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!
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What is a woman? Common sense vs culture wars
'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
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News Watch: Johnny Depp "Me Too victim", Iran "nuclear bomb", Palestine Action "terrorists"
As the US military intervenes in another Middle East conflict, we’re told it’s because Iran is harbouring weapons of mass destruction (in contradiction to US intelligence). We’re also told forced regime change will ‘liberate’ women from Islamic tyranny. WMDs? Operation Freedom? Haven’t we heard these justifications before? To start, we look at lessons for the media from the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and re-centre Iranian women in debates about their fates.
After the break: ‘NOTHING IS OFF LIMITS’ in Johnny Depp’s new exclusive with the Sunday Times… except the most important question. How this ‘poor me’ piece legitimises abusers’ victimhood narratives, and attempts to delegitimise the Me Too movement.
And finally, the UK government has moved to proscribe ‘Palestine Action’ as a terrorist organisation for spray-painting RAF planes. Media Storm questions why we need anti-terror laws on top of regular anti-crime laws, and whether politicising justice can ever be in the public interest.
The episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia)
Assistant producer: Lily Erwood
The music is by @soundofsamfire
Support us on Patreon!
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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!
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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News Watch: LA protests, Gaza Freedom Flotilla, and all sides of assisted dying
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
The multi award-winning investigative and current affairs podcast: this is news that starts with the people who are normally asked last.
Media Storm is an essential guide to today’s chaotic clickbait climate. Every week, journalists Mathilda Mallinson and Helena Wadia storm through the headlines, and seeking out the voices of the most important (and most overlooked) people in the story: the ones living it.
From ‘illegal immigrants’ to sex workers, strikers to prisoners, indigenous groups to trans people, many communities caught in the eye of the media storm are denied a fair voice in the coverage around them. Media Storm restores ‘right of reply’ to underrepresented minorities and equips listeners to take the mainstream media with a pinch of salt.
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.
Become a supporter: patreon.com/MediaStormPodcast
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