Paper Cuts

Paper Cuts is a daily look at Britain through the lens of its newspapers, and it is one of the smarter format innovations in UK news podcasting. Host Miranda Sawyer, joined by a rotating cast of journalists and commentators, walks through what the morning papers are leading with and then takes apart the framing, the omissions, and the editorial choices behind each front page. The show drops every weekday morning and runs around 30-40 minutes. Regular contributors include Andrew Harrison, Alex Andreou, and various political journalists who come in to react to the day's coverage. What makes it work is that the hosts are not just summarizing the news -- they are analyzing how the news is being told, which turns out to be surprisingly revealing. A story that leads the Telegraph often gets buried on page 14 of the Mirror, and the difference in tone across the press is where a lot of British political reality actually lives. Produced by Podmasters (the same team behind Oh God What Now), Paper Cuts has built up 392 episodes and a strong following among people who want media literacy built into their news consumption. It is particularly good for listeners who feel overwhelmed by the volume of daily coverage and want someone to help them sort the substance from the spin. The tone is irreverent without being glib, and the hosts clearly love newspapers even when they are criticizing them. If you want a daily podcast that makes you a more informed reader of the British press, this is the one to add to your feed.