The Media Show

Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins on the biggest media stories of the week, including:
Jake Kanter from Deadline on the racial slur shouted during the Baftas ceremony which made it into the BBC’s broadcast.
Anthony Loyd, special correspondent at The Times, reflects on his latest trip to Ukraine, while the BBC’s Olga Malchevska discusses how the anniversary is being covered across Eastern Europe and the personal impact of reporting on her home country.
Suzanne Plunkett, Chief Photographer at Reuters, and Arthur Edwards, long serving royal photographer for The Sun, explain how the now viral picture of Prince Andrew leaving police custody was taken and why royal photos matter more than ever. And the BBC’s Sean Coughlan and Ingrid Seward, editor in chief of Majesty Magazine, explore how the palace press team manages public messaging and whether a more direct communication style is now unavoidable.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

On this edition of The Media Show, Ros Atkins examines the continuing public interest in the Lucy Letby case, as a new Netflix documentary reaches the top of the UK viewing rankings. He speaks to Josh Halliday, North of England Editor at The Guardian, and Dr Bethany Usher of Newcastle University, whose work focuses on the ethics of true‑crime storytelling and the development of new guidelines for the genre.
Tom Freston, co‑founder of MTV, reflects on how the channel’s launch in 1981 transformed popular culture and what its closure in the UK and Europe signifies for its legacy.
And we assess the state of the advertising industry following one of its most challenging years on record. James Kirkham, founder of Iconic, discusses his view that the traditional agency model is in steep decline, while Becky Owen, Chief Marketing Officer at Billion Dollar Boy, outlines the rapid expansion of influencer marketing and the new dynamics shaping the sector.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson

Gabriel Sherman joins Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins to discuss the real‑life Murdoch family battle at the heart of his new book , Bonfire of the Murdochs, including the secret Nevada court case that pitted Rupert Murdoch against his own children.
We assess the reporting of a turbulent week in Westminster with Catherine Neilan, Whitehall Editor at The Observer and Simon Nixon, publisher of the Wealth of Nations newsletter and a former journalist at the Wall Street Journal and The Times.
As The Washington Post lays off around 300 staff, we talk to one of them, reporter Marissa Lang and former senior managing editor, Cameron Barr, assesses what comes next.
And we discuss the issue of balance and due impartiality in the digital age as Ofcom faces criticism for declining to investigate a GB News interview with Donald Trump.

Producers: Lisa Jenkinson & Dan Hardoon

On The Media Show Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins consider the new Epstein files and how journalists work through huge document releases while avoiding misinterpretation. The Financial Times’ Jim Pickard explains how newsrooms decide what is reliable and what is not and the veteran editor Tina Brown gives her take from across the Atlantic.
We look at the growing demand for behind the scenes cameras in sport. Former British tennis number one Johanna Konta and Minal Modha from Ampere Analysis discuss how much access athletes should be expected to give and whether privacy is being eroded.
And finally, with the delay of the Artemis II mission the BBC’s Science Editor Rebecca Morelle and Dr Chris Lintott from The Sky at Night talk about launch scrubs, shifting timelines and the practical realities of reporting on spaceflight.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Emily Channon

On The Media Show with Ros Atkins. Meg Anderson, NPR correspondent in Minneapolis, explains how newsrooms are managing a surge of online footage and what it means for journalism.
Aled Haydn Jones, Radio 1 Controller; DJ Sian Eleri and Chelsea Little on the Radio 1 Christmas Presenter Takeover.
James Ball Tech journalist and author of “The System: Who Owns The Internet And How It Owns Us” unpacks what algorithms are, and whether the move towards increased transparency by platforms will actually give users more control.
And Vicky Jessop, commissioning editor and culture writer at the Evening Standard, joins us to discuss Netflix’s Skyscraper Live and whether extreme risk is becoming a new form of entertainment.
Presenter: Ros Atkins
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Laura Cain