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The Explanation
The Media Show: Reporting the LA fires
The Explanation
Jan 16, 2025

The devastation caused by the wildfires in Los Angeles has been profound, with homes and communities left in ruins. Jonathan Hunt, Fox News correspondent, and Emma Vardy of BBC News recount their experience of reporting from the Pacific Palisades. Allison Agsten, director of the Annenberg Centre for Climate Journalism and Communication, shares her concern that media coverage has often overlooked the role of climate change in exacerbating these events. Caroline Frost, columnist for the Radio Times, reflects on the prominence of celebrity involvement in coverage of the disaster.

Artificial intelligence has been used to recreate Sir Michael Parkinson’s voice for a podcast series that explores the boundaries of technology and human storytelling. Benjamin Field, producer of Virtually Parkinson, describes how the system was trained on more than 100 hours of archival material to recreate the legendary broadcaster.

Presenter: Ros Atkins Producer: Simon Richardson Assistant producer: Lucy Wai

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Production team: Presenter: Katie Razzall Producers: Lucy Wai and Lisa Jenkinson Researcher: Ruth Waites Technical Coordinator: Chris Brown Sound: Volodymyr Muzyczka


22min 58sec




The Media Show: Reporting the LA fires

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