Whether it's the Reform Party weaponising women's safety, Donald Trump diminishing domestic abuse, or worrying stats about girls' safety in schools, you don't have to look far to see that discrimination against women still exists - and is often aided by lazy, misleading, or misinformed reporting. What can we do about this? This week, Media Storm showcases the people and platforms working to end gender-based violence, buy calling out and correcting misogyny in the media. First up: an in-depth interview with Eliza Hatch. She’s the founder of Cheer Up Luv, the UK-based platform dedicated to ending gender-based violence, discrimination and bias through education, art and storytelling. Helena and Eliza chat about working in the VAWG sector, bringing men into the conversation, and the crucial point headlines are missing when they talk about young men "falling behind" women in education and academia. And after the break: hear about This Ends Now's new campaign, Take It As Read, which will help us all to challenge misogynistic and victim blaming language around male violence against women and girls. Interested in this topic? Listen to Media Storm's episodes on domestic abuse reporting, rape justice, and why 'violence against women' is a man's problem. The episode is hosted and produced by Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠⁠⁠ Support us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! 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. This week we start by looking at Trump’s new Caribbean front in the ‘war on terror’, and rising authoritarian usage of “anti-terror” laws in the West. Helena reflects on the unreported stories from a weekend of nationalist protests in the UK: people of colour trapped inside their houses. 100,000 people joined the march, which was led by far-right Tommy Robinson and riddled with racist violence. We consider the root causes of rapidly rising radicalism in the UK, and the lessons that populist press and politicians are all-too-slow to learn. Next - Charlie Kirk was an American right-wing political activist who campaigned against gun controls, before he was shot and killed in yet another political assassination in the US. His shooting gave rise to many conspiracy theories, but the one peddled across mainstream media was that the suspect was motivated by “transgender ideology”. Here’s everything wrong with that. Finally, we turn to Gaza, where genocide has just been declared by a UN commission. The expert panel examined actions and statements made publicly by Israeli leaders and soldiers, and concluded that genocidal intent is “the only reasonable inference”. So why haven’t most Western media reached the same conclusion? The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠⁠ Support us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, co-host Mathilda brings you a report from Tunisia, just before she sets sail on the Global Sumud Flotilla. Ordinary people have made extraordinary sacrifices to make the journey toward Gaza, and establish a humanitarian corridor to get much needed aid into Palestine. Some people have left young children behind, others have risked their livelihoods to make the journey possible. But they stand firm in the belief that humanity and solidarity are their most important values. Media Storm brings you the voices missing from the mainstream: activists from the Global South, and ordinary civilians who believe there is nothing more important than solidarity with Gaza right now. We also hear from Greta Thunberg, and grandson of Nelson Mandela, Mandla Mandela. The episode is hosted by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and edited by Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠⁠ Support us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Media Storm is back! And it's time for another News Watch, helping you get your head around the headlines. This week saw the 10 year anniversary of the death of Alan Kurdi, the four-year-old refugee child who died attempting to flee the Syrian war along with his family. A photo of his tiny body washed up on the beach came to symbolise the global refugee crisis as a tragedy of humanity. But 10 years later, have we lost our compassion again? As the Reform party dominates political discourse, its players stir up anti-migrant sentiment, and the press helps to pump up misinformation, the far-right are weaponising feminism and women’s safety, to further their anti-immigration agenda… again. We say: not in our name. And beloved TV presenter Rylan rehashes far-right talking points on daytime television - we look at the most common immigration myths and why they're spreading so easily in the media. And as Mathilda prepares to set sail covering the actions of the Global Sumud Flotilla, we go behind the scenes of the biggest civilian fleet yet fighting to get humanitarian aid into Gaza. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠ Support us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Support us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! UK university students pay almost £10,000 per year, and international students about four times the amount. Tuition fees have skyrocketed over the past generation. So has the number of higher-paying, international students attending. So where is all the money going? Has the quality of education improved with the cost? Have more staff been hired to cope with the workload? Or are existing staff being paid more to carry it? According to tutors at SOAS, PhD students are being exploited for cheap labour, and are often expected to work for free or without valid contracts. Meanwhile, growing profits are reportedly being used to shut down those pointing out injustice. This week, we investigate an unreported story that shines light on today’s fractional labour movement, the commodification of education, and the paradoxes of economic migration. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Issy Vine was a staff officer with the Metropolitan Police in South London. A series of incidents with a male colleague in her call handling team back in 2023 has sent her on a two year journey to try and find justice. Issy has not only been fighting for justice, but fighting for media attention for her story. She has since founded community organisation Speak Up Now, which supports whistleblowers in public and emergency services.  Issy's story is one about standing up against misogyny, and against long enforced power structures. To find out more, follow her here. The episode is hosted and produced by Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠ Support us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Support us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Keir Starmer announced earlier this year that he would reduce the aid budget to 0.3% of national income, from 0.5%, to fund increased spending on defence. But according to the government’s own impact assessment, Labour’s deep aid cuts will hit children’s education and reduce spending in women’s health. Why are women worse affected by aid cuts? Because crisis is sexist. When disaster strikes, women are 14 times more likely to die than men. In Gaza, UN analysis showed close to 70% of verified victims over a six-month period were women and children. But women are also underrepresented in decision-making about how aid is distributed, and so the solutions rarely reflect this. In this episode recorded 2023, Media Storm partnered with the International Rescue Committee to platform the lived experience of women in disaster zones— not just as victims, but as leaders of solutions. The IRC makes a conscious effort to place women at the centre of emergency responses, and has connected us with pioneers in Yemen, Pakistan and the world’s biggest refugee camp: Kakuma, in Kenya. We also hear voices from Afghanistan, Nigeria and North American indigenous communities, who reveal how conflict and climate change disproportionately impact women and girls. We were then joined in the studio by actress and Amnesty ambassador Nazanin Boniadi, to look at how a male-dominated mainstream media and Eurocentric headlines can hide the realities facing women of the world. We look at the unique case of Iran, where women have revolted following the state murder of Mahsa Amini in 2022, and the press’ crucial role in fighting for human rights for everybody. The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Support us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! This week on News Watch: Spot the omissions and exaggerations in right-wing coverage of NHS doctors’ strikes. Why are some outlets pushing misleading narratives, and what has it got to do with the wealth tax? We seek out the voices missing from The Telegraph’s reports (doctors), and revisit our interview with trade union Secretary General Mick Whelan on how class works in our media. Next: Zohran Mamdani’s been caught out by the New York Post… or has he? We look at the rampant Islamophobia surfacing after the mayoral candidate’s Democratic nomination, and ask why anti-Muslim hatred is one of the most socially permitted forms of bigotry in the Western world. Plus - did you read about the Afghan data leak that endangered some 100,000 people living under Taliban rule? More likely, you read about the 'secret scheme' threatening covert immigration to the UK. Here’s how the British press made it all about them. And Japan’s far-right Sanseito party made unprecedented gains in Sunday’s election. Journalist Shiori Clark reacts to their ‘Japanese First’ campaign mantra, and the counter-movement behind Japan’s first ever participation in World Refugee Week. The episode ends with Eyes on Palestine: Why does Sky News keep publishing Israeli army excuses for mass child killings as fact? The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever heard of a war reporter? You could probably even name a few… perhaps you’ve even seen them played on the big screen by Hollywood movie stars. Now tell us - have you ever heard of a fixer? Could you name a single one? This episode, Media Storm dives into the complex ethics and murky dynamics of war reporting with former foreign correspondent Phoebe Greenwood and Palestinian journalist and former fixer, Abeer Ayyoub. When mostly white, middle class, overseas journalists get more pay, more recognition, and more protection than local collaborators, but often take on less risk and work, is that any better than racism? Is there a value to detached, outsider perspectives, or an inability to truly understand the lived realities of war? How sinister is western bias in the context of foreign conflict? And what does it say when the story is more important than the people left behind to live it? From the abandonment of Afghan interpreters, to the overlooked mass murder of Palestinian journalists; from kidnaps in Tigray, to smuggler violence in Dunkirk - we look at the dark side of a profession that is rightly held in high regard for its services to truth, but whitewashed, glamourised, and little understood. You can buy Phoebe Greenwood's new novel, Vulture, here. 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

This week, we look at the outcome of the case against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in the US - and how evidence of domestic abuse, coercive control, and power dynamics were ignored and misunderstood with the help of our media. We also discuss those viral videos of fans queuing to see Chris Brown, a convicted abuser, on the same week he stands trial for Grievous Bodily Harm. After the break, welfare is taking a bashing on both sides of the Atlantic. But did you know the UK and US already fall far down the rankings when it comes to state benefits? Labour has been ridiculed for yet another ‘U-turn’, as benefit cuts are reversed and Rachel Reeves’ crying face is plastered on every front page. Is it the ableism of the U-turn coverage, or the sexism or the Reeves coverage, that’ll win this week’s media storm prize? We end with Eyes on Palestine - has the world had the wool pulled over its eyes by Netanyahu's "new aid plan"? 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

'What is a woman?' The question that has plagued British media and politicians over the past decade culminated in a Supreme Court ruling that declared ‘womanhood’ was based on biological sex. Now, finally, WE KNOW WHAT A WOMAN IS. Headlines told us this was a historical moment for women and feminism, but with misogyny becoming more and more mainstream and male violence on the rise, what has the ruling actually achieved? Three months on, Media Storm compares the real-life impact of the Supreme Court ruling and the impact promised by the British press - and assesses whether this biological definition has brought clarity or chaos. Bridging the binary divide between cis and trans women presented in mainstream media, Helena and Mathilda are joined by Katy Montgomerie, YouTuber, metalhead, and trans rights activist. What is a woman? Why is this question so dominant in today’s political climate? When did the obsession begin? Who has gained a lot… and who has gained nothing? The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠)  Researchers: Lily Erwood and Teagan Gray 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

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