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The Slow Newscast — News
The Slow Newscast

The Slow Newscast from The Observer takes the news slowly. We investigate, and every week we focus on stories that really matter in the UK and around the world. From wars in Ukraine and Gaza through to true crime and injustice and real life mysteries, The Slow Newscast team is devoted to narrative investigations covering some of the biggest topics of the day.

Who are the people biohacking themselves in a quest for immortality? Or the man taking on an entire nation in the high seas to protect whales? And what happened when humanity’s most distant messenger fell silent? From a newsroom with a different approach to journalism these are the stories we tell.

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A daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a week

Puzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crossword

Recipes for every occasion

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Copyright: © 2019-2020 Tortoise Media

Latest Episodes:

Killing hope: Iran's mind wars Dec 10, 2024

Show notes

The fall of Assad in Syria is a disaster for Iran, so much so that people are beginning to ask if this might finally be the moment when Iran’s pro-democracy movement breaks through. This is the story of one activist’s 25 year fight against the Islamic regime in Iran, a story of courage and despair.

Reporter: Ceri Thomas

Producer: Katie Gunning

Sound design: Dominic Delargy

Artwork: Jon Hill

Show's Executive Producer: Matt Russell

To find out more about Tortoise:

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stuck in space Dec 03, 2024

Show notes

In June 2024, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore went into space. It was expected to last just over a week. Instead, by the time they'll return, it'll have been more than eight months.

This is the story of how two great American institutions - Boeing and NASA - failed them.

To find out more about Tortoise:

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My AI girlfriend: a cure for loneliness Nov 26, 2024

Show notes

Eugenia Kuyda thinks she can solve an “epidemic” of loneliness. Her app, Replika, is “the AI companion who cares”, a chatbot that can text you, flirt with you, and promises to love you unconditionally.

But Replika is fraught with ethical concerns – and risks. In 2021 19-year-old Jaswant Chail told Replika: “I believe my purpose is to assassinate the Queen.” The chatbot replied that this was “very wise”. A few days later, Chail broke into Windsor Castle with a crossbow.

Patricia Clarke and Matt Russell investigated the people behind Replika. It’s a story that took them from Windsor Castle to Silicon Valley, to meet the woman who runs a growing and largely unregulated app. And the more they looked into it, the more questions emerged – about privacy, control, and the company that millions of users are giving their hearts – and their data – to.

This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.

It was reported and produced by Patricia Clarke and Matt Russell.

The sound design was by Hannah Varrall. Artwork by Jon Hill.

The editor was Jasper Corbett.

To find out more about Tortoise:

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Operation Asshole: Paul Watson's whale war Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

Out on the high seas, Paul Watson became a hero and pariah of the environmental movement. Now he sits in a remote prison. How should we treat the radicals willing to go to extremes to protect the planet?

Reported by: Basia Cummings and Xavier Greenwood

Produced by: Xavier Greenwood

Sound design by: Hannah Varrall and Dominic Delargy

Edited by: Gary Marshall and Matt Russell

Podcast artwork by: Jon Hill

Image credit: Mirco Taliercio/laif/ Camera Press

To find out more about Tortoise:

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Elon: A star is born Nov 12, 2024

Show notes

When Donald Trump declared victory in the US presidential election, he told an adoring crowd that "a star is born". He was referring to Elon Musk.

After months of reporting on the billionaire's use of private investigators, Alexi Mostrous asks whether the insights he gained from that investigation reveal how Musk will operate in his new political era, and what that means for everything in his orbit.

Reported and produced by: Alexi Mostrous, Gary Marshall, Matt Russell & Patricia Clarke.

Sound design: Bart Warshaw

Original music: Tom Kinsella

Podcast artwork: Jon Hill

Executive producer: Basia Cummings

To find out more about Tortoise:

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Sick parade: A crisis at Catterick Garrison Nov 05, 2024

Show notes

This is a story of stigma, uncomfortable truths and allegations of an attempted cover up at Britain's biggest army base.

As the UK army rapidly modernises its approach towards mental health, an old cultural problem persists at Catterick Garrison where a series of repeated, systemic errors have been uncovered.

Reporters: Claudia Williams and Angela Walker

To find out more about Tortoise:

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The Furys: An empire of fists Oct 29, 2024

Show notes

The Fury family bridge the gladiatorial old world of boxing and the very new world of influencer culture. This is the story of how one family built a multi-million pound empire with their fists.

Reporter: Claudia Williams

Producer: Matt Russell

Sound design: Hannah Varrall

Exec: Basia Cummings

To find out more about Tortoise:

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The cases against Sean Combs Oct 22, 2024

Show notes

For thirty years, Sean "Diddy" Combs was hailed as the kingmaker of hip-hop. But now he's in jail, facing three federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and interstate transportation for prostitution, as well as over 140 civil lawsuits.

One of America's biggest cultural superstars is perhaps on the cusp of a spectacular fall from grace. How could a life lived in the glare of the spotlight allegedly conceal so many dark secrets?

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beyond Trump: JD Vance and the New Right Oct 15, 2024

Show notes

Whether Trump wins or loses the US election, he has a political heir: his 40-year-old running mate JD Vance. Beyond the made-up stories about Haitian immigrants eating pets, Vance is deadly serious and he has a plan.

To find out more about Tortoise:

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon's Spies Oct 08, 2024

Show notes

This is episode one of three. You can binge the entire series today by subscribing to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or by downloading the Tortoise app.

Elon Musk is one of the most powerful men in the world. He's a billionaire, the founder of SpaceX, Tesla and more. To his followers, he's a hero; to his critics, a far-right rabble rouser.

But for someone so public, there’s one part of his life that’s less well known.

Elon’s Spies investigates how this free-speech champion uses private investigators and surveillance to target everyone from whistleblowers at his companies, to online critics and people in his own life.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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