The Listening Post

India is expelling Bengali Muslims - stripping citizenship, detaining and deporting them to Bangladesh. The crackdown has spread nationwide, prompted by years of BJP propaganda and a news media all too willing to sell the story of a Muslim "enemy within". Contributors:  Shoaib Daniyal - Political editor, Scroll Fatima Khan - Political journalist Vaishna Roy - Editor, Frontline magazine Paranjoy Guha Thakurta - Journalist and filmmaker On our radar: The images of starving Palestinians in Gaza have provoked global outrage. Israel has launched a PR campaign to deflect blame. Ryan Kohls reports. An interview with Alex Shephard Alex Shephard of The New Republic explains how Donald Trump is putting unprecedented pressure on US media outlets. After CBS was forced to settle out of court with the president, Trump is now suing the Wall Street Journal and its owner - Rupert Murdoch - as well as politicising the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Featuring: Alex Shephard - Senior editor, The New Republic

The Epstein saga has flipped the script within the MAGA movement. Having spent years accusing the Democrats of an establishment cover-up, many right-wing influencers are now turning against their idol, President Trump, as he resists calls to release the files. Contributors: Joan Donovan - Director, CriticalNet Mehdi Hasan - Editor-in-chief, Zeteo News Miles Klee - Culture writer, Rolling Stone Danielle Moodie - Host, The Danielle Moodie Show On our radar: For 21 months, mainstream media outlets have avoided calling Israel’s assault on Gaza a genocide. But this past week has seen a notable shift - prompted not by Palestinian voices, but by an Israeli scholar. Tariq Nafi reports on The New York Times, the breaking of a media taboo, and why, for many, it’s too little, too late. Palestinians are being erased in German media Mass surveillance, a crackdown on protest, and a media unwilling to question power: In Germany, pro-Palestinian voices are being silenced. Nicholas Muirhead reports from Berlin on the mounting assault on free expression. Featuring: Wael Eskander - Berlin-based journalist Martin Gak - Former Deutsche Welle journalist Sabine Schiffer - Director, Media Responsibility Institute

As Netanyahu courts Trump with peace prizes and platitudes, divisions over Israel in the MAGA media space are deepening. Contributors: Laura Albast – Fellow, Institute for Palestine Studies Mitchell Plitnick – Author, Except for Palestine Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya Jude Russo – Managing editor, The American Conservative On our radar: Since the US-Israeli GHF took over the distribution of aid, more than 800 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to collect it. New reporting uncovers the foundation’s links to plans for Gaza’s ethnic cleansing. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Georgia under fire: The crackdown on protests and the press Mass protests, a tightening grip on media and a creeping authoritarianism; eight months on, the struggle over Georgia's democracy is intensifying. Elettra Scrivo reports from Tbilisi on the mounting crackdown on journalists and independent voices. Featuring: Irakli Rukhadze – Owner, Imedi TV Nestan Tsetkhladze – Editor, Netgazeti Nino Zautashvili – Former host, Real Space

At Glastonbury, Britain’s biggest music festival, two artists called out Israel’s genocide in Gaza and accused the British government of complicity. On-stage remarks by one of them - Bob Vylan - plunged the country's public broadcaster, the BBC, which livestreamed the performance, into yet another Gaza-shaped row. Contributors: Des Freedman – Author, The Media Manifesto Peter Oborne – Journalist and broadcaster Karishma Patel – Former newsreader, BBC Justin Schlosberg – Professor of Media and Communications, University Of Westminster On our radar: In the United States, Zohran Mamdani has secured the Democratic nomination for New York mayor, despite relentless media attacks that focus less on his policies and more on his outspoken stance against Israel’s war on Gaza. Tariq Nafi reports. Palestinians are seen as some sort of existential threat, just for being there While debates rage in international media over phrases like “from the river to the sea” and “death to the IDF,” far less scrutiny falls on the anti-Palestinian abuse that has become normal inside Israel - from pop songs to viral chants. Palestinian analyst Abdaljawad Omar joins us from Ramallah to unpack this everyday Israeli racism. Featuring: Abdaljawad Omar – Lecturer, Birzeit University

