Standard Issue Podcast

It’s feeling swampish in the UK this week, but spare a thought for the poor old Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool over in Washington DC. It seems Donald J Trump can think of nothing else. If the leader of the free world is distracted, the leader of the UK is... well, to be decided/Andy Burnham following Keir Starmer's resignation. There’s sexism live from the ITV kitchen, Hannah's found some elderly nuns hoping Scotland don’t come home too soon, and Jen's feeling cynical about Serena Williams in Jenny Off The Blocks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wondered why a female health campaigner writes ‘seggs’ instead of ‘sex’, or uses an emoji instead of a medical term? Turns out social media platforms are systematically censoring medically accurate content on topics such as menstruation, fertility and menopause – often misclassifying such content as “adult” material and limiting its reach. It goes further, with femtech entrepreneurs also finding themselves routinely censored. Enter the brilliant Clio Wood, co-founder of CensHERship, a research hub and campaign that has ending this sexist nonsense in its sights. Our Mick chats to Clio about exactly what’s happening, why it’s happening and how it’s having a negative effect on everything from women’s health outcomes to the global economy. Members of our Patreon £5 and above gang get some extra chat, including what Clio makes of the Government’s new Women’s Health Strategy. You can access that by visiting patreon.com/standardissue And if you’re not already involved with our Substack, you can find that at standardissuepodcast.substack.com or sign up on our website, standardissuepodcast.com. And you can buy Clio and her team a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/censhership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charming, melancholic, funny and ever-so British, Tim Key and Tom Basden’s tale of two men stuck in the past and on an island is Hannah’s pick for this month’s Flicking. How does Carey Mulligan fit in? Is Basden really that grubby? And why is Key making Mick and Yosra cry so much? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second film in Jim Henson’s much-beloved franchise, contemporary critics said 1981’s The Great Muppet Caper failed to live up to the expectations set by its predecessor, The Muppet Movie. But were those reviewers mad? Can it top Hannah’s love for The Muppet Christmas Carol? What has Jen’s daughter written in her notes? And what has Mickey got on her feet? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Roberto De Zerbi was made Spurs' new manager, his previous public support for player Mason Greenwood – who was in the past accused of various sexual assaults, although all charges were dropped – made the headlines. As a Spurs fan, journalist and broadcaster Kate Mason wrote about her take on this for The Athletic. She chats to Jen about how clubs deal with accusations of misconduct, the options legally available to them, alienation of female fans, and whether misogyny really is rife in the men’s game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices