Public Media Alliance launches new podcast

22 March 2022

Media: Uncovered is a brand-new podcast from the Public Media Alliance, which will feature stories from the world of public interest media.

The Public Media Alliance has launched a brand-new podcast, Media: Uncovered. The half-hour episodes will examine the biggest issues facing public interest media today.

Independent media face numerous threats to their security and integrity: the struggles of finding secure funding, the proliferation of media capture globally, the abuse and harassment journalists experience online, and much more. As we witness a global spread of mis- and disinformation fomented by tech giants, trusted and independent media – acting in the public interest – has never been so critical.

The half-hour episodes will unpack these issues and uncover what organisations can do and are doing to counter them. It will also be a podcast which shines a spotlight on the best of public interest media: how it achieves high levels of trust globally, how it embraces innovation and new tech, and how it uses its position to improve community cohesion – all of which further its intrinsic value and importance to societies.

Shining a spotlight on the best of public interest media

Our preview episode, released today, is presented by PMA’s editorial manager, Harry Lock. Speaking to outgoing CEO Sally-Ann Wilson and her replacement, Kristian Porter, we examine how the past 100 years of public media have led to where we are now. We break down the struggles public media faces today and ask whether there should be optimism about where public media can go next.

The second episode, which will be released next Monday, turns to the future. Featuring Marius Dragomir from the Central European University’s Center for Media, Data and Society, it examines the different contexts of state-convened media, and where each type of media can go next. We speak to the CEO of Radio New Zealand (and PMA’s President) Paul Thompson, to discuss how New Zealand is fundamentally re-drawing the blueprint for public media, to ensure it is better protected for the future.

Upcoming episodes will be hosted by different members of the PMA team, and will be presented as one-on-one interviews, roundtable discussions, or in documentary form. Episodes will be released monthly, and from next week, will be available to download on all the usual platforms. You can also access episodes through the podcast’s website.

If you have stories that you think we should feature, please get in touch with us by emailing editor@publicmediaalliance.org