The Media Show

New research from Women in Journalism suggests that the UK's newsrooms are far from representative of society, with front page bylines and the airwaves dominated by white men. Amol Rajan looks at the data and how niche digital-only outlets are providing new job opportunities and attracting advertisers. Also in the programme, ten years of The i newspaper and a change in leadership at gal-dem.Guests: Eleanor Mills, chair of Women in Journalism, Oly Duff, editor of The i, and Liv Little, founder of gal-dem.Producer: Richard Hooper Studio engineer: Giles Aspen

Spotify is the UK's most popular digital music service, according to estimates. In this special edition of The Media Show, Amol Rajan looks at the company's strategy so far and meets Tom Connaughton, Spotify's managing director in the UK.Producer: Richard Hooper Assistant producer: Natalia Fernandez

Under the leadership of Mark Thompson, the fortunes of The New York Times have been transformed. With over 6 million paying subscribers, "the Gray Lady" has become one of the most successful brands in journalism, expanding into podcasts and TV production. In this extended interview as he steps down as CEO, Mark Thompson discusses his strategy for the newspaper, reveals how he dealt with the tech giants, and gives his views on the future of the BBC and Channel 4.Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper Studio engineer: Giles AspenPhoto credit: Jake Chessum

Tony Hall, the 16th Director-General of the BBC, on the crises and successes of his time in charge. In this extended interview, Hall considers editorial controversies, the rise of the tech giants in the UK television market, and government hostility towards the BBC.Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper

The tech giants receive a lot of bad press, have been accused of operating monopolies, and are even seen as security risks. So what attracts the billions of people who use TikTok, Facebook or Apple every day - often with huge enthusiasm? Plus Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, embarks on a public battle with Apple. And is Facebook too big to fail?Panel: Richard Waterworth, TikTok’s General Manager for the UK & Europe; Laura Edwards, TikTok star; Shona Ghosh, Senior Tech Editor for Business Insider; Oliver Baker, co-founder of Intelivita; Nikita Aggarwal from the Oxford Internet Institute. Presenter: Joe Tidy Studio engineer: Nigel Dix Producer: Hannah Sander(Picture credit: Laura Edwards)

In the wake of MeToo and the Black Lives Matter movement, the media world has been looking hard at who it portrays and how. The BBC created the position 'Director of Creative Diversity' to change minority representation. But how much change is needed - and who has to make way for these new, more diverse appointments?Panel: June Sarpong, BBC's Director of Creative Diversity; and Matthew Syed, Sunday Times columnist and author of Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking.Presenter: Amol Rajan Studio engineer: Giles Aspen Producer: Hannah Sander

Intrigue and drama at two of the world’s most talked about media companies; James Murdoch has resigned from the family firm, and TikTok faces an ultimatum from President Trump. Also in the show, a new Ofcom report on media viewing trends during the lockdown, and how Condé Nast Traveller and Sunset + Vine have responded to the pandemic.Panel: Melinda Stevens, editor in chief at Condé Nast Traveller, Jeff Foulser, Executive Chairman of Sunset and Vine, Chris Williams, The Sunday Telegraph's business editor, and Yih-Choung Teh, Strategy and Research Group Director at OfcomPresenter: Amol Rajan Studio engineer: Duncan Hannant Producer: Richard Hooper

Amol Rajan on the thorny questions of free speech, impartiality and truth in newsrooms. Guests: Tom Rosenstiel, Executive Director of the American Press Institute; Rachel Corp, Editor of ITV News; Andrew Neil, Chairman of The Spectator; Nesrine Malik, columnist at The Guardian.Studio engineer: Giles Aspden Producer: Hannah Sander(Photo: Jo Holland / BBC)

Amol Rajan on the TV channels and online services that have carved out a niche for themselves – away from the big broadcasters. Guests: Robert Llewellyn, CEO of Fully Charged, Sarah Cronin-Stanley, Managing Director of Talking Pictures TV, Nicky Ness, Director of Broadcasting & Entertainment at BFBS, and Andrew White, Senior Producer of Walks Around Britain.Studio engineer: Nigel Dix Producer: Hannah Sander(Image: Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly in Country Girl, broadcast on Talking Pictures TV)

