Media Confidential

Anne Applebaum on Ukraine, the forgotten war

Two years on, the conflict is no longer the main focus of global media. Are important stories being missed?

April 11, 2024
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The war in Ukraine has been grinding on for over two years now, and the media spotlight on the region has dimmed over the last few months. But Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and writer for the Atlantic, has been following the conflict closely. 

Because much of the world’s media has turned attention away from Ukraine, with editors focusing time and money instead on the war in Gaza, Anne explains that the innovation of Ukrainians in the war is being under-reported. So is there more going on than meets the eye? Despite not having a navy, Ukraine has been able to destroy much of the Russian Black Sea Fleet—but that hasn’t been widely covered, as no journalists are present to witness successful missions. As the war enters a crucial new phase, Anne, Lionel and Alan discuss the challenges of covering the conflict—and what the media can do better. 

Also on the podcast, Celia Richardson from the National Trust joins Alan and Lionel to talk about the accusations made by the Daily Mail that the scones sold in its tea rooms and made with no butter were “woke”. A storm in a teacup?

A transcript will be available shortly