The Listening Post

Al Jazeera English

4.8 (38)
NEWS
UPDATED WEEKLY

A weekly programme that examines and dissects the world's media, how they operate and the stories they cover.

6D AGO

“Nobody is better than Netanyahu at manipulating the US” | The Listening Post

As Netanyahu courts Trump with peace prizes and platitudes, divisions over Israel in the MAGA media space are deepening. Contributors: Laura Albast – Fellow, Institute for Palestine Studies Mitchell Plitnick – Author, Except for Palestine Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya Jude Russo – Managing editor, The American Conservative On our radar: Since the US-Israeli GHF took over the distribution of aid, more than 800 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to collect it. New reporting uncovers the foundation’s links to plans for Gaza’s ethnic cleansing. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Georgia under fire: The crackdown on protests and the press Mass protests, a tightening grip on media and a creeping authoritarianism; eight months on, the struggle over Georgia's democracy is intensifying. Elettra Scrivo reports from Tbilisi on the mounting crackdown on journalists and independent voices. Featuring: Irakli Rukhadze – Owner, Imedi TV Nestan Tsetkhladze – Editor, Netgazeti Nino Zautashvili – Former host, Real Space

26 min
JUL 5

“Decisions are being made out of fear” BBC and the Gaza double standard | The Listening Post

At Glastonbury, Britain’s biggest music festival, two artists called out Israel’s genocide in Gaza and accused the British government of complicity. On-stage remarks by one of them - Bob Vylan - plunged the country's public broadcaster, the BBC, which livestreamed the performance, into yet another Gaza-shaped row. Contributors: Des Freedman – Author, The Media Manifesto Peter Oborne – Journalist and broadcaster Karishma Patel – Former newsreader, BBC Justin Schlosberg – Professor of Media and Communications, University Of Westminster On our radar: In the United States, Zohran Mamdani has secured the Democratic nomination for New York mayor, despite relentless media attacks that focus less on his policies and more on his outspoken stance against Israel’s war on Gaza. Tariq Nafi reports. Palestinians are seen as some sort of existential threat, just for being there While debates rage in international media over phrases like “from the river to the sea” and “death to the IDF,” far less scrutiny falls on the anti-Palestinian abuse that has become normal inside Israel - from pop songs to viral chants. Palestinian analyst Abdaljawad Omar joins us from Ramallah to unpack this everyday Israeli racism. Featuring: Abdaljawad Omar – Lecturer, Birzeit University

26 min
JUN 28

Trump battles for credit for his Iran intervention | The Listening Post

From negotiating with Iran to bombing its nuclear facilities and then brokering a ceasefire, Trump’s erratic pivots appear to be driven more by optics than coherent diplomacy. Mainstream Western news outlets, however, are making the job easier - painting Iran as an existential threat while downplaying Israel’s illegal actions. Contributors: Roxane Farmanfarmaian – Senior fellow, European Leadership Network Seamus Malekafzali – Journalist Mohsen Milani – Author, Iran’s Rise and Rivalry with the US Samira Mohyeddin – Journalist, On the Line Media On our radar Few atrocities compare to the massacres Israel is perpetrating, repeatedly, against starving refugees in Gaza - yet they are receiving minimal attention in mainstream media. Nic Muirhead reports on the latest developments at the aid distribution sites that have turned into death traps. Assal Rad: "It's really important to get headlines right" Over the past 20 months, historian Assal Rad has been correcting misleading mainstream news headlines on Israel’s genocide in Gaza. She talks us through the unmistakable parallels she has noticed with the coverage of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran. Featuring: Assal Rad – Non-resident fellow, Arab Center Washington DC

26 min
JUN 21

Will Netanyahu convince Trump to bomb Iran? | The Listening Post

Israel's war on Iran was one that many have expected, and yet with nuclear talks between the United States and Iran ongoing, few saw it coming. Propaganda from the Netanyahu government and credulous reporting in the Western media have played a major part in how we got here. Contributors: Narges Bajoghli – Author, Iran Reframed Matt Duss – Executive Vice President, Center for International Policy Assal Rad – Non-Resident Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC Mohammad Ali Shabani – Editor, Amwaj Media On our radar As Israeli media cheerlead for the war on Iran, military censors are tightening their grip on local and foreign media outlets alike. Ryan Kohls reports. Chris Hedges on the media coverage of Israel’s war on Iran The war on Iran feels eerily familiar – from justifications that hold no water to the uncritical reporting in the media. Chris Hedges joins us to unpack the unsettling parallels with the 2003 Iraq War. Featuring: Chris Hedges – Former Middle East Bureau Chief, The New York Times