As job cuts are announced by Reach, the UK’s largest regional newspaper publisher, Amol Rajan looks at initiatives to fund local journalism. Also in the programme, is TikTok the new Huawei?Guests: Karin Goodwin, co-editor of The Ferret, Ian Carter, editorial director of the Illife Media Group, Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, Hugh Schofield, BBC correspondent in Paris, and Dr Tim Stevens, lecturer in global security at King's College London.Sound engineer: Nigel DixProducer: Richard Hooper

The Daily Beast has published an investigation into a network of fake journalists that placed opinion pieces in dozens of real news outlets. All the articles were sympathetic to the foreign policy objectives of the United Arab Emirates and the "journalists" who wrote them were backed up by fictitious online personas. Amol Rajan is joined by Marc Owen Jones, an assistant professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, and Marianna Spring, BBC reporter covering disinformation and social media.Also in the programme, restarting TV production in a global pandemic, with Danielle Lux, CPL managing director, David Mortimer, STV Productions managing director, and Emeka Onono, director and executive producer of Trump in Tweets.Sound engineer: Tim Heffer Producer: Richard Hooper

One of the oldest media brands in the world, The Times, is now running a radio station. Meanwhile, one of the world’s newest - Twitch, the video game streaming platform owned by Amazon - is facing a crisis caused by old-fashioned misogyny. Amol Rajan is joined by Tim Levell, Programme Director of Times Radio, Miranda Sawyer, radio critic of The Observer, Frankie Ward, esports host and Twitch streamer, Cecilia D'Anastasio, journalist at Wired, and Chris Stokel-Walker, freelance journalist.Studio engineer: Tim HefferProducer: Richard Hooper

How a global pandemic is changing the advertising industry. Amol Rajan is joined by Johnny Hornby, The&Partnership, Christopher Kenna, Brand Advance, Dino Myers-Lamptey, The Barber Shop and Lindsey Clay, Thinkbox.Sound engineer: Giles Aspen Producer: Richard Hooper

What role does opinion play in journalism? The editor of The Sunday Times claimed this week that some generations are far less tolerant of opinions they don’t agree with on the comment pages. Meanwhile the editor of a regional newspaper says the opinions of some readers have become so offensive during the pandemic, that the police have been called to investigate. Guests: Helen Dalby, editor in chief of The Chronicle and The Journal in Newcastle, Mark Walton, editor of The News in Portsmouth, Micha Frazer-Carroll, opinions editor of gal-dem, Alex Massie, columnist for The Times and Scotland editor of The Spectator, and Nic Newman, Reuters Institute for the Study of JournalismPresenter: Amol RajanStudio Engineer: Duncan HannantProducer: Richard Hooper

Last week newspaper front pages were dominated by images from Black Lives Matter protests, until Thursday, when the Madeleine McCann case displaced them. Campaigners said it was evidence of systemic racism in the British media, that editors judged an update on a white child, who went missing 13 years ago, to be more important than millions of black people protesting around the world. Is that true?Guests: Clive Myrie, BBC presenter, Moya Lothian-McLean, freelance journalist, Adam Cantwell-Corn, co-founder of The Bristol Cable, and Claire Wardle, Executive Director of First DraftPresenter: Amol RajanStudio engineer: Jackie MargerumProducer: Richard Hooper

Katharine Viner is editor in chief of The Guardian. In this extended interview with Amol Rajan she talks about her mission to build one of the world's leading "progressive news organisations", why The Guardian is "not a Labour paper" and reveals the backstory to their Dominic Cummings exclusive.Studio engineer: Gayl Gordon Producer: Richard Hooper

On 1 June 1980, the TV news industry was revolutionised by the launch of CNN, the world's first rolling news channel. Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international anchor, looks back on her own career and the reporting which has won her 11 Emmys, 4 Peabodys, and a slew of other awards. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Studio Engineer: Tim Heffer Producer: Richard Hooper

British TV companies produce some of the most popular shows in the world. But the lockdown has put a halt to it all. Andrea Catherwood asks how the industry restarts and what post coronavirus TV might look like.Guests: Andy Harries CEO Left Bank Pictures, Jonathan Hewes, CEO Pioneer Productions, and Manori Ravindran, International Editor of VarietyProducer: Richard HooperStudio engineer: Nigel DixImage credit: Scene from Netflix’s new series White Lines

Data journalists were until recently a niche part of the news industry, but the spread of coronavirus has meant their work is now regularly on the front page. How objective is data journalism and is it open to the same biases as any other type of reporting? Also, do journalists have a duty to lift the mood of the nation and look for good news stories? Or is that incompatible with journalism’s job of speaking truth to power?Guests: Beth Rigby, Sky News Political Editor, Jack Blanchard, editor Politico's London Playbook, Caelainn Barr, Editor of Data Projects at The Guardian, John Burn-Murdoch, Senior data-visualisation journalist at The Financial Times, and Tim Montgomerie, former comment editor of The Times and an advisor to the last government.Presenter: Andrea CatherwoodProducer: Richard HooperStudio engineer: Emma Harth

Participation in video gaming is at record levels as the world remains locked down. The sector was already worth more than the music and video industries combined - so where does video gaming go next and why do some analysts believe it is the future of not just entertainment, but the internet itself?Guests: Jason Kingsley, Rebellion CEO, Vic Hood, games journalist at TechRadar, Aoife Wilson, journalist at Eurogamer and presenter This Game Changed My Life on BBC Sounds, and Robin McCammon, Excel Esports CCO.Presenter: Joe TidyProducer: Richard HooperStudio Engineer: Donald MacDonald

The set-piece interview with a famous face is a type of journalism that newspapers do uniquely well. Andrea Catherwood meets three masters of the art and asks how they get their interviewees to say things they often wish they hadn't.Guests: Charlotte Edwardes, columnist and feature writer for The Sunday Times, Hadley Freeman, columnist and feature writer for The Guardian, and Ginny Dougary, award-winning interviewer for newspapers all over the world.Producer: Richard HooperStudio Engineer: Tim Heffer

As the world faces an economic downturn worse than the Great Depression, there’s perhaps never been a better time to be running a magazine about global affairs called The Economist. The trouble is, many of the ideas that the newspaper - as it still calls itself - has championed since 1843 are now under attack. In this extended interview, Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, talks about making the case for liberalism, her strategy for the publication and a previous career as an actual economist.Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper Studio engineer: Duncan Hannant

When Channel 5 launched in 1997, it promised to be "modern and mainstream". But it wasn't long before the schedule was filled with tacky game shows and even soft porn movies. The bad reputation stuck for years. Under the leadership of Ben Frow, Channel 5 has been transformed into RTS Channel of the Year, attracting upmarket viewers with documentaries about the National Trust and a Michael Palin travelogue. In this extended edition of The Media Show, Ben Frow tells Amol Rajan more about his strategy, and discusses his own career journey which began as a costume maker.Producer: Richard HooperPhoto: Still from the Channel 5 show, Michael Palin in North Korea

With places of worship closed because of coronavirus, some people of faith are turning to religious broadcasters. Amol Rajan asks what the role of religious media is and whether the pandemic now threatens their business model.Guests: Charmaine Noble-Mclean, executive director at Premier Christian Radio, Joseph Hayat, editor-in-chief British Muslim TV, Richard Ferrer, editor Jewish News, and Martin Bashir, BBC Religion EditorProducer: Richard Hooper

Radio stations have reported a huge surge in listeners since the start of the lock-down. Amol Rajan meets three presenters now helping to calm the nation. Guests: Simon Mayo of Scala Radio, Linda McDermott of BBC Radio Merseyside, and Iain Lee of talkRADIO. Producer: Richard Hooper

