
The Media Show: Reporting the World Cup
From The Explanation by BBC World Service
June 11, 2026 · 23 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges of reporting during the men's football World Cup and the role of influencers in media.
The men’s football World Cup begins this week in the US, Mexico and Canada. With matches being played in three different time zones, it presents an unprecedented challenge for the media. Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, Craig Hope, Chief Football Reporter at the Daily Mail, and Daniel Storey, Chief Football Writer at The i, set out their plans. Violent disorder on the streets in Belfast has followed a knife attack earlier this week, with a Sudanese man who was granted refugee status in the UK in 2023 charged with attempted murder. Dan Johnson, BBC News correspondent, explains the challenge for journalists reporting from the ground. Russia’s economic forum in St Petersburg earlier this month played host to several Western social media stars. Influencers are now part of the messaging strategy for governments around the world. Samantha Berkhead, Editor of The Moscow Times, and Evie Aspinall, Director of the British Foreign Policy Group, discuss the reasons. Production team Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins Producers: Lisa Jenkinson and Lucy Wai Researcher: Ruth Waites Technical Coordinator: James Cherry Sound: Robin Schroder and Rebecca Millar
People in this episode
Hosts: Katie Razzall, Ros Atkins
Guests: Alex Kay-Jelski, Craig Hope, Daniel Storey, Dan Johnson, Samantha Berkhead, Evie Aspinall
Topics covered
- World Cup
- journalism
- media challenges
- influencers
- reporting
- football
- violence
Keywords
- World Cup
- journalism
- media
- influencers
- football
- reporting
- Belfast
- violence
- Russia
- social media
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC Sport, Daily Mail, The i, BBC News, The Moscow Times, British Foreign Policy Group
Places: Belfast, US, Mexico, Canada
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