes, omissions and flaws in the coverage of US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Plus, WhatsApp in India.

A Listening Post special looking back at a time when Cuban movie theatres delivered the news like nobody else.