The Listening Post Season 11, Episode 8: Telling Syria's story: Media across the battle lines

1

Radio La Colifata: Argentina's 'loony radio'

How a radio station that broadcasts from inside a psychiatric hospital changes attitudes towards mental illness.

2

Saudi Arabia vs Iran: Beyond the Sunni-Shia narrative

We look at the Saudi-Iran crisis reflected in the media; plus, US elections and "horse race journalism".

3

Poland: The EU's media freedom conundrum

We examine what Poland's new contentious media law means for journalism; plus, covering Pakistan's northwest.

4

Egypt's media: Revolution and reality

What is the state of Egypt's media five years after the toppling of Mubarak? Plus, behind the UK's surveillance reform.

5

The UK Snoopers' Charter: A threat to press freedom?

We look at Britain's controversial surveillance reform and its impact on journalism.

6

Killing the messengers: Afghan media under fire

We look at the Taliban threat and the future of Afghan journalism; plus, Davos - global news event or PR exercise?

7

What happened in Iowa: Bursting the US media bubble

The White House race - candidates the media like to cover and those the people vote for. Plus, Venezuela's media battle.

8

Telling Syria's story: Media across the battle lines

A look at efforts in Damascus to sell the war inside Syria; plus, how exiled Syrian journalists send the news back home.

9

Patriot or traitor: Dark choice for Indian journalists

We look at a sedition case that has sparked violence against the media; plus, Donald Trump, speaking the unspeakable.

10

Spinning the occupation: Israel and the media

We look at Israel's crackdown on journalists over alleged media bias; plus, the media landscape in South Africa.

11

The Donald Trump show

We look at the love-love relationship between the presidential hopeful and the media; plus, Germany's refugee story.

12

Tightening the grip: Turkey's media takeover

We explore the government's clampdown on critical media; plus, we talk to Can Dundar, a journalist released from jail.

13

Brazil's Petrobras scandal: Dilma Rousseff's Watergate?

We look at the media coverage of the political crisis in Brazil; plus, the friends and foes of South Africa's president.

14

Brussels attacks: Hijacking terror for political points

A look at the coverage of the Brussels attacks and the politics behind it; plus, the red lines in Morocco's media.

15

Russia vs the West: The information war over Palmyra

We examine why the Palmyra story's significance depends on where you get the news; plus, covering Obama's Cuba visit.

16

Panama Papers: Have the media censored the story?

Can the corporate-owned media really hold the corporate world to account? Plus, Julian Assange on the Panama Papers.

17

The murder of Giulio Regeni: The politics of coverage

The murder of Giulio Regeni: The politics of coverage

18

New York: Primaries, politics and the press

Trump and Clinton won in NYC, but what part did the media play in their victories? Plus, the battle against ad blockers.

19

Brazil: Behind the Dilma Rousseff impeachment story

What is driving the story in Brazil, corruption or the media? Plus, how messaging apps are reshaping how news is shared.

20

Trade Secrets: Covering the TTIP leaks

We explore the coverage behind the US and EU trade deal. Plus, the media weaponry fuelling Yemen's information war.

21

Turkey: Media showdowns and legal breakdowns

Is President Erdogan's media face-off jeopardising rule of law in Turkey? Plus, the challenges of reporting on the EU.

22

Silencing the critics: Iraq's media muzzle

Baghdad's broken press promises; plus, reinventing the 24-hour wheel: TV news' fight for survival.

23

Decoding your Facebook newsfeed

Social media platform or news gatekeeper? Plus, one journalist's challenges reporting on the drone war in Pakistan.

24

Peru's election: Media, money and manipulation

Corruption and cover-ups: How the media cover Peru's elections; plus, war and peace: Colombia's unreconciled narratives.

25

Brexit or Bremain? Covering the EU referendum

As Britain's EU future hangs in the balance, are the media helping or hindering voters? And, Australia's refugee policy.

26

Orlando: Media narratives of mass shootings

We analyse the coverage of the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida; plus, cartoonist Gado on the state of Kenya's media.

27

Brexit: The UK referendum, the rhetoric and the result

After an EU referendum campaign replete with racism and fear, we examine the British media's impact on the result.

28

Did the UK media help make Brexit a reality?

Has the tone of UK media coverage shifted since the EU referendum? Plus, the coverage of solitary confinement in the US.

29

Turkey: From failed coup to media crackdown

A look at the ongoing crackdown facing Turkish media. Plus, Oscar-winning screenwriter Josh Singer talks 'Spotlight'.

30

Kashmir: Tortured politics, fractured media

Covering Kashmir: political unrest and polarised media. Plus, the fight to cover Sudan's forgotten war.

31

Facebook vs ad blockers: It's all about the money

What does the Facebook - ad blocker battle mean for news outlets? Plus, we take a look at Globo, Brazil's media giant.

32

Omran Daqneesh and the limits of war photography

Why do some war images, like the one of Syrian boy Omran Daqneesh, resonate more than others? Plus, Ecuador's media law.

33

Zimbabwe unrest: Media triggers, media controls

What role does social media play in the current Zimbabwe protests? Plus, journalism caught in the crossfire in Yemen.

34

New politics, new journalism in Hong Kong

A tug of war between legacy and upstart media in Hong Kong. Plus, the untold stories of the Amazon.

35

US elections and the media: How did we get here?

We explore how a lack of regulation and absence of a strong public broadcaster has impacted the coverage of US politics.

36

Venezuela's Maduro: Fighting a losing media war?

Protests in the streets and a battle of media narratives in Venezuela. Plus, the Greek newspaper with nine lives.

37

Clinton vs Trump and the role of the moderator

Should moderators be allowed to fact-check the presidential nominees? Plus, the Ukraine-Russia information war.

38

India-Pakistan: The media turns up the heat

Tensions between India and Pakistan are matched by heated rhetoric on the news. Plus, radio silence in Burundi.

39

Viktor Orban and Hungary's faltering media opposition

Was the suspension of Hungary's main opposition paper due to low sales or a media crackdown?

40

WikiLeaks: Neutral reporter or political player?

As WikiLeaks hits Hillary Clinton, we ask if it is doing its journalistic mission or interfering in the US election.

41

Mosul and Aleppo: A tale of two besieged cities

We examine the difference in the coverage of Mosul and Aleppo. Plus, the Lebanese media mosaic.

42

Outnumbered outlets: Turkey's post-coup media crackdown

The story of Turkey's media crackdown, told through the numbers. Plus, the state of the media in Serbia today.

43

Trumped: The abyss between reporters and the reported

Political journalism in the United States - its spectacular failure in the 2016 election and how it got to be this way.

44

Normalising Trump: The US media whitewash

How the US media begins the process of 'normalising' Donald Trump; plus, reporting the rise of the right in Germany.

45

Face-off at Egypt's Press Syndicate

Egypt's Press Syndicate is under fire from the Sisi government; plus, the rise of the far-right in the Dutch media.

46

Fidel Castro: Contested legacy, competing narratives

We analyse the competing narratives around Fidel Castro; plus, the UK's new surveillance law, the 'Snoopers' Charter'.

47

Dakota Access Pipeline: Protests, politics and coverage

Despite scant media attention to the protests, Native Americans emerge victorious; plus, Netanyahu, Israel's media man.

48

Secrets and hacks: Russia's role in the US election

A look at how reporting Russia's role in the US election has turned political; plus, the Indian PM's monthly radio show.