Media Confidential

Alan Rusbridger edited The Guardian for twenty years. Lionel Barber ran the Financial Times for fourteen. Together they host Media Confidential, and the result is exactly what you'd expect when two people with that much institutional knowledge start talking freely about the industry they shaped. The weekly show runs about 40 minutes and covers everything from the Washington Post's financial struggles under Jeff Bezos to BBC governance battles and Prince Harry's legal fight against tabloid publishers. Rusbridger tends to bring the big-picture, philosophical perspective while Barber is more pragmatic and business-minded, and the tension between those approaches makes for genuinely interesting listening. They regularly bring on high-profile guests for interviews, though some of the best episodes are just the two of them dissecting a week's worth of media news. With 189 episodes since launching in 2023, they've settled into a comfortable rhythm. The show has a distinctly British sensibility, focusing heavily on UK media but covering American and international stories when they're significant enough. It's produced by Prospect Magazine and has a 4.3-star rating. If you want insider perspective on how major editorial decisions get made at the highest levels, this is the closest you'll get without actually sitting in the editor's chair.