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Novara Media

Novara Media

Novara Media is an independent media organisation addressing the issues—from a crisis of capitalism to racism and climate change—that are set to define the 21st century.

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  • 51 episodes
  • Avg 1 hr 23 min
  • English

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Episodes 51

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  • Yesterday · 1 hr 49 min

    Do Your Own Research: Secrets of the Chinese Internet w/ Tianyu Fang

    Welcome to Series 2 of Do Your Own Research. Until the end of the year, I will be focusing on the most important and interesting country in the world: China. We’re starting with Tianyu Fang, an editor of Chaoyang Trap, a newsletter all about the Chinese internet. We’re starting with the internet because that’s so much of what we see of China: fragments of life online. What’s the reality behind them, and how do we square these beguiling, details with the vast story of China’s rise? What is happening online in China is often reduced to a few memes or movements. We see the dazzling skyline and we stop thinking, and start gawping: that’s what I call the gawp-zone. How do we get out of it? In this conversation, we go far deeper, into the circuits and technology of the Chinese internet, from its earliest utopian moments to the hemisphere-spanning computing stack we see today. And we’ll be making our map of everything that has ever mattered and ever will: this new edition focused on China, available here: novaramedia.com/dyor

  • Monday · 1 hr 43 min

    Downstream: Porn Addiction Defines Our Political Age. Here’s How w/ Ash Sarkar

    The effect of pornography on the people who consume it is often moralised about, generally due to its influence over the nascent sexuality of young men. But the business model, technological innovations and broader, parasexual, cultural effects go crucially underexamined. This week’s guest, investigative reporter for the Financial Times, Patricia Nilsson, has written a new book unearthing exactly the ways in which these underexamined forces emerged and how they continue to exert influence on society. She spoke to Ash about pioneering camgirl entrepreneurs, the sado-masochistic-inflected rise of Andrew Tate, and how algorithms have entered the bedroom. Support our work: https://novara.media/support

  • September 27 · 1 hr 54 min

    ACFM Microdose: Reading The Society of the Spectacle

    Following their recent Trip episode on Situationism, the gang offer a close reading of The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord, first published in France in 1967. Nadia, Jem and Keir explore the layered references and subversions throughout Debord’s extremely quotable aphorisms, focusing on the first three chapters of the book. Find a PDF of the book at Libcom.org Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support

  • September 21 · 1 hr 16 min

    Downstream: AI Will Destroy Liberal Democracy w/ Daron Acemoglu

    When and why did liberal democracy stop working for the many? On Downstream this week is Daron Acemoglu, joint recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, whose 2012 book Why Nations Fail has sold over a million copies. He talks to Aaron Bastani about his data-packed new book, What Happened to Liberal Democracy?, which seeks to diagnose and remedy democracy before it’s too late. They talk about the transition to a post-industrial economy, the loss of community, how progressive politics became overrun by middle-class interests, and how AI further threatens our capacity to self-govern and lead flourishing lives. Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support

  • September 14 · 1 hr 15 min

    Downstream: The Next Big Shock Is Coming. Green Energy Is the Only Way Out w/ Tessa Khan

    This summer’s extreme heat, wildfires and thousands of excess deaths have shown that the climate is destabilising faster than predicted. In the face of this undeniable crisis, what should be done? Tessa Khan is the founder of Uplift, an organisation working to decarbonise our energy system before it’s too late. The former human rights lawyer realised a decade ago that none of the other social questions matter if we don’t address the climate crisis. Tessa talks to Aaron Bastani about the calls to keep drilling in the North Sea, whether renewables are susceptible to economic shocks, and how an ageing population impacts climate politics. Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support

  • September 13 · 2 hr 2 min

    ACFM Trip 63: Situationism

    What did the Situationists actually achieve? Nadia, Jem and Keir look back on the antics and manifestos of the socialist revolutionaries who gathered under the banner of the Situationist International. With ideas from Debord and Khayati and music from the KLF and Negativland, the gang chart the SI’s influence on politics and media theory, from the central concept of the Spectacle to their lingering influence on pop music, psychogeography and political organising. Find the music and books mentioned in the show: https://novara.media/acfm Sign up to the ACFM newsletter: https://novaramedia.com/newsletters Follow our playlist on Spotify by searching ‘ACFM’. Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support

