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The Observer

Every Monday and Friday three journalists battle it out to try and convince the editor that their pitch should lead the news. 

Discover what goes on behind the scenes in a newsroom. Why do some stories dominate, while others fail to make the cut?

Tell us if you agree with the final running order - email newsmeeting@tortoisemedia.com 

Book your place at a news meeting live in our newsroom - https://www.tortoisemedia.com/our-events 

Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore

Producer: Casey Magloire

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tortoise News

Two Jewish people were killed in a terrorist attack at a Manchester synagogue. Did President Trump and Pete Hegseth cross the line with their inflammatory speeches to military generals? And what’s behind the surge in profits at soft toy maker Jellycat?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Erica Wagner, John Simpson and Sam Freedman, as they pitch their top story of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk 

Follow us on Social Media: 

 • @ObserverUK on X 
 • @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
 • @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky 

Host: Giles Whittell 

Producer: Casey Magloire 

Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore 

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What we know about the Manchester synagogue terror attack

Will the US ban a safe and legal abortion pill? Is the Met Police full of Freemasons? Can Labour take control of the narrative on immigration?

Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Francisco Garcia, Serena Cesareo and Phoebe Davis as they pitch their top story of the day.

Find the team’s Must Reads here:

The Art of the Impersonal EssaySoftly As I Leave YouWe Have Notes

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk 

Follow us on Social Media: 

 • @ObserverUK on X 
 • @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
 • @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky 

Host: Rebecca Moore

Producer: Poppy Bullard

Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett and Matt Russell 

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s the point of Labour’s new plan for immigration?

This weekend marks the first-ever Riyadh Comedy Festival, with Jimmy Carr, Aziz Ansari, and Dave Chappelle on the bill. It’s being reported they are each being paid upwards of $375,000 to perform in a country which severely restricts freedom of speech. What does Trump’s cryptic “good luck to all” at the UN really mean for Ukraine - and should we be worried? Is the breakthrough on Huntington’s disease The News Meeting’s first genuinely good news story? 

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s International Editor, Steve Bloomfield, and reporters Rachael Healy and James Tapper as they pitch the top story of the day

** Listen to The Observer’s new culture podcast We Have Notes HERE

**Join us at the next News Meeting Live HERE

Follow us on Social Media: 

 • @ObserverUK on X 
 • @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
 • @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky 

Host: Giles Whittell, Deputy Editor-In-Chief

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are top comedians performing at a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia?

This week the President made the erroneous link between pregnant women taking paracetamol to autism. What happens now that trust in basic pain relief is shaken? Has Reform miscalculated with its climate-skeptical stance? And Nike has teamed up with Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS - but is their new campaign crossing the line by sexualising female athletes?

Giles Whittell is joined by journalist and author David Aaronovitch, the Observer’s National News Editor Claudia Williams and reporter Jon Ungoed-Thomas as they pitch the top story of the day

** Listen to The Observer’s new culture podcast We Have Notes HERE

**Join us at the next News Meeting Live HERE

Follow us on Social Media: 

 • @ObserverUK on X 
 • @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
 • @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky 

Host: Giles Whittell, Deputy Editor-In-Chief

Producer: Poppy Bullard

Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did Donald Trump falsely claim paracetamol causes autism?

Could Tiktok become MAGA-tok? What are the implications of recognising a Palestinian state? Should Rwanda be hosting an international cycling competition?

Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Bex Sander and Serena Cesareo as they pitch their top stories of the day.

Find the team’s Must Reads here:

The Rabbit HoleWhat it means to get really really highHidden Valley Road

**Join us at the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 23rd September at 6:30pm** 

Rebecca Moore will be joined by David Aaronovitch, Claudia Williams and Jon Ungoed-Thomas. 

Get your tickets → HERE

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk 

Follow us on Social Media: 

 • @ObserverUK on X 
 • @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
 • @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky 

Host: Rebecca Moore

Producer: Poppy Bullard

Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett 

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean to recognise a Palestinian state?

What did we learn from Donald Trump and Keir Starmer’s press conference? Why is Israel invading Gaza City? What does the suspension of the Jimmy Kimmel show tell us about press freedom in America?

Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Erica Wagner, Steve Bloomfield and Rachel Sylvester as they try and pitch the top stories of the day.

