No Fear. No Favour. The SEEN in Journalism Podcast

Available Episodes

5 of 10

No Fear. No Favour: Rob Watson
Seen in Journalism’s Cath Leng sits down with community-media pioneer Rob Watson, founder of Decentered Media, to unpack one of the most urgent questions in British journalism today: who actually regulates what we read, hear, and watch - and are they doing their job?From Ofcom’s broadcast code to IPSO’s newspaper oversight, Rob traces how our media watchdogs have become tangled in bureaucracy, jargon, and ideology. Once designed to protect the public interest, these systems now seem to protect institutions from public scrutiny. What happens when “due impartiality” becomes so elastic that accuracy itself is negotiable?Rob brings decades of experience training community reporters to understand the broadcast code, and he contrasts that hands-on civic accountability with the sealed bubbles of big media and government. Together, he and Cath explore how Ofcom’s internal culture, its reliance on outdated research, and the dominance of “kindness” narratives have created a regulatory fog - one where accuracy, the most basic principle of journalism, is quietly sidelined.They talk through the Supreme Court’s recent ruling affirming that sex means biological sex under the Equality Act, and ask why, months later, public broadcasters still hesitate to apply that clarity in their own reporting. What’s holding them back? Institutional inertia, fear of reputational harm, or a deeper cultural reluctance to admit error?The conversation also ranges wider: the collapse of local news, the hollowing-out of the middle ground between social media chaos and corporate consolidation, and why rebuilding public trust may depend on reviving community-led outlets that value accuracy before kindness.At heart, this episode is about the moral foundations of journalism - what it means to tell the truth when truth itself has become contested. It’s challenging, thoughtful, and full of practical insight for anyone who still believes in civic-minded media.“If you’re scared to walk the street because there’s a reported rapist in the area, you have to know it’s a man.Kindness can follow - but accuracy must come first.”— Rob WatsonListen on Substack or your preferred podcast platform, and join the discussion in the comments. How do you think our regulators should be held to account? Get full access to SEENinJournalism’s Substack at seeninjournalism.substack.com/subscribe
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No Fear, No Favour: Jo Bartosch
We teamed up with Julia Williams from Seen in Publishing to talk to Jo Bartosch about Pornocracy - the expose of the multi-billion-dollar pornography industry that she’s written with Rob Jessel, from LGB Alliance. Jo explains how widespread acceptance of male porn consumption is causing devastating harm and has - as the authors put it ‘gripped humanity in a chokehold’. We talk about the reluctance of men to acknowledge the harm caused by the normalisation of violent and transgressive porn, the ‘trans to porn’ pipeline, the view of women as a resource, to the literal rewiring of our brains by on demand sexual violence. Pornocracy, published at the weekend by Polity, hit the ground running and is already selling out. Seen in Publishing worked with Sex Matters earlier this year on a report exposing the capture of the publishing industry by gender activism. We discuss with Julia the impact of that capture, the bravery of the publishers who reject it, and whether changing cultural attitudes on gender may also have an impact on the acceptance of pornography. *******************Pornocracy is on sale with Amazon, Waterstones, Apple, Google Play, and all good bookshops. Get full access to SEENinJournalism’s Substack at seeninjournalism.substack.com/subscribe
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No Fear, No Favour: Paddy O'Gorman
“The Story They Wouldn’t Touch”Veteran journalist Paddy Gorman joins us to discuss on Irish media silence, self-ID, and the corruption of language‘Since when did journalists avoid something because it was toxic?” - Paddy GormanIn this new episode of No Fear, No Favour, Seen in Journalism host Cath Leng speaks with broadcaster and reporter Paddy Gorman, whose forty-year career at RTÉ made him one of Ireland’s most recognisable journalistic voices.Gorman now writes for Gript Media and contributes to Genspect, exploring questions of free expression, public trust and the responsibilities of newsrooms. His recent work on Ireland’s Gender Recognition Act 2015 has stirred a national conversation about truth, evidence and how journalists use language.In this episode* Why one reporter chose to cover a story most outlets ignored — and what that reveals about fear inside modern newsrooms.* How the shift from factual to “affirmative” language changes the public’s understanding of crime, policy and data.* What happens when a public-service broadcaster forgets its duty to accuracy.* Why small independent outlets are taking on stories the legacy press won’t touch.‘Our job is to blurt out the facts of the matter’Links:* I met Barbie Kardashian on release from prison * Paddy O’Gorman’s interview with Barbie Kardashian - Gript Youtube * Paddy’s Podcast - Real Chats with Real People* Gript Media — gript.ie* Genspect — genspect.org* Gender Recognition Act 2015 (Ireland) — Irish Statute Book* Irish Prison Service – Limerick Prison — irishprisons.ie/prison/limerick-prison* RTE Verify — rte.ie/news/verify* Heather Humphreys’ remarks — Gript report, Oct 2025* John Boyne interview —Irish Independent Get full access to SEENinJournalism’s Substack at seeninjournalism.substack.com/subscribe
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'Inside the Brussels bubble': No Fear, No Favour
