The Listening Post

The Epstein files dump has led to days of intense media coverage, revealing how powerful elites around the world engaged in either illegal or morally reprehensible behaviour. But even as journalists sift through millions of documents, one of the most significant stories remains largely missing from the mainstream narrative. Contributor: Murtaza Hussain - National security and foreign affairs reporter, Drop Site News The farce of the ‘ceasefire’ coverage in Gaza More than 500 Palestinians have been killed since a US-brokered "ceasefire" was signed, which begs the question: Should journalists, in contextualising the story, really be calling this a “ceasefire”? As Israel signals it’s preparing to resume full-scale war, we examine how media silence, selective framing and restricted access help keep Gaza off the world’s screens. Featuring: Shaiel Ben-Ephraim - Senior analyst, Atlas Global Strategies Diana Buttu - Palestinian lawyer Muhammad Shehada - Visiting fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations Daniel Levy - President, U.S./Middle East Project

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the fatal shooting of a protester by border control agents triggered mass demonstrations and presented the Trump administration with an unexpected test of its immigration strategy. Footage captured by onlookers has undercut official statements and intensified questions about the level of force and use of high-tech tools being used to crack down on dissent. Contributors: Julie Millican – Vice president, Media Matters Qasim Rashid – Human Rights lawyer and founder, Let's Address This Naureen Shah – Director of government affairs, ACLU Prem Thakkar – Reporter, Zeteo News On our radar Just days after ownership of TikTok in the US changed hands, with several of the investors linked to President Trump, users reported widespread censorship of content critical of the administration and its allies. Tariq Nafi reports on the allegations, the tech backlash and the rise of rival platforms. Bangladesh’s election and the media under threat Bangladesh’s first post-Hasina elections are approaching amid deep political turbulence and growing fear within the country. After major newsrooms were attacked and journalists targeted by disinformation-driven violence, the country’s media finds itself on the front line of a volatile transition. Mahfuz Anam, the editor of a large English daily, tells us what that’s like. Featuring: Mahfuz Anam – Editor, Daily Star

Donald Trump’s latest attempt to seize Greenland shows that the president is willing to use US force to determine international borders, even at the expense of sovereignty. Western allies - NATO countries included -  publicly formed a united front, but private messages have revealed a more deferential approach to dealing with Trump. This latest crisis may have been averted, but the question remains: Does the so-called rules-based international order apply to Trump? Contributors:  Louise Bokkenheuser - Writer and editor Branko Marcetic - Staff writer, Jacobin Anchal Vohra - Columnist, Foreign Policy Ulrich Bruckner - Professor for European studies, Stanford University On our radar: Donald Trump launched his highly-publicised "Board of Peace" initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. The signing ceremony followed a familiar pattern for this White House - a carefully staged event centred on Trump, his overblown claims of peacemaking, and speeches in praise of him. But the turnout appears to have fallen short of the hype. A conversation with Ellie Leonard Trump’s Justice Department was ordered to publish documents from the Epstein files more than a month ago. Only 1% of the heavily redacted material has been made public. While the Trump administration floods the zone with news that mainstream outlets have been chasing, an unconventional team of investigators is digging into the Epstein files to see what’s there. They are led by online investigator Ellie Leonard in New York City. Featuring:  Ellie Leonard - Contributing editor, Blue Amp Media

This past week, Iranian protesters were labelled “terrorists” and “saboteurs” by the state. That rhetoric was accompanied by an internet blackout and a surge in violence, with the death toll still unclear. Simultaneously, tensions between the United States and Iran escalated, raising the stakes in what has become one of the most serious political upheavals in the country in years. Contributors: Tohid Asadi – Correspondent, Al Jazeera English Narges Bajoghli – Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University Roxane Farmanfarmaian – Lecturer, University Of Cambridge Farzan Sabet – Managing Researcher, Global Governance Centre On our radar In the US, the shooting - in public - of a woman two weeks ago by immigration officers has spiralled into a case of outright lying that is remarkable even by the standards of the Trump administration. Ryan Kohls reports on how official accounts, allied media and even AI-generated spokespeople were deployed to defend the shooting. Cory Doctorow: The AI hype machine Artificial intelligence is routinely framed as unstoppable - a technology the world must adapt to, not question. But as companies invest hundreds of billions and the hype accelerates, scrutiny has fallen away. Cory Doctorow on who controls the story around AI and why past tech “revolutions” offer a warning. Featuring: Cory Doctorow – Author and activist

The horrific Bondi Beach attack in Australia was pulled into Israel’s global information war this past week. As blame was directed towards pro-Palestine politics, media narratives blurred Jewish identity and Israeli state policy - raising urgent questions about who is put at risk when Israel’s anti-Palestinian messaging travels beyond its borders. Contributors: Naama Blatman – Executive member, Jewish Council of Australia Ori Goldberg – Academic and political commentator Antony Loewenstein – Author, The Palestine Laboratory Ramia Sultan – Palestinian Australian lawyer On our radar The outspoken and irreverent Hong Kong media mogul - Jimmy Lai - was convicted this week of conspiring with foreign forces. Tariq Nafi reports on how the Chinese Communist Party is tightening its grip on Hong Kong through its media. The pervasiveness of Hindutva pop In India, Hindu nationalism, or "Hindutva", has spread into a variety of media platforms. Meenakshi Ravi explores its musical subgenre, Hindutva pop, and speaks to one of its biggest names. Featuring: Kanhiya Mittal – Musician Kunal Purohit – Author, The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars Samriddhi Sakunia – Journalist and current affairs Instagrammer