The Listening Post

China vs US: Competing interests, conflicting narratives

China and the US say they want to improve communications, but mutual suspicion runs deep. Plus, Kenya’s TV evangelists and their hold over viewers.

The United States-China relationship is a complex one. Beneath the diplomatic niceties lies deep mutual suspicion – two governments fully engaged in a bigger battle of narratives.

Contributors:
Jiayang Fan – staff writer, The New Yorker
Brian Hioe – editor, New Bloom Magazine
James Palmer – deputy editor, Foreign Policy

On our radar:

In the United Kingdom, the BBC is in a state of turmoil after a Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid alleged sexual misconduct involving one of the broadcaster’s most famous faces. Producer Flo Phillips reports on the saga that has seduced the British media.

Kenya’s deadly televangelist

The politics of prayer: Producer Nicholas Muihead travels to Kenya to ask how the authorities there plan to regulate the power of televangelism and prevent another “Shakahola Massacre”.

Contributors:
Ezra Chiloba – director general, Communications Authority of Kenya
Reuben Kigake – broadcast journalist and musician
Lee Scharnick-Udemans – senior researcher, Desmond Tutu Centre
Rodgers Shibutse – victim’s son
Joseph Yeri – journalist