Media Confidential

Murdoch’s biggest deal yet

Media Confidential

Show Notes

This week on Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel discuss the Murdoch family’s biggest ever deal, as Lachlan Murdoch’s Fox TV buys streaming service Roku. What does it suggest about the company’s direction under its new CEO? And why isn’t Alan a fan of Roku?

They discuss an AI-generated video of Nigel Farage fist-fighting Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey in a Question Time Studio—and how the deepfake video has some people fooled. After GB News’s Bev Turner denied that widespread racist violence in Belfast was a riot, the editors also analyse a clash between Turner and political commentator Matthew Stadlen, while Alan shares the tweet that made him “shudder”.

It’s not all bad news, though, as Mehdi Hasan launches Zeteo UK, the British equivalent of his popular independent media platform—and Dan Neidle wins a resounding victory in libel courts over an obvious SLAPP. Could it set a hopeful precedent?

Plus, Alan and Lionel respond to an email from the editor of the Manchester Evening News and issue an invitation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Media Confidential

Aug 27, 2026

In Prospect’s last episode of Media Confidential, Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber look back on three years of the podcast.

Aug 24, 2026

Billionaires, millionaires and biohackers are plying themselves with supplements and consulting AI to extend their lives indefinitely. But would you want to live forever? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist and author Katherine Stewart, who investigates the politics of the longevity movement.

Aug 20, 2026

In today’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel discuss the death of Professor Jason Arday, the Cambridge academic who took his own life last week after weeks of media scrutiny.

Aug 17, 2026

In this week’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by Jonathan Shainin, founding editor of Equator, a new longform publication with ambitions to challenge inherited assumptions about journalism—and the world it describes.

Aug 13, 2026

As Andy Burnham marks his first two weeks in Downing Street, the polls are registering a bump in support for Labour. This week, Ellen Halliday and Imaan Irfan are joined by Prospect’s contributing editor Tom Clark to assess the prime minister’s first steps in office.

See all episodes →