Woman's Hour

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Woman's Hour: TikTok sleuths, Widows, Politicising Taylor Swift, Surgery critics 'silenced'

TikTok sleuths, Widows, Politicising Taylor Swift, Surgery critics 'silenced'

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, TikTok sleuths, Widows, Politicising Taylor Swift, Surgery critics 'silenced'

Questioning the morality behind the trend for social media sleuths who investigate cheats.

Yesterday, Kate Garraway returned to Good Morning Britain following the loss of her husband, Derek. She spoke about her reaction to being called a widow for the first time, by a delivery man, apologising for her loss. Anita Rani speaks to Poorna Bell, a journalist and author who lost her husband in 2015, and Karen Sutton, host of The Widow Podcast, who became a trained grief coach after her husband passed away in 2016.   

Anita Rani talks to a woman who says a cosmetic surgery clinic tried to silence her after she reported concerns about her eye operation. Signature clinic is taking five people in total to court after they posted negative reviews or comments on support groups. A judge has thrown out an attempt to get a gagging order against one of them. BBC reporter Melanie Abbott speaks to the woman concerned. And that woman's solicitor tells Anita what she thinks this judgement means for free speech.  

A trend is surfacing on social media, where women reach out to one another with a request - Can you find out if my partner is cheating on me? Anita speaks to Becky Hayes from The Laura and Becky Show podcast, who is creating social media content out of these requests and a journalist who has researched the subject, Beth Ashley, for a discussion on the morality of social media investigators. Although payments are not taken for these requests and identities are kept secret, some might ask whether it’s appropriate to make humorous content, out of what could possibly be very devastating news for someone. And without the context of the relationship to inform them, whether the trend invade people’s privacy. 

Fans are  eagerly waiting to see if Taylor Swift will make it from Tokyo to Las Vegas in time to support her American footballer boyfriend Travis Kelce at the US Super Bowl this Sunday. Many in the Trump camp are watching closely too, as right-wing conspiracy theories run wild that the pop megastar might use the event to influence the presidential elections. What is going on?  Anita talks to BBC reporter Holly Honderich, based in Washington.



Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt
Studio manager: Emma Harth

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TikTok sleuths, Widows, Politicising Taylor Swift, Surgery critics 'silenced'

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