From negotiating with Iran to bombing its nuclear facilities and then brokering a ceasefire, Trump’s erratic pivots appear to be driven more by optics than coherent diplomacy. Mainstream Western news outlets, however, are making the job easier - painting Iran as an existential threat while downplaying Israel’s illegal actions. Contributors:  Roxane Farmanfarmaian – Senior fellow, European Leadership Network Seamus Malekafzali – Journalist Mohsen Milani – Author, Iran’s Rise and Rivalry with the US Samira Mohyeddin – Journalist, On the Line Media On our radar Few atrocities compare to the massacres Israel is perpetrating, repeatedly, against starving refugees in Gaza - yet they are receiving minimal attention in mainstream media. Nic Muirhead reports on the latest developments at the aid distribution sites that have turned into death traps. Assal Rad: "It's really important to get headlines right" Over the past 20 months, historian Assal Rad has been correcting misleading mainstream news headlines on Israel’s genocide in Gaza. She talks us through the unmistakable parallels she has noticed with the coverage of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran. Featuring: Assal Rad – Non-resident fellow, Arab Center Washington DC

Israel's war on Iran was one that many have expected, and yet with nuclear talks between the United States and Iran ongoing, few saw it coming. Propaganda from the Netanyahu government and credulous reporting in the Western media have played a major part in how we got here. Contributors: Narges Bajoghli – Author, Iran Reframed Matt Duss – Executive Vice President, Center for International Policy Assal Rad – Non-Resident Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC Mohammad Ali Shabani – Editor, Amwaj Media On our radar As Israeli media cheerlead for the war on Iran, military censors are tightening their grip on local and foreign media outlets alike. Ryan Kohls reports. Chris Hedges on the media coverage of Israel’s war on Iran The war on Iran feels eerily familiar – from justifications that hold no water to the uncritical reporting in the media. Chris Hedges joins us to unpack the unsettling parallels with the 2003 Iraq War. Featuring: Chris Hedges – Former Middle East Bureau Chief, The New York Times

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”. Contributor: Negar Mortazavi – Host, The Iran Podcast On our radar: This past week, phone and internet services virtually collapsed across Gaza, as Israel repeatedly bombed transmission stations and communication towers. Meenakshi Ravi explains how Gaza now risks digital isolation. Showdown in LA: A very Trumpian spectacle President Trump has turned Los Angeles into an ideological battleground amid protests against anti-immigration raids. His mobilisation of the National Guard and marines - without the approval of California's state government - has produced made-for-TV images of the kind likely to appeal to the MAGA faithful. For many others, it is yet another sign of a dangerous turn away from civil liberties under his presidency. Featuring: Branko Marcetic – Staff writer, Jacobin Sarah Mehta – Senior policy counsel, ACLU Jose Olivares – Investigative journalist Will Swaim – Podcast host, Radio Free California

Throughout the various ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, western news outlets have repeatedly blamed their failure on Hamas. This week, we hear a perspective that rarely features in the coverage - the group's own - on the negotiations and the media narratives that surround them. Contributors:  Tahani Mustafa – Senior Palestine Analyst, International Crisis Group Basem Naim – Politburo member, Hamas Julie Norman – Associate Professor, University College London Abdaljawad Omar – Lecturer, Birzeit University On our radar: Ukrainian drone strikes on multiple Russian airfields have further escalated the conflict, as peace talks come up short. Tariq Nafi reports on the messaging on the airwaves both sides of the border. Is logging off the cure for ‘brain rot’? After decades of increased connectivity, screen time and addictive algorithms, more and more young people are logging off. The Listening Post’s Ryan Kohls looks at the community-based movements reevaluating their relationships with digital technology. Featuring: Monique Golay – Barcelona Chapter Leader, Offline Club Hussein Kesvani – Technology and culture journalist Adele Walton - Author, Logging Off

