The Slow Newscast

Tortoise Media

The Slow Newscast takes news slowly: every week we investigate one story that really matters

  • 29 minutes 37 seconds
    Elon: A star is born

    When Donald Trump declared victory in the US presidential election, he told an adoring crowd that "a star is born". He was referring to Elon Musk.


    After months of reporting on the billionaire's use of private investigators, Alexi Mostrous asks whether the insights he gained from that investigation reveal how Musk will operate in his new political era, and what that means for everything in his orbit.


    Reported and produced by: Alexi Mostrous, Gary Marshall, Matt Russell & Patricia Clarke. 


    Sound design: Bart Warshaw 


    Original music: Tom Kinsella


    Podcast artwork: Jon Hill


    Executive producer: Basia Cummings 




    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


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    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    12 November 2024, 6:00 am
  • 37 minutes 40 seconds
    Sick parade: A crisis at Catterick Garrison

    This is a story of stigma, uncomfortable truths and allegations of an attempted cover up at Britain's biggest army base.


    As the UK army rapidly modernises its approach towards mental health, an old cultural problem persists at Catterick Garrison where a series of repeated, systemic errors have been uncovered.


    Reporters: Claudia Williams and Angela Walker


    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


    Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content


    Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    5 November 2024, 6:00 am
  • 46 minutes 32 seconds
    The Furys: An empire of fists

    The Fury family bridge the gladiatorial old world of boxing and the very new world of influencer culture. This is the story of how one family built a multi-million pound empire with their fists.


    Reporter: Claudia Williams

    Producer: Matt Russell

    Sound design: Hannah Varrall

    Exec: Basia Cummings


    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


    Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content


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    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 October 2024, 6:00 am
  • 33 minutes 49 seconds
    The cases against Sean Combs

    For thirty years, Sean "Diddy" Combs was hailed as the kingmaker of hip-hop. But now he's in jail, facing three federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and interstate transportation for prostitution, as well as over 140 civil lawsuits.


    One of America's biggest cultural superstars is perhaps on the cusp of a spectacular fall from grace. How could a life lived in the glare of the spotlight allegedly conceal so many dark secrets?


    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


    Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content


    Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more


    If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    22 October 2024, 4:00 am
  • 42 minutes 14 seconds
    Beyond Trump: JD Vance and the New Right

    Whether Trump wins or loses the US election, he has a political heir: his 40-year-old running mate JD Vance. Beyond the made-up stories about Haitian immigrants eating pets, Vance is deadly serious and he has a plan.


    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists


    Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content


    Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more


    If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    15 October 2024, 4:00 am
  • 40 minutes 11 seconds
    Elon's Spies

    This is episode one of three. You can binge the entire series today by subscribing to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or by downloading the Tortoise app.


    Elon Musk is one of the most powerful men in the world. He's a billionaire, the founder of SpaceX, Tesla and more. To his followers, he's a hero; to his critics, a far-right rabble rouser. 


    But for someone so public, there’s one part of his life that’s less well known.


    Elon’s Spies investigates how this free-speech champion uses private investigators and surveillance to target everyone from whistleblowers at his companies, to online critics and people in his own life. 





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    8 October 2024, 4:00 am
  • 36 minutes 41 seconds
    The hunt for Iran's next Supreme Leader

    Iran is at an inflection point both on the international stage and at home. Uncertainty, unrest and war have shaken it, and there are questions over how long their 85 year old leader will be able to carry on. So who rules Iran when Ayatollah Khamenei dies? And what will that reveal about a deeply opaque country?


    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists


    Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content


    Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more


    If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 October 2024, 5:00 am
  • 35 minutes 40 seconds
    One light day: Voyager's long farewell

    The Voyager space probe is sailing through space, far beyond earth's solar system. It is humanity's most distant messenger. And then last year it fell silent. NASA's scientists somehow navigated a 15 billion mile hurdle to bring it back online. This is the story of how and why.


    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists


    Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content


    Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more


    If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 September 2024, 5:00 am
  • 3 minutes 2 seconds
    Introducing...Whose Planet? The Climate Justice Podcast

    We are partnering with Systemic Justice, so that we can continue to bring our listeners brilliant investigations on The Slow Newscast. You can join Tortoise as a member to get early and ad-free access to new series and support our investigations at www.tortoisemedia.com/invite


    Introducing...Whose Planet? The Climate Justice Podcast


    In a world with a rapidly changing climate, this new three-part series podcast explores the intersectional realities of those most impacted. From toxic air to rising sea levels and the cost of the green transition, each episode delves into communities' struggles, victories, and the broader fight for climate justice. Whose planet? is brought to you by Systemic Justice, an NGO working to radically transform how the law works for communities fighting for racial, social and economic justice.


    You can listen to the series wherever you get your podcasts.


    It is hosted by Nani Jansen Reventlow, founder of Systemic Justice, and produced by Tortoise Media.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 September 2024, 3:00 am
  • 38 minutes 49 seconds
    The Festival Fossil Fuels Fiasco

    How one of Britain’s most successful book festivals came unstuck over its sponsorship deal.  


    Editor's note: Jaguar Land Rover has asked us to point out that they do not sell vehicles directly to the Israeli Defence Force. A company called EAM manages the import of JLR’s products into the region.



    To find out more about Tortoise:


    Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists

    Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

    Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more

    If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    17 September 2024, 5:00 am
  • 55 minutes
    Lucy Letby: the Expert Witness

    The story of Lucy Letby’s trial is, in part, the story of how important expert witnesses have become critical in criminal cases where hard evidence is in short supply. They can be spectacularly insightful or spectacularly, catastrophically wrong. How is a jury supposed to know which of those versions it’s listening to?


    To find out more about Tortoise:

    Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists

    Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

    Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more

    If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    10 September 2024, 4:00 am
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