• Iran: The protests, the blackout and the narrative war
    Jan 17 2026
    This past week, Iranian protesters were labelled “terrorists” and “saboteurs” by the state. That rhetoric was accompanied by an internet blackout and a surge in violence, with the death toll still unclear. Simultaneously, tensions between the United States and Iran escalated, raising the stakes in what has become one of the most serious political upheavals in the country in years. Contributors: Tohid Asadi – Correspondent, Al Jazeera English Narges Bajoghli – Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University Roxane Farmanfarmaian – Lecturer, University Of Cambridge Farzan Sabet – Managing Researcher, Global Governance Centre On our radar In the US, the shooting - in public - of a woman two weeks ago by immigration officers has spiralled into a case of outright lying that is remarkable even by the standards of the Trump administration. Ryan Kohls reports on how official accounts, allied media and even AI-generated spokespeople were deployed to defend the shooting. Cory Doctorow: The AI hype machine Artificial intelligence is routinely framed as unstoppable - a technology the world must adapt to, not question. But as companies invest hundreds of billions and the hype accelerates, scrutiny has fallen away. Cory Doctorow on who controls the story around AI and why past tech “revolutions” offer a warning. Featuring: Cory Doctorow – Author and activist
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    26 Min.
  • The spin and misinformation around Bondi was inevitable | The Listening Post
    Dec 20 2025
    The horrific Bondi Beach attack in Australia was pulled into Israel’s global information war this past week. As blame was directed towards pro-Palestine politics, media narratives blurred Jewish identity and Israeli state policy - raising urgent questions about who is put at risk when Israel’s anti-Palestinian messaging travels beyond its borders. Contributors: Naama Blatman – Executive member, Jewish Council of Australia Ori Goldberg – Academic and political commentator Antony Loewenstein – Author, The Palestine Laboratory Ramia Sultan – Palestinian Australian lawyer On our radar The outspoken and irreverent Hong Kong media mogul - Jimmy Lai - was convicted this week of conspiring with foreign forces. Tariq Nafi reports on how the Chinese Communist Party is tightening its grip on Hong Kong through its media. The pervasiveness of Hindutva pop In India, Hindu nationalism, or "Hindutva", has spread into a variety of media platforms. Meenakshi Ravi explores its musical subgenre, Hindutva pop, and speaks to one of its biggest names. Featuring: Kanhiya Mittal – Musician Kunal Purohit – Author, The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars Samriddhi Sakunia – Journalist and current affairs Instagrammer
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    26 Min.
  • Why the huge bidding war over Warner Bros? | The Listening Post
    Dec 13 2025
    For more than a century, Warner Bros has been one of Hollywood’s biggest players, a legacy studio that helped define the Golden Age of cinema with iconic blockbuster movies. Now, it’s at the centre of a contentious, billion-dollar bidding war between Netflix, the world's leading streaming platform, and Paramount Skydance, owned by the powerful Ellison family, which has close ties to President Trump. Whichever way this goes, the outcome isn’t looking great. Contributors: Matt Craig - Reporter, Forbes Daheli Hall - Writer and director Lee Hepner - Antitrust lawyer Dominic Patten - Executive editor, Deadline On our radar This week, Australia became the first country in the world to impose a social media ban for children less than the age of 16. The Australian government says it is taking on Big Tech and safeguarding children, but some young people were able to quickly bypass the new rules. Ryan Kohls reports. The Imran Khan rumour mill Despite being in jail for more than two years, Imran Khan continues to occupy airtime in Pakistan. After the army restricted access to Khan, rumours of his death ricocheted across social media. Pressure from his supporters and family forced the military to lift the restrictions and grant Khan’s sisters access to speak to him. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the showdown between Imran Khan and powerful Field Marshal Asim Munir, and what it reveals about power, politics and narrative control in Pakistan. Featuring: Amber Rahim Shamsi - Pakistan Editor, Nukta Moeed Pirzada - Political YouTuber Mohammed Hanif - Author and journalist
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    26 Min.
  • Sorry, not sorry: Netanyahu demands a pardon | The Listening Post
    Dec 6 2025
    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is asking for a pardon over a range of corruption charges laid against him after repeatedly telling Israeli journalists that he would clear his name in court. The prime minister has long described the case against him as a witch-hunt led by the media and the judiciary. If he succeeds in sidestepping the courts, Israeli journalists and judges will wonder what he might have in store for them. Contributors: Daniel Levy – President, US/Middle East Project Dana Mills – Writer, Local Call & +972 Magazine Jonathan Ofir – Writer, Mondoweiss Dan Perry – Author, "Ask Questions Later" Substack On our radar: This week, former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton insisted Israel’s PR problems have more to do with TikTok than with the genocide Israeli forces have inflicted on Gaza. Ryan Kohls looks at a persistent myth still making the rounds in American political circles. The phenomenon of Kim Ou-Joon Kim Ou-Joon is part journalist, part activist, part political performer. An outspoken and sometimes controversial voice who leans to the left ideologically, Kim leads South Korea’s biggest YouTube-based news network, primarily through a political podcast. The Listening Post’s Meenakshi Ravi reports on what Kim Ou-Joon - and others like him - reveal about the world of politics and media in South Korea. Featuring: Kim Ou-Joon – Founder and host, News Factory Jane Yeahin Pyo – Assistant professor, Tulane University Shreyas Reddy - Lead correspondent, NK News Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    26 Min.
