Main content

The Media Show: Reporting Syria and reaction to Luigi Mangione

Insights into Syria’s media changes post-Assad, social media’s moral questions around murder suspect Luigi Mangione, and practical tools of investigative journalism.

After Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed, Syrian media enters a new chapter. Kholoud Helmi, co-founder of the independent paper Enab Baladi, reflects on her publication’s journey from clandestine reporting during Assad’s era to hopes for unfiltered journalism in today’s Syria. Sednaya prison, long shrouded in secrecy, has become a focal point for journalists and families of the missing. Freelance journalist Edmund Bower, reporting for The Times, recounts his access to the site.

The murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has sparked polarising reactions online, including the celebration by some of his alleged killer Luigi Mangione. Mia Sato from The Verge discusses the public’s focus on systemic healthcare failings, while influencer Michael McWhorter notes a striking lack of online detective interest in the case.

Ben Strick, director of investigations at the Centre for Information Resilience, shares the principles of open-source investigations in an advent calendar he has created to highlight his work. He explains how tools like reverse image searches and flight trackers have aided investigative journalism, offering examples from global conflicts to everyday reporting.

Presenters: Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall
Producer: Simon Richardson
Assistant producer: Lucy Wai

Available now

23 minutes

Last on

Last Friday 00:06GMT

Featured

  • .

Broadcasts

  • Last Thursday 10:06GMT
  • Last Friday 00:06GMT

Podcast