  • September 10 · 1 hr 9 min

    Trump Promises Hunk Of Cash At Republican Convention

    Donald Trump has promised a $5000 check to every American if the Republicans win the mid-terms. Now, JD Vance has appeared to walk back that offer. Plus: Kemi Badenoch defends massive proposed cuts to benefits, we speak to a Palestine Action activist’s mother who was denied a mortgage by her bank, new far right poster boy Danny Tommo embarrasses himself in front of his footsoldiers, and two of the Inbetweeners declare intergenerational war. With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial, & Emma Kamio.

  • September 9 · 1 hr 21 min

    Ed Miliband Defiant Against Critics Of Settler Sanctions

    As the UK’s Chief Rabbi decries the new settler sanctions, we speak to Palestine’s UK ambassador for his reaction. Plus: England’s youth are (nearly) leading the western world in reading, science & maths, and Anthropic loses an employee over their reckless race to AIG. With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani, Husam Zomlot & Garrison Lovely.

  • September 8 · 1 hr 17 min

    Israel Furious Over New UK Sanctions on Illegal Settlements

    Foreign secretary Ed Miliband has announced new economic sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Plus: Billionaire Chris Rokos makes headlines as he plans to leave for Greece, but is the UK tax system really to blame? With Steven Methven, Banseka Kaymebe, Daniel Levy & Tom Guha.

  • September 8 · 1 hr 4 min

    127: Help! I think my friend is in love with me?!

    Moya is worried about status – and so are increasing numbers of men in therapy, according to a recent report. So what does status look like in this economy? How are men adapting to not being guaranteed breadwinners? Can you be both downwardly mobile and satisfied with your life? Plus: what to do when you suspect your friend is in love with you. Read the article on men in therapy: https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2026/aug/19/men-therapy-achievement-grief Read John Burn-Murdoch on women breadwinners: https://www.ft.com/content/4b7b8d3f-5625-4dba-ad90-66192c101956?syn-25a6b1a6=1 Get tickets for Ash at the Southbank Centre on 26 September: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/ash-sarkar-the-future-of-relationships Send us your dilemmas: ifispeak@novaramedia.com Music by Matt Huxley.

  • September 7 · 1 hr 19 min

    Far Right Clash With Police in Portsmouth

    Masked far right thugs gathered in Portsmouth to intimidate a group of asylum seekers last night, organised by a close connection of Tommy Robinson. Plus: A shock win for the AfD in German elections has rattled the incumbents, we speak to a climate protestor who helped organise the action at the Reform conference & we stand in solidarity with a great British pint! With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar & Isabella Weber.

  • September 7 · 2 hr 9 min

    Downstream: The Big AI Lie w/ Cory Doctorow

    AI is set to take all of our jobs. It will irrevocably transform our relationships – and it might even kill us all. These are some of the big claims made about artificial intelligence today. And they are claims that on Novara, we take seriously. This week’s Downstream guest thinks that giving weight to those grand concerns is a mistake. He believes that by talking up the possibility that AI could replace significant amounts of labour – or develop an agency of its own – only serves to exaggerate the capacity of AI – and therefore just helps tech CEOs drive more investors to buy their already overpriced stocks. Cory Doctorow is a writer and activist – who’s written 36 books – spanning non-fiction and science fiction. He famously coined the term “ensh*ttification” to describe the modern trajectory of the internet. And he has a new book on AI – it’s called the “The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI”. As Aaron Bastani takes time off on paternity leave, Michael Walker, host of Novara Live, sat down with Cory to ask one of the world’s leading tech writers his burning questions about AI. Is Cory surprised at the speed of AI’s so-called “evolution”? What does the latest AI “Hugging Face” tell us about AI? Does the AI presented to us in 2026 present a threat to life on Earth, or is that just hype? Is it really intelligent, or just a simulacrum of intelligence? Does it matter?

