Mosul and Aleppo - a tale of two besieged cities

The Listening Post

Mosul and Aleppo: A tale of two besieged cities

We examine the difference in the coverage of Mosul and Aleppo. Plus, the Lebanese media mosaic.

On The Listening Post this week: How does coverage of Mosul and Aleppo differ? Plus, the Lebanese media mosaic.

Mosul and Aleppo: Two cities under siege

With conflicts in the Middle East ongoing, it’s up to the media to inform us about what is happening on the battlefield. Both, Mosul in Iraq and Aleppo in Syria are cities held by armed groups, surrounded by avenging armies and bombarded by international air power. But with all the geopolitics in play, reporting from the field is seldom black and white.

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Georgia advances ‘foreign agents’ bill as 20,000 rally against it

NPR editor resigns after accusing US outlet of liberal bias

Lawmakers brawl as Georgian Parliament considers ‘foreign agent’ bill

Journalist loses foot after being badly wounded in Israeli attack in Gaza

Talking us through the story are: Dmitry Babich, journalist, Sputnik International; Howard Amos, independent journalist, Russia; Lina Khatib, head of the MENA programme, Chatham House; and Kim Sengupta, defence editor, The Independent (UK).

On our radar:

Hungary’s largest-selling opposition newspaper, Nepszabadsag, has landed in the hands of an oligarch with ties to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling party.
After the recent passing of the king, the Thai government is making sure that its lese majeste laws remain effective in the digital age – by asking Google to remove any content that defames the royal family.
To avoid an alleged media bias, US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign has decided to start reporting on itself – the daily ‘Trump Tower Live’ looks a bit like a 24-hour news channel with budget issues.

Lebanon’s media and the politicisation of a rubbish crisis

Lebanon’s media is crowded, diverse and highly politicised. We analyse the impact of the media’s politics on its output.

Our case study: Last year’s protests over the rubbish crisis. It’s a story of how a deeply divided media fractured the consensus on a civic issue – and the activists who are pushing for alternative narratives ever since.

Talking us through the story are: Karma Khayat, vice chairwoman, Al Jadeed TV; Nabil Dajani, professor of communication and media studies, American University Beirut; Jad Melki, associate professor of journalism and media studies, Lebanese American University; and Habib Battah, editor, BeirutReport.com