In this episode we talk to Faika el Nagashi, former Austrian Green MP and founder of Athena EU — a new think-tank and network of experts focused on safeguarding women’s, LGB and children’s rights across European law and policy.Faika has spent three decades inside the European NGO world, watching gender-identity ideology move quietly into EU and Council of Europe frameworks. Athena’s first report exposes how this happened — and how women’s voices have been sidelined in the process.We discuss:* The legal gap: there is no EU-level law on gender identity — everything is happening via data-protection, privacy and equality mechanisms.* How ideology took hold: anticipatory obedience inside media, politics and NGOs, and how “anti-gender” labelling silences dissent.* Follow the funding: why only one side of the debate gets EU grants, and how fear of losing money keeps major NGOs quiet.* Media complicity: liberal outlets aligning with activists, and the chilling effect on journalists across Europe.* Athena’s mission: creating a network of lawyers, researchers and advocates who can decode EU policy, translate it for national debates and rebuild space for honest discussion.* The new EU LGBTIQ+ Strategy: what it really contains — self-ID without age limits, conversion-therapy bans covering “gender identity”, and training programmes for police and judiciary — and why it matters for every member state.* The supranational effect: how Brussels-level decisions ripple into national law and public life.* Courage and hope: the new wave of women stepping forward across Europe to speak publicly despite professional risk.“What happens in Brussels doesn’t stay in Brussels,” Faika says. “It filters into every national context — and unless journalists start asking questions, this ideology will hard-wire itself into law.”Here’s the link to our article on Faika Bursting the bubble with Faika el NagashiHere is Faika’s Substack including the link to her speech: We Hardly Speak of Women Any MoreFaika is on a panel - Beyond TERF Island: Gender Identity Worldwide - at Battle of Ideas in London with Kara Dansky, Bev Jackson and Stella O’Malley on October 18.How Gender Identity Ideology is reshaping Europe by Athena EUHere's the BBC coverage of Michael o’Flaherty’s latest interventionHere's the European Commissions LGBTQ+ strategy urging self-identification including for childrenThank you Faika for a fascinating conversation! Get full access to SEENinJournalism’s Substack at seeninjournalism.substack.com/subscribe
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No fear. No favour. Episode Four: Susan Smith
In this week’s episode of Seen in Journalism: No Fear, No Favour, we sit down with Susan Smith of For Women Scotland to discuss the long legal and media battle over sex‑based rights in the UK.Susan takes us through the extraordinary journey from kitchen‑table activism to the UK Supreme Court, explaining how a small group of unfunded campaigners challenged the Scottish Government’s policies on gender recognition. We explore:* The landmark Supreme Court judgment in April 2025, which clarified that “sex” in the Equality Act refers to biological sex.* How For Women Scotland’s earlier legal actions (2022 petitions and appeals) first established key principles about definitions of “woman”.* Why campaigners have returned to court repeatedly, despite prior rulings.* The role of the media: why coverage was often hesitant, selective, or framed as “both sides,” and how that influenced public understanding.* The influence of strategy documents (e.g. Dentons playbook) and internal memos (e.g. Transphylum) on embedding self‑ID policies.* Cultural flashpoints: from Hadley Freeman’s Guardian commentary and Magdalen Berns’ YouTube presence, to BBC Scotland’s coverage of Isla Bryson and the National Library exhibition controversy.* The political fallout in Scotland: institutional capture, civil service roles, and accountability amid elections.Below, we’ve gathered links to key cases, reports, articles, and cultural references mentioned in the episode.Court Cases & Rulings* Supreme Court judgment (For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, 16 April 2025): Read here* Supreme Court case summary / docket: See details* Petition to Court of Session (13 December 2022): Read PDF* Judgment: For Women Scotland v the LA & Scottish Ministers (Feb 2022 appeal): Read judgment* Case P578/22 (Court of Session, Oct 2023): Case page / livestream archive* For Women Scotland: Judicial Review announcement (July 2022): Read more* Scottish Government legal costs FOI (2022): See FOIMedia & Analysis* AP News: “UK’s top court says definition of a ‘woman’ based on biological sex” — Read* Reuters: Landmark ruling & implications — Read* Watch the Supreme Court ruling footage here* BBC - The Supreme Court ruling gives clarity* BBC - Woman’s Hour with Susan Smith * Nolan Investigates: The Stonewall podcast* Magdalen Berns’ YouTube* Herald piece by Neil Mackay: I would not fight for trans rights if it hurt women* For Women Scotland right of reply: Blame Sturgeon's pig-headed refusal to listen for trans furore* The Spectator: Denton’s Playbook* Creative Scotland funds porn: Arts body defends decision to fund axed sex show* Scotsman: ‘For Women Scotland ‘compares sex-based rights' plight to Taliban in deleted tweet’* Law and Disorder podcast: Lord Mostyn, Helena Kennedy, Charlie Falconer* The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht* BBC The Social LGBTQI* BBC PM with Lord Sumption is not available. Here’s the Independent instead.* Gender Recognition Act consultation and outcome 2018* MSPs back amendment to replace gender with sex in new law supporting rape victims Get full access to SEENinJournalism’s Substack at seeninjournalism.substack.com/subscribe
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