25 min
JUN 14

Preemptive strike? The media and Israel’s attack on Iran | The Listening Post

Israel has launched an unprovoked assault on Iran, including strikes on nuclear facilities and assassinations of several senior military commanders and scientists. In front of the world’s media, however, the Netanyahu government is spinning the attack as “preemptive”. Contributor: Negar Mortazavi – Host, The Iran Podcast On our radar: This past week, phone and internet services virtually collapsed across Gaza, as Israel repeatedly bombed transmission stations and communication towers. Meenakshi Ravi explains how Gaza now risks digital isolation. Showdown in LA: A very Trumpian spectacle President Trump has turned Los Angeles into an ideological battleground amid protests against anti-immigration raids. His mobilisation of the National Guard and marines - without the approval of California's state government - has produced made-for-TV images of the kind likely to appeal to the MAGA faithful. For many others, it is yet another sign of a dangerous turn away from civil liberties under his presidency. Featuring: Branko Marcetic – Staff writer, Jacobin Sarah Mehta – Senior policy counsel, ACLU Jose Olivares – Investigative journalist Will Swaim – Podcast host, Radio Free California

25 min
JUN 7

The Hamas-ceasefire 'collapse' blame cycle | The Listening Post

Throughout the various ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, western news outlets have repeatedly blamed their failure on Hamas. This week, we hear a perspective that rarely features in the coverage - the group's own - on the negotiations and the media narratives that surround them. Contributors: Tahani Mustafa – Senior Palestine Analyst, International Crisis Group Basem Naim – Politburo member, Hamas Julie Norman – Associate Professor, University College London Abdaljawad Omar – Lecturer, Birzeit University On our radar: Ukrainian drone strikes on multiple Russian airfields have further escalated the conflict, as peace talks come up short. Tariq Nafi reports on the messaging on the airwaves both sides of the border. Is logging off the cure for ‘brain rot’? After decades of increased connectivity, screen time and addictive algorithms, more and more young people are logging off. The Listening Post’s Ryan Kohls looks at the community-based movements reevaluating their relationships with digital technology. Featuring: Monique Golay – Barcelona Chapter Leader, Offline Club Hussein Kesvani – Technology and culture journalist Adele Walton - Author, Logging Off

26 min
MAY 31

The sudden surge of genocide critique in the West | The Listening Post

More than 600 days into its genocidal war in Gaza, some of Israel's closest allies have begun to condemn its actions. Alongside the changing global narrative, growing opposition in Israel to the Netanyahu government's war methods has seeped into the media coverage - fracturing a consensus that dates back to October 7, 2023. Contributors: Yara Hawari – Co-Director, Al-Shabaka Natasha Lennard – Contributing writer, The Intercept Orly Noy – Editor, Local Call Muhammad Shehada – Visiting fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations On our radar: Over the past couple of weeks, dispatches coming out of Gaza’s hospitals have grown more and more desperate. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the healthcare workers getting the story out and filling the vacuum in the news coverage. Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: 'Aid washing' in the Gaza Strip Formed a matter of months ago, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a United States-Israeli coalition of private military contractors that includes former CIA and military personnel. We speak with Jeremy Scahill, co-founder of Drop Site News, who has investigated the GHF, together with Palestinian journalists on the ground. Featuring: Jeremy Scahill – Co-Founder, Drop Site News

25 min
MAY 24

Israel: "Gaza will be entirely destroyed" | The Listening Post

The images coming out of Gaza are apocalyptic, depicting the latest - and perhaps final - chapter in a genocide. Under an operation called Gideon’s Chariots, the Israeli military is forcing Palestinians into tiny corners of the besieged enclave. Its next phase: another full-scale invasion aimed at taking complete control of the territory. Contributors: Hani M Abuishaiba – Gaza correspondent, Al Jazeera English Sari Bashi – Israeli human rights lawyer Gideon Levy – Columnist, Haaretz Yousef Munayyer – Senior fellow, Arab Center Washington DC On our radar: When a documentary about Palestinian medics is commissioned by the BBC, made for the BBC, but never makes it to air, it begs the question: what is stopping the United Kingdom’s publicly-funded network from broadcasting it? Ryan Kohls reports. Pakistan’s military rides a wave of nationalism In the wake of its weeklong conflict with India, Pakistan's military is riding a wave of patriotic fervour. Waging a war of memes, music and messaging, the armed forces have had a brand refresh - and reminded the country who is really in charge. Featuring: Farieha Aziz – Podcast host, Dawn News English Wajahat S Khan – Journalist and author Maria Rashid – Author, Dying to Serve

25 min

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4.8

out of 5

38 Ratings

Listening not viewing

May 11

nnnnnsne

You need to translate. Some people only listen to a podcast and don’t have access to subtitles
Excellent and necessary

Feb 22

Littleworldcunningly

I’m so glad Apple is finally posting episodes again.
Word Class Journalism

10/22/2018

DushamM

I am a long time listener. I love this and other AJ podcasts, very insightful and highly educational.