**Join us at the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 23rd September at 6:30pm** 

Rebecca Moore will be joined by David Aaronovitch, Claudia Williams and Jon Ungoed-Thomas. 

Get your tickets → HERE

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk 

Follow us on Social Media: 

 • @ObserverUK on X 
 • @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
 • @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky 

Host: Rebecca Moore

Producer: Poppy Bullard

Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett 

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does Jimmy Kimmel’s cancellation tell us about freedom of speech in Trump's America?

With young people in Nepal using social media sites like Discord to organise protests, are we witnessing the South Asian Spring? How influential is Elon Musk in British politics following his message to the Unite the Kingdom protestors? And how did the Assad regime systematically steal hundreds of children from their families? 

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Patricia Clarke, Chloe Hadjimatheou and Stephen Armstrong, as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.

**Join us at the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 23rd September at 6:30pm** 

Giles Whittell will be joined by David Aaronvitch, Claudia Williams and Jon Ungoed-Thomas. 

Get your tickets → HERE

Find the team’s must reads here:

The crumbling seaside palaces at the centre of Britain’s asylum crisisYou Might Have Already Fallen for MAHA’s Conspiracy TheoriesGrayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur

Read more on today’s stories: 

US cash turned Tommy Robinson into the poster boy of UK far rightHow a western charity helped the Syrian regime abduct childrenPrepare for revolution now, Elon Musk tells London rally as police come under attack

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk 

Follow us on Social Media: 

 • @ObserverUK on X 
 • @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
 • @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky 

Host: Giles Whittell

Producer: Casey Magloire 

Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore 

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did Gen Z in Nepal overthrow a government?

What does the sacking of Peter Mandelson mean for Keir Starmer? Does Vladimir Putin want war with NATO? Is the UK at risk of an uptick in political violence?

Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Jessica Hayden, Katie Gunning and Bernard Gray as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.

Find the team’s must reads:

Bosses can reject applicants who support rival football teamCultural Capital

**Join us at the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 23rd September at 6:30pm** 

Rebecca Moore will be joined by David Aaronovitch, Claudia Williams and Jon Ungoed-Thomas. 

Get your tickets → HERE

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk 

Follow us on Social Media: 

 • @ObserverUK on X 
 • @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
 • @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky 

Host: Rebecca Moore

Producer: Poppy Bullard

Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett and Matt Russell 

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What will the consequences of Charlie Kirk’s shooting be?

Why can’t the French government pass a budget? Who will win in the fight for the soul of the Labour Party? Why do pensioners keep being arrested?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Tom Gatti and Serna Cesareo, as well as the journalist and author Charlie Brinkhurst Cuff, as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.

Find the team’s must reads:l

The Missing SisterBack to PetroleumHow Music Criticism Lost Its Edge

**Join us at the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 23rd September at 6:30pm** 

Rebecca Moore will be joined by David Aaronvitch, Claudia Williams and Jon Ungoed-Thomas. 

Get your tickets → HERE

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk 

Follow us on Social Media: 

 • @ObserverUK on X 
 • @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
 • @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky 

Host: Giles Whittell

Producer: Poppy Bullard

Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett and Matt Russell 

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are older people risking arrest for Palestine Action?

Will revelations about Angela Rayner’s taxes be the end of her political career? How will Melvyn Bragg’s exit from In Our Time impact the iconic show? Why did Nigel Farage compare the UK to North Korea in his plea to US politicians? 

Giles Whittell is joined by the Observer’s Cat Neilan, Paul Hayward and Alex O’Connell as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.

Must Reads:

 • 'Jimmy Breslin Essential Writings'

**Join us at the News Meeting Live on Tuesday 23rd September at 6:30pm** 

Rebecca Moore will be joined by David Aaronvitch, Claudia Williams and Jon Ungoed-Thomas. 

Get your tickets → HERE

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk 

Follow us on Social Media: 

 • @ObserverUK on X 
 • @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
 • @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky 

Host: Giles Whittell

Producer: Casey Magloire and Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett and Matt Russell 

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Angela Rayner resign?

For more than half a century, the Assad family ruled Syria with brutality and repression. It took less than two weeks for rebels to bring that rule to an end. What does this mean for Syria and the region?

Writer: Xavier Greenwood

Producer: Xavier Greenwood

Host: Claudia Williams

Photography: Jon Jones

Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sensemaker: How did Syrian rebels overthrow Bashar al-Assad?

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