Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Since 1945, no party has won more than 50% of the vote in a general election. In 2019, the Conservative Party won a big majority despite getting less than 44% of the popular vote. In 2024, Keir Starmer won Labour a victory, yet he got fewer votes than Jeremy Corbyn in the election before him (an election Labour lost – with half a million more votes). At the last general election, nearly three quarters of all votes cast had no bearing on the result.

How does this happen? The answer lies in our electoral system, called First Past The Post. A winning candidate does not need to get the majority of the votes cast in their constituency, only more than any other candidate.

This is not the only way to do democracy. The UK is in a minority – just under one third of countries use First Past The Post. Many others use Proportional Representation – where a party’s share of seats mirrors its actual share of votes.

This week we are joined by Mark Kieran, CEO of Open Britain, and Shaun Roberts from Unlock Democracy to ask: if 60% of people now back Proportional Representation, why has it not been implemented yet? What are the true alternatives to FPTP? Will the Representation of the People Bill heading through Parliament next week change anything? Will Andy Burnham stick to a promise of electoral reform, or will he U-turn like Keir Starmer did? And will any government ever change a system that works for them?

Sign up to Open Britain's newsletter. Support Unlock Democracy.

This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) 

The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@mediastormpod⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Are you thrilled to see the back of Keir Starmer? Or - like us - are you oh so sick of the Westminster drama? The UK is set to see its seventh Prime Ministers in 10 years after Andy Burnham’s Makerfield coup. You couldn’t write it… or could you? One might argue, that’s exactly what our media did. Today we assess: do political correspondents enflame political chaos? Should Westminster gossip constantly be centre stage (and front-page). And for the media’s endless analysis of “what went wrong for Starmer”, why does none of it look at itself?

After the break… everyone’s talking about the World Cup! But there’s a glaring gap in the coverage. Did you know that several of the men now dominating global screens have been charged with or accused of rape and sexual assault? Football pundits keep repeating the familiar refrain: 'innocent until proven guilty'. We examine why this doesn't actually hold up in the context of rape and sexual assault.

This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) 

Edited by Toka Omer

The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@mediastormpod⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

There are loosely three main funding models that make up our mainstream media. The first is public service models that are not run for profit, like the BBC, the second is donor-led journalism and the third is the big one – advertising. And we have the advertising model to thank for the acceleration of sensationalist, clickbait journalism. Because if you’re selling adverts, you’re selling your readers’ attention. When news outlets have to meet advertiser-set traffic quotas, that creates a lot of pressure for quantity over quality. Digital journalists are often desk-bound, required to produce dozens of articles a day out of recycled online material, with no time to pursue quality investigations or seek out minority lived experience. And the more money a broadcaster or a paper are paid for advertising, the more they will do anything to get traffic to their channel or website.  So in comes dangerous media malpractices, like opinion masquerading as fact, sensationalism and scapegoating.

This episode, we speak to Richard Wilson, founder of the Stop Funding Hate campaign. The pressure group, which is celebrating a decade this year, asks companies to stop advertising in - and therefore stop providing funds for - certain British news outlets who spread disinformation and hateful rhetoric.

In the shorter term, following the efforts of Stop Funding Hate supporters, GB News has reportedly lost over £131 million. In the long term, they're building a movement which can make hate unprofitable for good, by tackling the systemic failures which currently make publishing hateful clickbait more lucrative than responsible journalism.  

This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) 

Edited by Toka Omer

The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@mediastormpod⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

The EU has just passed a controversial law, hailed by the far-right as the start of "the era of deportations". Passed on World Refugee Week, the law allows EU countries to detain migrant families for years, and deport them to countries they have no connection to. This echoes the UK's failed Rwanda scheme, and Trump's existing deals with South Sudan, Eswatini, the Democratic Republic of Congo and more.

It also unlocks expansive budgets for surveillance, detention and deportation. This money is likely to end up enriching the same corporations underpinning ICE raids in the US, and notorious migrant containment camps such as Australia's Nauru.

Traffickers and smugglers often make headlines for profiteering off the refugee crisis, but the corporate industry that has grown up around it goes largely invisible in our news. These companies are paid billions of taxpayer dollars - not to tackle the roots causes of displacement, but to keep it away from wealthy countries' shores.

But is what they're doing even working?

How much public money is being directed away from essential services to feed the deportation machine?

And what about the human cost?

In this episode, Mathilda and Helena are joined by Sudanese refugee Mahamat Daoud, a survivor of EU-funded Libyan detention and the 2022 massacre at the Melilla-Nador border between Morocco and Spain. He describes what 'migrant deterrence' looks like up-close, and why it didn't work on him. Researcher Nathan Akehurst also joins the group, to breakdown the latest border strategy that Western governments call 'externalisation'.

It comes as 2026 marks the deadliest year so far for small boat crossings on the Mediterranean Sea. News outlets that report obsessively on dinghy crossings - but how many headlines have you seen on that?

Pre-order Nathan's book, Along the Watchtower, here.

This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) 

The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@mediastormpod⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

China, Russia, and... the UK? We’re talking about mass surveillance. Did you know the UK is in the 5 most surveilled countries in the world?

AI facial recognition technology is causing alarm for its recent deployment at protests. It’s being rolled out across the UK at a pace outstripping the rules designed to govern it. More than 6.6 million faces have been scanned since 2023. And guess what? Black and Asian people are most likely to be mismatched and criminally pursued in error.

But surveillance these days isn’t always as obvious as cameras on police vans. In today’s world, it’s about data. And governments aren’t collecting it on their own – they’re contracting private corporations to do it: via shady contracts that pay these companies not just in multimillion pound deals, but goldmines of our private information.

Palantir is at the top of that list – and the US tech firm that’s been providing ICE agents with private health data to help them target migrant communities has now got its claws in the NHS. Social media platforms are surveillance companies in their own right. And the media that’s supposed to hold them to account often functions as a tool in the data-gathering industry. How are we supposed to navigate this minefield?!

To help us through the maze, we’re joined by Jasleen Chaggar, Senior Legal and Policy Officer at Big Brother Watch, and investigative tech reporter Jade Ruyu-Yan.

This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) 

The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us⁠ ⁠⁠@mediastormpod⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Content warning: This episode contains discussion and description of rape, sexual assault and male violence against women and girls. 

“THE TERROR OF THE MEDIEVAL PLAGUE SHIP HAS RETURNED TO HAUNT THE WORLD!” The Telegraph compared the Hantavirus cruise outbreak to the literal bubonic plague which wiped out 50 million people. Hantavirus killed three.

These unhinged headlines exposed a news industry pining for the next pandemic, when Covid clickbait saw news traffic and subscribers hit record growth.

But if the media wanted a catastrophic outbreak with a death rate twice as high as the hantavirus cruise, they had one at their disposal. The Ebola epidemic in the Congo and Uganda began at the same time as the Hantavirus outbreak. It has killed a hundred times more people and been officially declared a global emergency by the WHO.

In this news watch episode, Media Storm compares coverage of hantavirus and ebola across UK and US outlets. The findings are telling.

In part two: three teenage boys in Hampshire, UK, were convicted of ten counts of rape against a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old girl, in two separate, calculated attacks. Their punishment? Community youth rehabilitation orders, restraining orders with an expiry date… and a £26 fine. 

Plenty has been written in the press about Judge Nicholas Rowland’s lenient sentence and ‘himpathy’ for the boys: they have ADHD, low IQ and need not go to prison! The media outrage did achieve change (the Prime Minister spoke up). But what was found in only ONE article may be the most crucial part of the story: the rapist boys had been reported to police multiple times, including for alleged sexual violence. 

Why does our media fail to point to wider patterns of control and manipulation when it comes to cases of extreme sexual violence? If this is a systemic failure of policing and justice, who will hold them to account? 

You can sign the petition for a Judicial Accountability Framework here. 

Write to your MP about how the EHRC’s new code will affect trans people here. 

You can call Rape Crisis 24/7 for free on 0808 500 222. 

This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) 

The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us ⁠⁠@mediastormpod⁠

Edited by Toka Omer Qassem.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last month, an article in the New Statesman went viral. “Meet the Angry Young Women”, it was titled. “Across Britain a radical new feminism is rising”.

What makes someone radically left-wing according to this article? Disliking billionaires, feeling anxious about social injustice, caring about Gaza, and of course – having pink hair and a nose ring. How very radical!

The New Statesman article was then seized upon by The Times and The Telegraph in particular, who bemoaned that we should "Forget the Manosphere" and instead focus on "Angry leftie women" who are apparently "the vanguard of the Left’s toxic empathy". 6 in 10 women wouldn't date someone who doesn't have the same view as them on Israel-Palestine, they gripe. Yet the articles fail to mention that the data set also found that 5 in 10 men feel the same.

Can angry young women who are exercising their democratic right to vote really be compared to the angry young men of the manosphere, who are perpetuators and some even proven perpetrators of sexual violence? What is the media's real aim behind these lazy comparisons? And is the femosphere even real, or did the media manufacture it?

Joining us on Media Storm to actually discuss why women are so bloody angry, is therapist and activist Megan Cooper (who was misrepresented and misquoted in the original article) and founder of Cheer Up Luv, Eliza Hatch.

This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) 

The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us ⁠@mediastormpod

Edited by Toka Qassem

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

In today’s Media Storm, we dive into the shadow world of dark money and foreign interference seeking to take democracy out of our hands.

Whether through think-tanks, bot farms, or all-expenses-paid MP trips, malicious actors have plenty of ways to influence our politics from outside. In theory, our politicians are supposed to work for us. They’re also supposed to disclose where their money is coming from (and make sure none of it is dirty or sanctioned). But a new report from Open Britain reveals a system with loopholes built into it, and a stark refusal to patch them up by those who stand to profit.

Why are US billionaires bankrolling Britain’s far-right? Why do high-ranking intelligence officers describe Brexit as Moscow’s most successful “active measures” operation in modern British history? And WHY – in light of that – has no government ever comprehensively investigated foreign interference in the 2016 referendum?

This episode features Conservative Party fundraiser-turned-whistleblower, Sergei Cristo, who shares his experiences of Russian state attempts to buy British politics. But Russia is not the only culprit. Journalist and broadcaster Sangita Myska joins us to break down her investigations into US and Israeli wealth that is reshaping our political landscape. We also revisit our interview with investigative journalist Sian Norris, about the illiberal causes where moneyed interests of Russia, the US and European aristocrats converge.

Dark money is a vast problem in the UK today, and it stems from a culture of financial corruption that is deeply embedded in the City of London. Private schools, football clubs, estate agents and news corporations regularly sell their services to launder dark money. And at the centre of the ‘London laundromat’ are the Houses of Parliament. This episode should open your eyes to the dollar-shaped crack in democracy as it exists today. To learn more, visit open-britain.co.uk, where the full report will be published.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Open Britain, a grassroots campaign making democracy work for everyone (not just the rich and powerful)!

This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) 

The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us @mediastormpod

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Warning: this episode mentions baby loss and birth trauma.

How many times have you read a headline that tells you UK maternity services are in ‘crisis’? And how many times have you really understood why they're in crisis?

A recent interim report into England's maternity and neonatal care had some brutal findings: hospital mistake 'cover-ups', negligent care from frontline workers, lack of staff and poorer maternal outcomes for ethnic minority women. But identifying the problems is just the beginning – understanding their root cause is harder, and something our press repeatedly fails to do.

Financial incentive schemes that reward units whose data meets certain 'safety' targets put the lives of pregnant people on the line – but midwives with low morale, burnout, unsustainable working hours and stress take the brunt of the blame in the media, even when their voices are notably missing from the coverage about them.

What's really behind headlines about a lack of staff? Is there really a woo-woo 'normal birth ideology' killing mothers and babies? And why are outcomes so different depending on skin colour?

Here to answer all those questions is Leah Hazard, NHS midwife and author of 'Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story', and Illiyin Morrison, perinatal trauma specialist midwife and author of 'The Birth Debrief'.

You can sign Leah's petition for legal limits on midwives working hours here.

This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) 

The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Sri Lanka, Ukraine, South Sudan, Haiti, Greece, Zambia, The Latin America Lost Decade… prepare yourselves for a lesson in history . And in geography. And in (ew) economics! Today, we’re talking about debt.

You might not know it, but the world is in a spiralling global debt crisis. On average, low-income countries spend about a fifth of their entire national budget paying off foreign debt. To put that number into perspective, in 2014, it was just 5%. 3 billion people live in countries that spend more on interest payments than education or health.

And who are these interest payments going to? Bankers, billionaires, and the world’s wealthiest countries — incidentally, often former colonisers.

This is not the story we get told in the media. So to tell us the first-hand human impact of global debt – which is inextricably linked to the climate crisis – we are joined by one of Zambia’s most prominent debt cancellation and climate activists, Precious Kolbwana. Plus, spitting cold hard facts, Lead Economist at the NGO CAFOD, Maria Finnerty.

This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) 

The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sign the Fair Trade petition here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Warning: this episode mentions rape, sexual assault and suicide.

The UK government is moving to cut jury trials, a right that traces back to the 1215 signing of the Magna Carta.. It’s a sharp U-turn for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Justice Secretary David Lammy, who spent years arguing juries were a cornerstone of democracy.

Labour say they’re acting in the interests of women – lucky us! They say cutting juries will ease court delays for victims of misogynistic violence. The thing is… fewer than 3% of reported rapes lead to a trial in the UK. So are juries really the problem here? Is this anything to do with gender justice at all? Or are women being used – yet again – to whitewash political agendas? What is the government (and media) not telling us about why Starmer and Lammy have changed their minds on juries? Side note: Palestine Action activists got acquitted by a jury who went against the judge’s order...

Plus, Owen Jones has won the first battle in an ongoing libel suit filed against him by BBC Middle East editor, Raffi Berg. The court has ruled Jones’ piece was a piece of reasoned opinion, not factual reporting, making it easier to defend. But wait until you hear who’s representing Berg in a libel suit that’s airing a lot of the BBC’s dirty linen.

We also look at Trump’s bid to use national security laws to control news coverage of the war on Iran, and the impact of Brexit on international couples.

This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) 

The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you have been affected by sexual violence, you can contact: Rape Crisis (England & Wales) on 0808 500 2222

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices