James Harding's Editor's Voicemail

James Harding makes the case for why newsrooms should be places a home for challenging questions, heretics and contrarians. 

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Why being a journalist and asking questions can be such a privilege and a joy.

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In the past week there have been a couple of dramatic announcements on military spending, but it has actually increased every year since 2014. In his Editor's Voicemail James explains why this gradual military build-up amounts to a step change, and asks what it might mean for the world.

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Although Lord Cameron’s turn as Foreign Secretary hasn’t redeemed his reputation for Brexit, it has made James think again - not just about the former prime minister, but about politics and political coverage.

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We should worry about people putting the self-serving values of WhatsApp tribalism ahead of the difficult business of common understanding.

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Who decides what's real? James Harding reflects on the challenges that modern newsrooms face when trying to provide accurate information. He also has some news about his family's pet tortoise.

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If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com 

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After this week's budget and Labour's response, James Harding found himself wishing for new ideas for the economy. In this week's Editor's Voicemail he explores the idea of fellowship.

To find out more about Tortoise:

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-Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more

If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com 

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The financier and philanthropist, who died this week at the age of 87, was an enthusiastic supporter of Tortoise. In this Editor's Voicemail James Harding remembers a man who believed in bringing people together to reach a better understanding.

To find out more about Tortoise:

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-Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more

If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com 

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It's only February and it already feels like the predictions Tortoise made at the start of the year were frivolous and eccentric. In his first Editor's Voicemail of 2024 James Harding tries to make sense of the scribbles in his notebook and pieces together what he's been hearing.

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China stands accused of committing crimes against humanity, and possibly even genocide, against the Uyghur population in Xinjiang. Yet Beijing compares its system of 're-education camps' to the West’s war on terror and says it's entitled to protect its citizens from domestic terrorism. This is the sharp end of the China problem; exhibit A of Xi Jinping's authoritarianism and the west's impotence to defend human rights within China's borders.

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Universities in the UK rely heavily on students from China, and on Chinese money and academic collaborations. But does it all come at a price? A chipping away of academic freedoms and a gagging order on discussing sensitive issues? It's a dilemma which brings the China problem much closer to home. 

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China's national security law has dismantled freedoms and silenced dissenters in Hong Kong. What does the strangling of freedom of speech reveal about Xi Jinping's China?

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What does the story of the difficult search for the origins of Covid-19 reveal about China? The unresolved question of whether the virus occurred naturally or escaped from a laboratory, and the contortions of the Chinese authorities under scrutiny are a parable of our times. 

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How dangerous is China? Are the growing fears that China might attack Taiwan justified, or are the two countries facing an eternal standoff; a prolonged state of fear?

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In the technology great game there are plenty of battlefields but Tiktok has been the most public, and the most revealing. This addictive, Chinese-owned video-sharing app has exposed a paranoia from governments in both the east and west over who controls access to information and the power of social media. What does this mean for the future of the internet?

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You will never again see a Tweet from Donald Trump. He's been banned from Twitter for life without the right to appeal. The world feels quieter, but is it better? The power to hand out megaphones in our democracies, and the power to take them away, now rests in a tiny number of hands.

With Anthony Scaramucci, former White House director of communications; Kai Diekmann, former editor of Bild; Gilad Edelman - Political writer at Wired magazine; Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; and Dave Taylor, Editor and reporter at Tortoise

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Public inquiries have been an important clearing house in the battle for truth. They’ve settled arguments about who was responsible for national scandals and tragedies and, crucially, taken the pen away from people in power and given it to victims and campaigners. In this episode, James Harding and guests ask: in the age of social media, when anyone can hold the pen, can the idea of the public inquiry survive?

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Is cancel culture a way to wrest the mic from the powerful? A means of stifling debate? Or both?

With guests Suzanne Moore, journalist; Ash Sarkar, Novara Media; Amber Rudd, former Home Secretary; Matt D'Ancona, Tortoise editor and partner.

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In theory, the press conference is the crucible where politicians encounter journalists and a truth is revealed. Is it anything like that in practice?

James Harding's guests include Beth Rigby, political editor of Sky News; Alastair Campbell, formerly Tony Blair's director of communications; Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary to George Bush; Daniel Maki, who works on intelligence and investigations for the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

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Our history is up for grabs. Who do we honour with statues and what do we celebrate in our museums? Join James Harding and guests to debate how we deal with empire, slavery, and all the rights and wrongs of our past

Guests: Bonnie Greer, author and critic; Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, author and Rhodes Must Fall activist; Max Hastings, journalist and author; Zareer Masani, historian.

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In the fight over facts and fake news, accuracy and accountability - the battle for truth - the battleground which counts more than any other is Facebook. Join James Harding and guests for a ThinkIn to try to answer one of the biggest questions of our time: who regulates the internet?

With Noah Feldman, professor of Law at Harvard University; Poppy Wood, senior advisor at RESET; Stephen Levy, editor at large at Wired and author of 'Facebook: the inside story'; and Alexi Mostrous, editor at Tortoise.

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Join James Harding, Editor and Co-Founder of Tortoise Media, and guests as they focus their combined intellectual curiosity and firepower on the biggest challenges of the 21st century – starting in Season 1, The Battle for Truth.

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