More than 600 days into its genocidal war in Gaza, some of Israel's closest allies have begun to condemn its actions. Alongside the changing global narrative, growing opposition in Israel to the Netanyahu government's war methods has seeped into the media coverage - fracturing a consensus that dates back to October 7, 2023. Contributors:  Yara Hawari – Co-Director, Al-Shabaka Natasha Lennard – Contributing writer, The Intercept Orly Noy – Editor, Local Call Muhammad Shehada – Visiting fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations On our radar: Over the past couple of weeks, dispatches coming out of Gaza’s hospitals have grown more and more desperate. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the healthcare workers getting the story out and filling the vacuum in the news coverage. Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: 'Aid washing' in the Gaza Strip Formed a matter of months ago, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a United States-Israeli coalition of private military contractors that includes former CIA and military personnel. We speak with Jeremy Scahill, co-founder of Drop Site News, who has investigated the GHF, together with Palestinian journalists on the ground. Featuring: Jeremy Scahill – Co-Founder, Drop Site News

The images coming out of Gaza are apocalyptic, depicting the latest - and perhaps final - chapter in a genocide. Under an operation called Gideon’s Chariots, the Israeli military is forcing Palestinians into tiny corners of the besieged enclave. Its next phase: another full-scale invasion aimed at taking complete control of the territory. Contributors: Hani M Abuishaiba – Gaza correspondent, Al Jazeera English Sari Bashi – Israeli human rights lawyer Gideon Levy – Columnist, Haaretz Yousef Munayyer – Senior fellow, Arab Center Washington DC On our radar: When a documentary about Palestinian medics is commissioned by the BBC, made for the BBC, but never makes it to air, it begs the question: what is stopping the United Kingdom’s publicly-funded network from broadcasting it? Ryan Kohls reports. Pakistan’s military rides a wave of nationalism In the wake of its weeklong conflict with India, Pakistan's military is riding a wave of patriotic fervour. Waging a war of memes, music and messaging, the armed forces have had a brand refresh - and reminded the country who is really in charge. Featuring: Farieha Aziz – Podcast host, Dawn News English Wajahat S Khan – Journalist and author Maria Rashid – Author, Dying to Serve

United States President Donald Trump's tour of the Middle East this week is his first international trip since he started his second term. Conspicuously absent from his itinerary, however, was Washington’s closest ally in the region: Israel. In the US and Israeli media, the apparent snub has fuelled talk of a growing rift between Trump and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. Contributors: Diana Buttu – Human rights lawyer and analyst Dana Mills – Writer, +972 magazine and Local Call Jeremy Scahill – Cofounder, Drop Site News On our radar: Tariq Nafi reports on the killing this week of one of Gaza’s best-known journalists - and why it represents a new low in Israel’s unparalleled war on the press. Are India’s news channels helping or harming? The tit-for-tat conflict between India and Pakistan lasted only a week before a ceasefire deal was reached, but it was long enough to provide an insight into the role the media might play in a longer war. We speak with Indian journalist Hartosh Singh Bal about mainstream media under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government - from misinformation to hate speech - and the alternative news outlets trying to provide the antidote. Featuring: Hartosh Singh Bal – Executive editor, The Caravan magazine

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. Lead contributors: Chris Doyle – Director, Council for Arab-British Understanding Daniel Levy – President, US/Middle East Project Muhammad Shehada – Visiting fellow, ECFR Sarah Leah Whitson – Director, DAWN On our radar: As India and Pakistan go toe-to-toe in their most intense fighting for decades, a flood of disinformation is fuelling the sense of panic on both sides. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Seeking justice on Ghana's courtroom shows If you are dealing with something personal and painful - a broken marriage or a family dispute - you might turn to a friend. For something as serious as sexual assault, it might go to trial. But in Ghana, more and more people are turning somewhere else: live radio. The so-called "justice-style" shows promise swift, public resolutions. But they are also controversial, with critics accusing them of turning private pain into primetime theatre. Featuring: George Sarpong – Executive secretary, National Media Commission Menenaba – Ghanaian writer Oheneni Adazoa – Host, Sompa Nkomo Show Zakaria Tanko Musah – Lecturer in media law and ethics, Journalism Institute

A deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir shattered a narrative Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has spent years constructing - that Kashmir was safe, open for business, and back to “normal”. In response, Indian officials have launched a sweeping crackdown and spurred nationalist rhetoric. Much of the media is echoing the government line. Too busy demanding revenge to ask the most basic of questions: How did this happen? Contributors: Anuradha Bhasin – Managing editor, Kashmir Times Sreenivasan Jain - Journalist and author Swasti Rao - Associate professor, Jindal Global University; consulting editor, The Print Nirupama Subramanian - Journalist On our radar In Pakistan, the media narrative on what happened in Kashmir has been dominated by powerful military and intelligence figures. But on social media, users are pushing back with satire and scepticism. Ryan Kohls reports. The White House and the memefication of cruelty Donald Trump has completed the chaotic first 100 days of his second term, marked by aggressive policies, talk of annexing neighbouring countries, and declarations of war against the mainstream media, universities and law firms. His administration’s online presence, filled with brash language and often cruel memes, reflects and amplifies his confrontational political style. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Featuring:  Meredith Clark – UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media Jon Roozenbeek – Professor of psychology and security, King’s College London Jude Russo – Managing editor, The American Conservative

As tech billionaires infiltrate the White House, the question looms, “Who really rules us, the government or Silicon Valley?" This film examines the influence and ideology of technocrats over the last century, and asks whether they pose a threat to democracy. Contributors: Gil Duran – Tech journalist Siva Vaidhyanathan – Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia Payal Arora – Digital anthropologist Cori Crider – Senior Fellow, Open Markets and the Future of Tech Institute

The renewal of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza has unleashed yet more death, destruction and displacement, but Palestinians remain determined to make the world witness their plight. Contributors: Shahd Abusalama – Palestinian scholar and artist Omer Bartov – Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Brown University Abdaljawad Omar – Lecturer, Birzeit University; writer and analyst The art of the political podcast interview The 2024 United States presidential race was the first "podcast" election - and given the millions of views and votes a podcast appearance can bring, it won’t be the last. Ryan Kohls reports on the allure of - and the problems with - the political podcast interview. Featuring: Susie Banikarim – Media strategist and consultant Max Tani – Media editor, Semafor Cenk Uygur – Creator and host, The Young Turks

Over the past month, hundreds of international students in the US have either been detained, deported, or stripped of their visas for protesting Israel’s war on Gaza. The Trump administration’s crackdown is being described as an assault on political dissent - one that has been enabled by mainstream news outlets and pro-Zionist pressure groups. This story is about more than just visas. It’s about who gets to speak in Trump’s America. Contributors: Adolfo Franco – Republican strategist and lawyer Eric Lee – Immigration lawyer Yumna Patel – Editor-in-chief, Mondoweiss Prem Thakker – Reporter, Zeteo News On our radar: The German government is attempting to deport four foreign students - none of whom have been charged with a crime - over their pro-Palestinian activism. Ryan Kohls reports. The media outlets in the Serbian president’s corner For the past five months, Serbia has been in the grip of historic protests against President Aleksandar Vucic's government. Young people have led the way, demanding political reform. But in doing so they've faced a powerful adversary - not only in government, but in its collection of loyalists in the media. Meenakshi Ravi reports from Belgrade on the narrative they have been spinning and the pushback they are getting from Serbian citizens. Featuring: Snjezana Milivojevic – Professor, University of Belgrade Vesna Radojevic – Reporter, KRIK Suzana Vasiljevic – Media adviser to the president of Serbia

Turkiye is witnessing its largest protests in more than a decade. Millions have taken to the streets after the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu - who is seen as the biggest challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s presidency. Nearly 2,000 people have been detained so far, including journalists. But despite myriad official efforts to suppress news coverage, protesters keep pouring onto the streets. Contributors: Mehmet Celik – Editorial Coordinator, Daily Sabah Onur Erim – Political Adviser and President, Dragoman Strategies Ece Temelkuran – Author and Journalist Amberin Zaman – Chief Correspondent, Al-Monitor On our radar: Israel this week killed another two journalists in Gaza - Al Jazeera Mubaser's Hossam Shabat and Mohammed Mansour from the newspaper Palestine Today. The death toll of Palestinian media workers since October 7 now stands at more than 230. Tariq Nafi reports. Milei vs the media: the war on Argentina’s press freedom One year into Javier Milei’s presidency, Argentina is reeling from his radical economic policies and his escalating war on the press. Milei has targeted journalists, shut down the state news agency, and bypassed traditional media in favor of online platforms. As his government tightens its grip on information, Argentina’s media landscape is shifting. We hear from two journalists on opposite ends of the political spectrum about what Milei’s crackdown means for press freedom in Argentina. Featuring: Marcelo Longobardi – Journalist Julia Mengolini – Founder and presenter, Futurock

The ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump in January barely lived up to its name. Despite the deal, Israel continued its attacks on Gaza, killing more than 150 Palestinians in just eight weeks. The last remnants of hope were shattered as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched one of the deadliest bombing campaigns since the genocide began - followed by a ground invasion. Israeli outlets have largely ignored the human toll while Western journalists, despite mounting criticism, remain stuck in familiar patterns of reporting. Contributors: Dalal Iriqat – Associate professor, Arab American University Palestine Haggai Matar – Executive director, +972 Magazine Assal Rad – Middle East scholar and author Nathan Thrall – Jerusalem-based writer On our radar The arrest of Istanbul’s mayor and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strongest challenger, Ekrem Imamoglu, has set off a political firestorm in Turkiye. As mass demonstrations erupt nationwide and social media platforms are throttled, Meenakshi Ravi reports on one of the biggest protest waves Turkiye has seen in a decade and how it's testing the limits of the government’s control. Israel’s settlers: from margin to mainstream From rampaging through the occupied West Bank to setting their sights on colonising Gaza, Israel's settlers wield more power now than ever before. Once unthinkable to many Israelis, their calls to re-establish settlements in the Gaza Strip have entered the mainstream media discussion. The Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead reports on how the Israeli media have helped catapult the settlers from the margins to the mainstream. Featuring: Hilla Dayan – Sociologist, University of Amsterdam Nimrod Nir – Political psychologist, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Oren Ziv – Photojournalist, +972 Magazine

Just months after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, Syria has been rocked by an eruption of violence. Coastal towns have turned into killing fields, with forces aligned with the government accused of massacring hundreds of civilians from religious minorities. The Syrian online space is also littered with misinformation - part of an information war that is inciting sectarian fear and deepening divisions, in a country still raw from years of civil war and decades under a brutal regime. Lead contributors: Zaina Erhaim – Journalist Ahmad Primo – Founder, Verify Syria Ola Suliman – Campaigns lead, The Syria Campaign Rim Turkmani – Syria research programme director, LSE On our radar: The Trump White House is waging an unprecedented crackdown on pro-Palestine activism on university campuses. Meenakshi Ravi reports on Mahmoud Khalil - a Columbia graduate and, in theory, permanent US resident, who now faces deportation. ICE’s PR blitz: Immigration raids as entertainment In Trump’s America, immigration enforcement isn’t just policy - it’s a spectacle. With ICE raids increasingly staged for the cameras, and journalists given front-row access to capture dramatic arrests, is it law and order or a made-for-TV performance? The Listening Post’s Tariq Nafi explores the media’s role in shaping the immigration debate. Featuring: Patrick Bet-David – Host, PBD podcast Michelle Garcia – Journalist and author Abraham Paulos – Deputy director, Black Alliance for Just Immigration

Seven weeks into the Gaza ceasefire deal, Israel openly resumes its war crimes in Gaza - blocking humanitarian aid - with the tacit support of the international mainstream media. Lead contributors: Daniel Levy – President, US/Middle East Project Saree Makdisi – Professor of English and comparative literature, UCLA Samira Mohyeddin – Founder, On the Line Media Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya On our radar: The LA Times' new AI "bias meter" - which offers a counterpoint to the paper's opinion pieces, has stirred controversy. Tariq Nafi explores its role in a changing media landscape that's cosying up to Donald Trump. Are the ADL's anti-Semitism stats credible? The Anti-Defamation League is one of the most influential and well-funded NGOs in the US - and it's getting more media attention than ever. The Listening Post’s Meenakshi Ravi reports on the organisation, its high-profile CEO, and its troubling stance: Conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. Featuring: Omar Baddar – Political and media analyst Eva Borgwardt – National spokesperson, If Not Now Emmaia Gelman – Director, The Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism