Media Storm

Foreign interference: Who bankrolled Brexit and Britain’s far-right?

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/MediaStormPodcast]! 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 [https://www.instagram.com/democracyunleashed/] 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 [https://bylinetimes.com/author/sergeicristo/], who shares his experiences of Russian state attempts to buy British politics. But Russia is not the only culprit. Journalist and broadcaster Sangita Myska [https://www.instagram.com/sangitamyska/?hl=en-gb] joins us to break down her investigations into US and Israeli wealth that is reshaping our political landscape. We also revisit our interview [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4sB4CZvBzDdAznVB9Qw8Vt] with investigative journalist Sian Norris [https://www.opendemocracy.net/author/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 [https://www.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 [https://www.instagram.com/mathildamall/?hl=en]) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/helenawadia/?hl=en-gb])  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/soundofsamfire/?hl=en] Follow us @mediastormpod [https://www.instagram.com/mediastormpod/] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Blame, shame and pain: Maternity, midwives and the media

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/MediaStormPodcast]! 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 [https://www.leahhazard.co.uk/], NHS midwife and author of 'Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story', and Illiyin Morrison [https://mixingupmotherhood.com/], perinatal trauma specialist midwife and author of 'The Birth Debrief'. You can sign Leah's petition for legal limits on midwives working hours here [https://www.change.org/p/establish-legal-limits-on-midwives-working-hours]. This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/mathildamall/?hl=en]) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/helenawadia/?hl=en-gb])  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/soundofsamfire/?hl=en] Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/mediastormpod/?hl=en-gb],⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/mediastormpod.bsky.social], and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@mediastormpod?lang=en] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Global debt crisis: How bankers and billionaires keep countries poor

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/MediaStormPodcast]! 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 [https://citizensnetworkzambia.org/]. Plus, spitting cold hard facts, Lead Economist at the NGO CAFOD [cafod.org.uk], Maria Finnerty [MariaFinnerty.bsky.social]. This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/mathildamall/?hl=en]) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/helenawadia/?hl=en-gb])  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/soundofsamfire/?hl=en] Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/mediastormpod/?hl=en-gb],⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/mediastormpod.bsky.social], and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@mediastormpod?lang=en] Sign the Fair Trade petition here [%20https://www.fairtrade.net/en/get-involved/library/supporting-shared-responsibility-fairtrade-hredd-report-2023.html]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

News Watch: Owen Jones vs the BBC, and what's really behind the move to cut jury trials?

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/MediaStormPodcast]! 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 [https://www.instagram.com/mathildamall/?hl=en]) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/helenawadia/?hl=en-gb])  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/soundofsamfire/?hl=en] Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/mediastormpod/?hl=en-gb],⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/mediastormpod.bsky.social], and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@mediastormpod?lang=en] 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 [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Modern slavery is thriving: the media just isn’t telling you

Care about independent and ethical news? Support Media Storm on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/MediaStormPodcast]! There are at least 49 million enslaved people worldwide… and very little knowledge about how directly connected we are to them through supply chains (take the terrifying Slavery Footprint [https://slaveryfootprint.org/#] survey like Mathilda makes Helena do in this episode!) Over 100,000 are enslaved inside the UK, and that number is growing. This is no surprise, if we look at the data through a Media Storm lens. It correlates with government and media efforts to criminalise asylum seekers and irregular migrants, whether or not they have been trafficked here. Britain credits itself with pioneering the abolition of slavery. Yet it has a thriving underground labour market and imports billions of pounds-worth of goods every year produced with forced labour. British legislation is called “toothless” by activists. Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose all sell tomato products that would be barred from America under anti-slavery import controls. In this deep dive, we look at modern slavery at home and in overseas supply chains, buried in mainstream media despite underpinning almost every aspect of UK life. We’re joined by trafficking survivor and podcaster Ilja Abbattista [https://www.instagram.com/iljaAbbattista/], and migrant worker rights activist Andy Hall [https://andyjhall.org/], who has fought for years to see Dyson to pay a settlement fee to workers who say they were enslaved, beaten and tortured in a Malaysian factory producing parts for the company. Dyson says the settlement is not an admission of liability. Stay tuned to hear how the media is silenced by threats from multinational corporations, and how hysteria over immigration is helping human trafficking to thrive. This episode is hosted and produced by Mathilda Mallinson (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mathildamall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/mathildamall/?hl=en]) and Helena Wadia (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@helenawadia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/helenawadia/?hl=en-gb])  The music is by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @soundofsamfire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/soundofsamfire/?hl=en] Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/mediastormpod/?hl=en-gb],⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/mediastormpod.bsky.social], and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@mediastormpod?lang=en] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]