How US news outlets became the tools of the super rich 

News outlets in the United States are under pressure like never before. In the first part of this special episode, we examine how media ownership has become concentrated in the hands of a tiny group of elites, who have tempered critical coverage of the US president.
 

Why isn’t US media busting the ‘narco-state’ myth?

The United States’ deadly “counter-narcotics mission” off Venezuela’s coast hinges on an unproven drug-smuggling narrative – a familiar pretext for regime change, and one the mainstream media have been quick to echo. Meanwhile, Venezuelans face escalating repression at home.

Netanyahu & Trump: The optics and the outrage

As Netanyahu courts Trump with peace prizes and platitudes, divisions over Israel in the MAGA media space are deepening.

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

Media outlets amplify Israel’s narrative about its attack on Iran.

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”.

Israel capitalises as Gaza fatigue sets in

One might think that images of starving children, as political leaders withhold aid and openly call for ethnic cleansing, would be topping news agendas everywhere. In the case of Gaza, the failure of many in the international media to meet the moment has made them part of the story.

Trump’s blitzkrieg: Overwhelm, confuse, confound

It’s an alarming moment in US politics. Developments have been fast and furious, with Donald Trump flooding the news space at a rate journalists find hard to handle. His plan for an American takeover of the Gaza Strip, the reshaping of federal agencies and the unchecked power handed to Musk all beg a question: Who is really running the country?

The French left faces a hostile media

In France, a shock election win for the left was no thanks to French media.

The French far right may have been defeated at the polls, but much of the press remains sympathetic to Marine Le Pen’s National Rally. How will the incoming left-wing coalition navigate a hostile media and a hung parliament?

Antiwar protests and limits on freedoms in the United States

Antiwar protests sweep across university campuses in the United States. The police response – the violence – has been shocking and so has some of the reporting from the US mainstream media.

Libya: Media clampdown amidst a disaster

Misinformation and media restrictions add to the chaos in the flood-stricken city of Derna. Plus, preserving Nigeria’s past in print.

As the residents of the city of Derna count their dead, authorities in eastern Libya expel news crews from the city and evade scrutiny of their role in the disaster.

Silvio Berlusconi: Media mogul and master politician

 

Berlusconi’s political career was powered by his media might – and he pioneered a brash brand of demagoguery. Plus, reporting on your own military in a time of conflict.

In death, as in life, Silvio Berlusconi dominates the headlines. He was a man whose legacy across media, popular culture and politics is not confined just to Italy.

Russia-Ukraine: The Media Front Line

 

A compilation of Listening Post reports on the media dimensions of the Russia-Ukraine conflict – from information warfare to the crushing of dissent.

On this special edition of our programme – a timeline of our reports through 2022 on the media dimension of this conflict – from the build-up to the invasion, right through the messaging war and the global media’s news coverage.

Russia-Ukraine: Navigating the media minefield

 

As the war in Ukraine drags on, the fog of war gets denser, and nuanced reporting becomes more challenging. Plus, social media influencers tour war-torn Syria.

As the war in Ukraine hits nine months, the news output is becoming harder, not easier, to navigate.

Much of the coverage is misleading at best and dangerous at worst – and with the war showing no signs of stopping, even the term diplomacy has somehow become a dirty word.

Protocol and pageantry: Reporting the death of the queen

The queen’s death sets in motion a massive media operation – but is it reflecting public sentiment, or shaping it? Plus, TikTok enters Latin American politics.

In death, as in life, British Queen Elizabeth II is at the centre of a media spectacle – but not all outlets, especially those outside the United Kingdom, have maintained a tone of reverence, with many confronting thorny issues from the monarchy’s past.

Tunisia: The referendum and the ramifications for the media

 

Tunisians have been among the freest to voice dissent in the Arab world but a constitutional change threatens that freedom. Plus, LGBTQphobia in Ghana’s media.

As Tunisia prepares to vote on a controversial new constitution, President Kais Saied’s continuing power grab risks reversing the country’s hard-won media freedoms.

Ukraine-Russia: A prolonged propaganda war

 

Four months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we look at how Russian media is spinning a new war narrative. Plus, misogyny in Greek media.

Ukraine – and the Kremlin’s special media operation that has Russian journalists under control.

Pakistan: A political crisis and a polarised media

 Pakistan’s media is in a lose-lose situation – caught between politicians and the military. Plus, the crushing of speech in Bangladesh.

In the weeks since Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from government, he has been conducting an aggressive campaign – on the ground and online – to get himself back into office. And it has put the country’s media outlets in a difficult position, especially when reporters remain beholden to who really runs the country: the military.

How is Ukraine fighting the media war?

 

Weapons in Ukraine’s media war: a TV-ready president and digitally savvy citizens. Plus, North Korean defectors turned YouTubers.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine rages on, the Ukrainians are responding with a digitally armed resistance led by their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Censorship, arrests, shutdowns: Putin crushes Russian media

 

Having taken the country to war, Putin is also pushing it into an information black hole. Journalists are being controlled, silenced and even driven out.

Russia is experiencing a Stalinesque crackdown on reporting that smacks of the Soviet era; the mere mention of the word “war” in relation to Ukraine can now land journalists in prison for up to 15 years.

Incite and inflame: Israel’s manipulation of the media

 

The Listening Post breaks down Israel’s media strategy of distraction, disinformation and diversion. Plus, the Western influencers online contesting claims of a genocide in Xinjiang.

Ceasefire in Gaza: As journalists in the Strip stop to catch their breath, Israel’s media stand accused of inciting violence against Palestinians.

Israeli airstrike flattens Gaza tower housing media outlets | DW Special Report

 

Conflict is escalating in Israel at this hour, with Hamas missiles reaching the biggest city Tel Aviv, and Israeli forces retaliating. Israeli airstrikes destroyed the Jala tower block in Gaza City.