About this episode

Alan and Lionel discuss media scrutiny, hiring practices, and recent controversies in journalism.

In this week’s Media Confidential , Alan and Lionel discuss the changing winds at Ofcom, after its prospective new chair was scrutinised by a select committee. How much was Ian Cheshire briefed beforehand? And will he do anything to tackle GB News? The pair also talk about Trump's latest attack on the BBC—as well as Fran Unsworth’s departure from the broadcaster, after the former news boss claimed that she was driven out by trans activism in an interview with the Telegraph . They answer a listener’s ethical question, as the Economist draws controversy for its hiring practices. And they discuss a Panorama investigation into disturbing allegations around Channel 4’s reality TV show Married At First Sight . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Alan, Lionel

Topics covered

• journalism ethics
• media scrutiny
• hiring practices
• broadcasting
• politics
• reality TV

Keywords

• Ofcom
• Ian Cheshire
• Trump
• BBC
• Fran Unsworth
• Economist
• Panorama
• Channel 4
• Married At First Sight

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ofcom, GB News, BBC, Telegraph, Economist, Panorama, Channel 4

More episodes of Media Confidential

• Why are Britain’s politicians so weak on freedom of speech? · May 31, 2026 · 44 min
• Peter Geoghegan on getting SLAPP’d: ‘It had a huge chilling effect’ · May 27, 2026 · 41 min
• Investigative journalist Gabriel Pogrund: ‘Go after big targets because they deserve to be pursued, not because you want to take them down’ · May 17, 2026 · 40 min
• Will Ofcom finally sanction GB News? · May 13, 2026 · 29 min
• Liam Byrne: What happens when populists win? · May 10, 2026 · 32 min

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