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The Media Show

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

This is the programme about a revolution in media.

Social media, anti-social media, breaking news, faking news: this is the programme about a revolution in media.

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The Media Show: WikiLeaks and the i

WikiLeaks and the i

26/10/2011

BBC Radio 4 - The Media Show, WikiLeaks and the i

WikiLeaks funding block, the i's first birthday and is The X-Factor in trouble?

Andrew Mullins on what the i's success means for The Independent, X Factor's falling audiences and why are payment companies blocking WikiLeaks?

WikiLeaks has said that it may have to close after payment companies, including Visa, Mastercard and Paypal, blocked payments to the site, cutting off its funding. So why are these companies targeting WikiLeaks and what does the move mean for freedom of speech? Journalist and former WikLeaks employee James Ball and Jean-Francois Julliard of Reporters Without Borders ask whether WikiLeaks can survive.

It's a year since The Independent launched its compact sister paper, the i. The move, which was seen as a risky tactic at a time of declining newspaper sales, seems to have paid off and the i is now outselling The Independent. To discuss what i's success could mean for the future of the Independent, Steve Hewlett is joined by Andrew Mullins, the managing director of both newspapers as well as the London Evening Standard.

ITV's hit entertainment show The X-Factor has seen a drop in ratings compared to last year's series, as bigger audiences for Strictly Come Dancing close the gap between the rival shows. Has the X-Factor lost appeal without Simon Cowell? Or could this be a sign that its format needs refreshing? Showbiz journalist Dan Wootton and former ITV director of programmes Simon Shaps discuss how producers can maintain the appeal of long running formats. 

The producer is Simon Tillotson.

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