Media Confidential

What gets lost when war hits the headlines

Alan and Lionel are joined by Margaret Sullivan, writer of the Substack newsletter American Crisis, to discuss how the Iran war is being covered by US media

March 16, 2026
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In today’s episode of Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by Margaret Sullivan, former public editor at the New York Times and writer of the Substack newsletter American Crisis.

The three talk about the war in Iran and how it has been covered by the American press, as well as debating whether certain other stories have fallen to the wayside because war is dominating the headlines. They’ll talk who benefits from having some stories swept under the carpet.

As three former editors they also discuss when it is good to feel uncomfortable, and what the role of the public editor is. The New York Times no longer has one—is it time the position came back?