  • Why isn’t US media busting the ‘narco-state’ myth? | The Listening Post
    Nov 29 2025
    The United States’ deadly “counter-narcotics mission” off Venezuela’s coast hinges on an unproven drug-smuggling narrative - a familiar pretext for regime change, and one the mainstream media have been quick to echo. Meanwhile, Venezuelans face escalating repression at home. Contributors: Spencer Ackerman - Author, Reign of Terror and Waller vs Wildstorm Abby Martin - Journalist, The Empire Files Miguel Tinker Salas - Professor, Latin American history, Pomona College "Pablo" - Anonymous Venezuelan Journalist On our radar: New leaks, from a disputed 28-point peace proposal to a secretly recorded call between Trump’s envoy and a Russian official, have upended the delicate Russia-Ukraine negotiations. Meenakshi Ravi explores what these revelations mean for any future deal. Israel’s settlers: From margin to mainstream Israeli settler violence in the West Bank has surged to unprecedented levels, driven by a fringe movement whose far-right ideology has been amplified and normalised across Israeli news outlets. The Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead reports on the movement’s growing power and the media ecosystem enabling its rise. Featuring: Hilla Dayan - Sociologist, University of Amsterdam Nimrod Nir - Political psychologist, Hebrew University of Jerusalem / Director, AGAM Labs Oren Ziv - Photojournalist, +972 Magazine
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    26 Min.
  • Israel is rampaging through the West Bank - why isn't there more coverage? | The Listening Post
    Nov 22 2025
    In the West Bank, record levels of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians are unfolding with little mainstream coverage. The few journalists who try to report on it often face attacks themselves. When the violence is covered, the settlers are often framed as fringe actors, despite clear backing from the Israeli state. A de facto annexation is under way in the West Bank, and yet much of the international media continues to look away. Contributors: Ben Reiff – Senior editor, +972 Magazine Jasper Nathaniel – Journalist Leila Warah – Bethlehem-based journalist Mariam Barghouti – Ramallah-based journalist On our radar As the rhetoric coming out of the Trump administration calling for the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro intensifies, much of the United States media is echoing that language. And with journalists branding Venezuela a “narco-state,” critics warn that the news media - much like in the lead-up to the Iraq War - is making the case for US military intervention. Defossilising the truth: Fighting fossil fuel disinformation As the COP30 climate summit in Belem wrapped up this week, we spoke with UN Special Rapporteur on climate change and human rights Elisa Morgera about a major barrier to real climate action: disinformation. Her latest report lays out how climate justice activists and policymakers are battling decades of coordinated greenwashing by some of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies - efforts that continue to delay and undermine meaningful progress at this critical moment. Featuring: Elisa Morgera – UN Special Rapporteur on climate change and human rights
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    24 Min.
  • Upheaval at the BBC: Is it a crisis or a coup? | The Listening Post
    Nov 15 2025
    The BBC is in turmoil. A leaked dossier exposing a misedited speech of United States President Donald Trump and other editorial concerns has triggered resignations at the top - and a $1bn lawsuit threat from the US leader. Why the leak surfaced now, and who steps in next, are still open questions. Most importantly, will the BBC be able to recover from this moment? Contributors: Ben de Pear – Former editor, Channel 4 News Jane Martinson – Professor, University of London Karishma Patel – Former newsreader, BBC Tom Mills – Author, The BBC: Myth of a Public Service On our radar This week, Ahmed al-Sharaa became the first Syrian president ever to set foot in the White House. A landmark diplomatic trip filled with photo ops and political theatre, marking his transition from a US-designated terrorist to an ally. Meenakshi Ravi reports. AI slop tsunami: Is the internet now a junkyard? Elettra Scrivo explores how social media platforms are rapidly changing with the surge of AI content. Low-quality, mass-produced, artificially generated content, otherwise known as AI slop, is designed to trigger the algorithms and generate revenue for Big Tech companies. Featuring: Drew Harwell – Technology reporter, The Washington Post Mark Lawrence Garilao – AI video content creator Myojung Chung – Associate professor, Northeastern University
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    26 Min.
  • Torture, Leak, Outrage: Israel's Sde Teiman Affair | The Listening Post
    Nov 8 2025
    The Israeli government is facing what it calls a “public relations disaster” after a video surfaced showing soldiers torturing and sexually assaulting a Palestinian prisoner - a clear war crime under any legal system. Public outrage in Israel has focused less on the abuse itself and more on the leak. And the military’s chief prosecutor, who admitted leaking the footage, has been arrested and branded a traitor. The saga is yet another example of Israeli society’s unwillingness to confront what it has become. Contributors: Chris Doyle - Director, Council for Arab-British Understanding Mairav Zonszien - Senior Israel analyst, International Crisis Group Ori Goldberg - Academic and political commentator Yara Hawari - Co-director, Al-Shabaka On our radar: After an 18-month siege, the Sudanese city of el-Fasher has fallen to the RSF, triggering mass atrocities under a near-total media blackout. With journalists killed, captured, or missing, satellite imagery has become one of the few remaining windows into the violence. Ryan Kohls reports on the city’s fall and the growing evidence of a potential genocide in Darfur. Kenya’s most nicknamed president In Kenya, political satire often takes the form of sharp, witty nicknames - and President William Ruto has earned plenty. As his popularity wanes, young Kenyans online are using these nicknames to mock and challenge his leadership in ways that traditional media cannot. The Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead reports on Ruto’s long, growing and politically problematic list of nicknames. Featuring: Paul Kelemba (Maddo) - Cartoonist Nanjala Nyabola - Political analyst and writer Wandia Njoya - Professor of literature, Daystar University Producers: Soumayya El Filali & Nicholas Muirhead Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X : https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #aljazeera #aljazeeraenglish #aljazeeranewslive
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    26 Min.