Is the Westminster lobby a victim of groupthink?

Is the Westminster lobby a victim of groupthink?

This week on Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by Ailbhe Rea, political editor at the New Statesman, and George Parker, political editor of the Financial Times, for an insider’s account of the Westminster “Lobby”—the exclusive group of journalists with privileged access to Britain’s corridors of power.


With enormous influence over political narratives, the Lobby shapes how the country understands its government. But is there a danger in being too close to power? The four discuss the Lobby at its best—forensic, rigorous and brutal when necessary—and at its worst, from criticisms of herd mentality to exaggerating stories.


Ailbhe and George reveal how the system really works, from briefings with the prime minister’s spokesperson to secretive tip-offs. They also discuss the ethics of relying on anonymous sources: does the cloak of secrecy allow smears to spread? Or is it the only way to discover what politicians are really thinking?


And they make the case for why, despite its flaws, the bubble of Westminster is better off with the Lobby inside it.

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Episoder(227)

Will the BBC cave in to Trump?

Will the BBC cave in to Trump?

In today’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel discuss Donald Trump’s court case against the BBC. As the broadcaster requests the president’s phone records from January 6th, some commentators think it...

2 Jul 20min

Vicious media: How the Murdoch press attacks its targets

Vicious media: How the Murdoch press attacks its targets

In this week’s Media Confidential, Alan Rusbridger talks to Andrew Dodd and Matthew Ricketson, authors of Getting Murdoched: How Murdoch’s Media Wields Power and Punishment.The three discuss the struc...

29 Jun 35min

Starmer’s downfall: Is the media to blame?

Starmer’s downfall: Is the media to blame?

In this week’s episode, Alan and Lionel chew over Keir Starmer's resignation. How does a modern politician feed the media—and avoid being eaten? If Andy Burnham becomes prime minister, will he be bett...

25 Jun 28min

Beeban Kidron: What the Online Safety Act gets right (and wrong)

Beeban Kidron: What the Online Safety Act gets right (and wrong)

This week on Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel speak to crossbench peer and activist Beeban Kidron about the Online Safety Act.Beeban has spent years advocating for children's rights in the digital ...

22 Jun 35min

Murdoch’s biggest deal yet

Murdoch’s biggest deal yet

This week on Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel discuss the Murdoch family’s biggest ever deal, as Lachlan Murdoch’s Fox TV buys streaming service Roku. What does it suggest about the company’s direc...

18 Jun 28min

The 60 Minutes meltdown: inside the power struggles reshaping America’s iconic news show

The 60 Minutes meltdown: inside the power struggles reshaping America’s iconic news show

In this Monday’s episode of Media Confidential Alan and Lionel are talking to NPR’s media correspondent David Folkenflik about what is actually happening at American broadcaster CBS.They discuss the p...

15 Jun 31min

Henry Nowak and how the media fuels racism

Henry Nowak and how the media fuels racism

In this episode of Media Confidential, Alan questions the quality of reporting around the Henry Nowak case, and questions why so many in the media are focusing on the cost of DEI training in the polic...

11 Jun 35min

Joshi Herrmann ‘If we're going to devolve more power to places like Greater Manchester we’re going to need to bulk up the quality of the local media.’

Joshi Herrmann ‘If we're going to devolve more power to places like Greater Manchester we’re going to need to bulk up the quality of the local media.’

In this week’s Media Confidential Alan and Lionel are joined by Joshi Hermann, founder of The Mill. The three discuss how The Mill has expanded out from Manchester to seven cities in just three years ...

8 Jun 37min

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