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The Slow Newscast

Beastly: The stories of David Walliams

The Slow Newscast

Alice Sandelson

British Politics, Uk, Usa, News, Journalism, Society & Culture, Documentary, Us, International, American, News Commentary, Investigations

4.6895 Ratings

🗓️ 23 May 2023

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In February this year, the Telegraph newspaper revealed that Roald Dahl's publisher had “updated” some of his stories for young readers and modern audiences. The news went viral – to some it was the moment the world went mad; to others an exaggerated fuss over nothing. 


But it put the publishing industry in the spotlight, and soon questions were being raised about another, more contemporary author – and known provocateur. David Walliams. In this episode we're asking the question facing publishers around the world: how do you keep a lucrative cultural asset from getting cancelled? 


Tortoise is a newsroom devoted to slow journalism. For early access and ad-free listening subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise for £60 a year.


As a member you’ll also get our newsletters and tickets to live events. Just go to tortoisemedia.com/slowdown.


If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.  


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

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello, it's Bashar here and before this episode starts, I just wanted to say thank you.

0:04.8

It's five years since we made our first ever podcast.

0:08.8

Since we're at the beginning, we should, I think, do the polite thing and make some introductions here.

0:13.2

Basha, do you want to start?

0:14.2

That was the beginning of our weekly investigative show, the slow newscast.

0:18.0

And while we have hopefully gotten a bit better at this since then,

0:21.9

what we care about hasn't changed.

0:24.0

Because we still investigate injustices.

0:26.9

Until recently, everything I'm about to tell you was a secret.

0:30.2

We tell gripping stories with a human heart.

0:32.9

It's a screwed up crazy kind of love story,

0:35.6

filled with death, lies and witness protection programs.

0:39.2

But still, it's a love story.

0:41.9

And we investigate in the public interest.

0:44.4

We've won landmark legal battles.

0:47.0

Hello.

0:47.6

I thought you'd like to know we've got the judgment.

0:49.9

It's going to be published.

0:52.2

Oh my God.

0:52.8

You can find our chart topping and award-winning series on Tortus Investigates.

0:58.7

What I uncover is a global game of cat and mouse.

1:03.1

A catch me if you can.

...

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