A global lock down means demand for media has never been higher - but making it has never been harder. Amol Rajan hears how TV producers and news providers are adapting. Also in the show, can esports fill the void left by the cancellation of live sport?Guests: Carrie Brown, Chair of the Football Writers' Association, John McVay, chief executive Pact, Paul McNamee, editor The Big Issue, Luke Lambourne, creator of Ultimate QuaranTeam and Leyton Orient FC media manager, and Shona Ghosh, UK tech editor Business Insider.Producer: Richard Hooper

How good a job is the media doing at explaining the science behind what's going on with coronavirus? Are we hearing enough from the experts? The right experts? Or is the Westminster lobby still setting the news agenda? Amol Rajan is joined by Emily Wilson, editor of New Scientist, Gareth Mitchell, presenter and lecturer in Science Communication at Imperial College London, and Dr Ellie Cannon, GP and Mail on Sunday columnist. Also in the show, how the BBC is responding with Dan McGolpin, BBC Controller of iPlayer and Programming.

As the number of people infected with coronavirus rises rapidly in Europe and the US, can journalists ever report the situation without causing panic? In Italy the newspaper Corriere della Sera has been accused of endangering public health after it published a leak of a government order to lock down the north of the country, resulting in people fleeing the region before it was implemented. Should journalists ever withhold the truth?Also in the programme, how Good Housekeeping has become the biggest selling women's lifestyle magazine in the UK.Amol Rajan is joined by Jess Brammar, editor in chief HuffPost UK, Tom Phillips, editor Full Fact, Paul Nuki, global health security editor The Daily Telegraph, Gaby Huddart, editor in chief Good Housekeeping and Dany Mitzman, freelance journalist in Italy.Producer: Richard Hooper

The Daily Telegraph has reportedly been put up for sale by its owners, Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. But according to a High Court case, relatives of the brothers are now feuding. One side even alleges the other has been bugging their conversations in the Ritz Hotel in London. How might the dispute complicate the future direction of the newspaper?Also in the programme, as the BBC Local News Partnership scheme expands into BAME publications, is the news industry now dependent on subsidies?Amol Rajan is joined by Rithika Siddhartha, Associate Editor of Eastern Eye, Meera Selva, Director at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Will Gore, Head of Partnerships and Projects at the National Council for the Training of Journalists, Jane Martinson, Marjorie Deane Professor of Financial Journalism at City University and Alex Barker, Global Media Editor of the Financial Times.Producer: Richard Hooper

Magazine sales are up for some titles, with a resurgence of those that deal with news and current affairs. What's their secret? Also in the programme, why campaigners say CGTN, the English language news channel from China, should lose its Ofcom licence to broadcast in the UK.Amol Rajan is joined by Jason Cowley, editor The New Statesman, Rosie Blau, editor 1843, Christopher Montgomery, co-editor The Critic, and Peter Dahlin, director of Safeguard DefendersProducer: Richard Hooper

The Yorkshire Post is one of the oldest titles in the country and styles itself as “Yorkshire’s National Newspaper”. During the 2019 general election, the paper’s scoop about “the boy on the hospital floor” reached a huge audience and influenced the debate. But it also spawned a conspiracy theory. In this extended interview, editor James Mitchinson discusses his battle against fake news, his vision for The Yorkshire Post and why a childhood in the coalfields of North Notts fuels his passion for the region.Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper

As Spotify buys The Ringer for a reported $250m, Amol Rajan asks if the podcasting gold rush will ever end.Guests: Steve Ackerman, Managing Director of Somethin' Else, Otegha Uwagba, host of In Good Company, Gerry Edwards, CEO of Podcast Radio, and Caroline Crampton, journalist and writer for Hot PodProducer: Richard Hooper Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez

Broadcasters have complained after Boris Johnson's "address to the nation" on the eve of Brexit was made by Downing Street's PR team and not recorded by journalists. Meanwhile, a group of political journalists walked out of Number 10 after senior reporters claimed they had been barred from an additional press briefing. Also in the programme, the government announces a public consultation on whether non-payment of the TV licence fee should remain a criminal offence.Amol Rajan is joined by Michael Crick, Mail Plus political correspondent, Jay Davies, Getty Images Director of News Photography and Claire Enders, founder of Enders Analysis.Producer: Richard HooperImage shows Boris Johnson banging a gong to mark the UK's departure from the EU, in a photo taken by Downing Street's official photographer at an event journalists were excluded from

Brexit will be done on Friday, says Boris Johnson – and large parts of the media will need to find something else to talk about. Amol Rajan asks whether the polarised tone of much Brexit journalism has permanently changed the public’s appetite for news.Guests: Bénédicte Paviot, UK correspondent for France 24, James O'Brien, LBC presenter, Matina Stevis-Gridneff, Brussels correspondent for The New York Times, and Mick Booker, editor of The Sunday ExpressProducer: Richard Hooper

Documentary making is undergoing a renaissance, with box set factual shows among the most popular on streaming services. Amol Rajan charts the evolution of the documentary with the help of Tom Mangold, whose latest film for the BBC is called Keeler, Profumo, Ward and Me, Leo Pearlman, managing partner at Fulwell 73 and executive producer of Auschwitz Untold: In Colour for Channel 4, and Justine Kershaw, creative director of Blink Films.Producer: Richard HooperImage: Still from Sunderland 'Til I Die, the Netflix documentary series produced by Fulwell 73

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced that they are stepping down as senior members of the Royal family, a decision that is thought to have been partly motivated by negative press coverage they receive in the UK. Yet their plan and the manner in which it was revealed, has enraged sections of the press even further. Also in the show, why the boss of BritBox wants it to be "the biggest box of British box-sets".Amol Rajan is joined by Dan Wootton, Executive Editor at The Sun, Robert Hardman, the Daily Mail's Royal expert, Chloe Franses, founder of PR agency Franses, and Reemah Sakaan, BritBox group launch director for ITV SVOD.Producer: Richard Hooper

Andy Wilman is executive producer of The Grand Tour, the Amazon Prime Video show featuring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. Previously he was the creative force behind Top Gear, turning the programme into one of the BBC's most successful exports. Also on the show, Mark Ryan, executive director of the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas, talks about the Australian philanthropic venture with over £50m to invest in journalism. And Latika Bourke, journalist with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, on how the bushfire emergency might prompt a change in how the Australian media reports climate change.Producer: Richard Hooper

The UK's traditional TV channels might be losing viewers to Netflix and Amazon, but when it comes to the actual shows we're all streaming, British producers are responsible for many of them. In this special edition of The Media Show, Amol Rajan asks how long will the drama boom last? Guests: Kate Harwood, managing director of Euston Films, Jason Kingsley, co-founder of Rebellion, Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, and Rhianna Dhillon, film and TV criticProducer: Richard Hooper Assistant Producer: Natalia FernandezPhoto credit: Baghdad Central, the new Channel 4 thriller produced by Euston Films.

Private Eye editor on making jokes about Boris Johnson, Prince Andrew and Greta Thunberg

Most British journalists reporting on politics were shocked by the scale of the Conservative victory. Why did the result take them by surprise and what influence did the media actually have on voters?Amol Rajan is joined by Piers Morgan, ITV presenter, Hannah Chapman, editor of The Northern Echo, Alison Rowat, Senior Politics Writer at The Herald, Oli Dugmore, Head of News and Politics at JOE, and Professor Dominic Wring, Loughborough University.Producer: Richard Hooper

Ronan Farrow is hailed as one of the greatest reporters of his generation. For his ground-breaking New Yorker investigation into Harvey Weinstein, he shared a Pulitzer Prize with Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of The New York Times. Now Farrow has told the story of how he battled to get the allegations published in a new book, Catch and Kill.Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper

Amazon has the rights to broadcast the Premier League in December, the first time matches have not been "televised" on a traditional TV channel. Is this the start of a revolution in live sports broadcasting, or a one-off marketing stunt by Amazon to attract Christmas shoppers to its Prime service? Also in the show, how TikTok is changing its virtual gifts policy after a BBC investigation.Guests: Jake Humphrey, co-founder Whisper Films, Minal Modha, consumer lead Ampere Analysis, Kait Borsay, sports presenter and host of The Offside Rule podcast, and Joe Tidy, BBC Cyber-security reporter. Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper

A new Channel 4 show What Makes a Murderer has been made with the assistance of a convicted criminal. Tony Sales co-founded the production company Underworld TV to make programmes about the criminal world. Also capitalising on demand for true crime stories is Bauer Media, who earlier this year launched the magazine Crime Monthly. How are the political parties using the media to get their election messages out? Newsquest, one of the UK's largest regional publishers, has written to the Electoral Commission accusing the Liberal Democrats of designing a campaign leaflet that looks like a regular local newspaper. Last week, the Daily Mirror said that its reporter was denied accreditation to travel on Boris Johnson's campaign bus. Guests: Julia Davis, editor-in-chief of Crime Monthly, Tony Sales, co-founder of Underworld TV, Katie French, editor of The Basingstoke Gazette, James Mitchinson, editor of The Yorkshire Post, and Alison Phillips, editor of The Daily MirrorPresenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard HooperPhoto: Channel 4's What Makes A Murderer?

Dorothy Byrne, Head of News and Current Affairs for Channel 4 and author of Trust Me, I'm Not A Politician, on the role journalism can play in restoring public trust in politicians. Also, an exclusive interview with Steve Hatch, Facebook's boss in Northern Europe, on the company's readiness for the general election. And Shona Ghosh, UK Tech Editor at Business Insider, on whether Google Stadia will become "the Netflix of gaming".Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper

Exclusive interview with Facebook's boss in Northern Europe

Amol Rajan is joined by Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times and Lionel Barber, editor of The Financial Times. Mr Barber announced this week that he is standing down and will be replaced in January by Roula Khalaf, the first female editor of the FT since it was founded in 1888.Producer: Richard Hooper

As CEO of Disney since 2005, Bob Iger has transformed the company with the acquisition of entertainment brands like Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox.In this UK exclusive interview, Bob Iger talks about his life and career, from working as a weatherman to becoming one of the most powerful figures in global media. Iger’s autobiography is called The Ride Of A Lifetime.Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard HooperThis programme includes a clip of Michael Eisner presenting on The Disney Channel (September 1990), a clip from The Lion King (1994) directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, a clip of the late Roy E. Disney speaking in a promotional video for his Save Disney campaign (2005), and a clip from the trailer for Toy Story (1995) directed by John Lasseter.

In January, in a court in Manhattan, Harvey Weinstein will stand trial for the rape and sexual assault of two women. The movie producer denies the charges - just as he has denied allegations by more than 80 other women.Weinstein’s reckoning has come about largely because of the diligence of two journalists at The New York Times. Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s investigation in 2017 triggered not only Weinstein’s downfall but ignited the global #MeToo movement. Their reporting won them the Pulitzer Prize and they have now told their story in a new book, She Said.Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Natalia Fernandez

Kay Burley has worked for Sky News since it launched in 1989. Now she has a new role as presenter of its breakfast show.Also in the programme, Clive Tyldesley, the football commentator, says the British media have failed the public with its Brexit reporting and claims sports journalists would have done a better job. Andrea Catherwood is joined by Kay Burley, Zing Tsjeng, VICE UK executive editor, Dino Sofos, editor of BBC Brexitcast, and Clive Tyldesley.Producer: Richard Hooper

China and Russia are featuring prominently in the two biggest international news stories at the moment in Hong Kong and Syria. We have two top journalists just back from these places to talk about reporting from inside repressive regimes And, it’s being called the biggest media event of the year so far - it's created a black hole of information and no one is quite sure what will happen next. No not Brexit - but Fortnite - the massively popular game had its end of season finale on Saturday. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Maire Devine Editor: Eleanor Garland