  • September 4 · 1 hr 18 min

    Reform UK Busted in Channel Four Investigation

    The fallout from a Channel 4 undercover exposé on Reform has enveloped the nation, but has anyone at their conference noticed? Plus: Could the failings of Open AI’s security broker a rapprochement with China? Finally, we do some soul searching on our coverage of China. With Michael Walker, Jonny Ball & Kyle Chan.

  • September 3 · 1 hr 7 min

    Zack Polanski Wants Keir Starmer’s Old Seat

    Green Party leader Zack Polanski has announced his plan to stand in Keir Starmer’s vacated seat of Holborn and St Pancras. Plus: The bond markets are already punishing Andy Burnham, Novara’s Harriet Williamson reports from a Palestine Action press conference, and CBS joins Fox News in mounting Islamophobic attacks on Abdul El-Sayed. Downstream IRL Tickets: https://dice.fm/event/bb9wxv-novara-medias-downstream-irl-trauma-farming-21st-sep-earth-london-tickets Read Harriet Williamson’s reporting here: https://novaramedia.com/2026/09/03/palestine-action-prisoners-to-appeal-terrorist-sentences/ https://novaramedia.com/2026/07/20/were-the-canary-in-the-coal-mine-palestine-action-activists-sentenced-as-terrorists-speak-out/ With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial & James Meadway.

  • September 2 · 1 hr 9 min

    US Bomb Kills Five At Iranian Wedding

    A US missile strike has killed at least five people at a civilian wedding in Iran. Plus: Andy Burnham faces Kemi Badenoch in his first PMQs, a new study has found that almost half of the world’s farmers are poisoned by pesticides every year, and Gal Gadot has defended her role an upcoming movie about Bitcoin, that will feature entirely AI-generated sets. With Steven Methven, Baneska Kayembe, Vira Ameli & Jayakumar Chelaton.

  • September 1 · 54 min

    Netanyahu Wants Full-Scale War in the West Bank

    2026 has been the most violent year on record for Palestinians in the West Bank, with 76 people having been killed either by settlers or the IDF. Plus: Keir Starmer is stepping down as an MP, a global backlash to Meta smart glasses is growing, and the British Museum has treated Peter Thiel to a private viewing of the Bayeux tapestry. With Steven Methven, Michael Walker & Tom Guha

  • August 31 · 1 hr 18 min

    Downstream: Multiculturalism Will Save the Working Class w/ Jonas Patrick Marvin

    We live in a moment when the working class is fractured along a great many lines. Gone are the days of solidarity built around a shared experience of factory work that formed the bedrock of Karl Marx’s analysis of class struggle – and his vision of emancipation. Meanwhile in the halls of power, elites in our politics have failed for decades now to really grasp what people in Britain care about and need – resorting to lame stand-ins such as ‘Mondeo man’ and ‘Stevenage woman’, Farage’s new favourite: ‘alarm clock Britain’. What are they missing? Lived experience, apart from anything else. On Downstream this week, Ash Sarkar sat down with campaigner and author Jonas Patrick Marvin to discuss his new book ‘The Breaking of the English Working Class’. Weaving autobiographical detail with political theory, Marvin tackles head-on the class forces that have shaped his own life. Why can’t people born in London afford to stay and build lives there? Who gets to define themselves as working class, and on what grounds? How should the left respond to rising anti-immigration politics? Why has the working class become so fragmented, and what can be done to repair it?

  • August 28 · 1 hr 9 min

    The Tech Backlash Is Here

    As Meta cedes in court to the tune of billions & datacentre protests pick up momentum, is techno-futurism crashing? Plus: Digging up a golf green could be charged as terrorism & we speak to Nate Soares about the latest AI catastrophes. With Michael Walker, Richard Hames & Nate Soares.

  • August 27 · 1 hr 20 min

    US Declares Palestine Action a Global Terror Group

    The US government has issued sanctions against Palestine Action, branding them a “transnational terror group”. Plus: Experts link deadly flash flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border to glacial collapse, we discuss whether it’s time to ditch the Office for Budget Responsibility, and why Fox News has made Hasan Piker its enemy no. 1. With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial & Steven Methven.

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