Read this: 24/03/2023 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts hello should Radio 4 on BBC sounds to uncovering the story of how shamima Begum then just 15 years old ran away from her London home to join Isis in a conversation and liberal minded person.

I'm insulted to the BBC seems fit to hear this program including commentary from shamima.

Begum herself.

Are we talking to the presenter Josh Baker and the series editor also a afternoon with you on BBC Radio 2 hello that was Becky Hill and David Guetta remember.

It's been happening to the music on Radio 2 complaining that the

Just ain't what they used to be I get that music stations have to move on and they have to get a new audience but radio to seem to be pushing out the 50-plus age range now musically for Seagal in the BBC Who better to talk about this Dan Jeff Smith head of music of Radio 2.

I'll be asking him of older listeners are being sidelined in the hunt for a younger audience also I'm joke to the BBC's summary of 20 years since the war as being a tragic Legacy is huw Edwards put saved the Invasion was a catastrophe.

It's monuments and Dad on the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq the BBC's international editor Jeremy Bowen me to reflect on his reporting this week and the meaning of impartiality but first shamima Begum has never done interviews like this before.

we've been talking for well over a year and she's giving me what she says is her full story

So I've been investigating what she's told me where she went who she met and retracing her journey to see if she's telling me the truth.

I'm not a Monster the shamima Begum story reached its conclusion this week the 10-part series presented by Josh Baker retraced the story of dedenne 15-year old and her to school friends who made headlines around the world when they run away from home in London to join Isis back in 2015 the only survivor of the three friends is currently held in a refugee camp in Syria and has been stripped of her UK citizenship.

It's elicited strong opinions from the audience and provided feedback listeners will hear from Josh and series editor Jonathan but first listener David Dunkley as an educated and liberal minded person.

I'm insulted that the BBC seems fit to hear this program including comma

From shamima Begum herself, this is a boron not only as this manipulative woman.

She's fit now to bake to return to the UK having broken the law in joining a murdering terrorist organisation.

They should not be aired and in my opinion shows biased towards instigating support for shamima Begum exonerated so Jonathan aspinwall David there says that you shouldn't have given shamima Begum a platform.

How do you respond to that I strongly feel that we are not forming shamima Begum and I would say to people listen to the podcast series.

It's really important the area because you're here.

Josh forensically exploring the issues testing what she says and then talking to other eyewitnesses and making sure that we don't take what she says at face value.

I think that's a really important element in all this.

If we start back for a second I can understand the public's anger towards this but of course but I think if you want to discuss the public service benefit.

We have just to lift off a few things.

We've fairly and in an unbiased manner looked at this story.

We covered in intelligence operation that went wrong.

We've uncovered and I asked smuggling network that was moving people to Syria with uncovered the nicest financing work.

We find members of Isis there in hiding with find people that new shamima Begum Syria and obtain their testing me to give people a true picture of what happened it and I think that's really important for the public to understand especially when we started this at the time when she was fighting to come back to the UK under editorially did this feel like a very torturous process that must have been extremely important to you to pour over I would imagine it's every phrase to get absolutely everything right.

So you weren't seem to be to sympathetic to shamima or indeed to be too harsh.

I mean I just wondered what that ever took her process must have been like.

Exhausting process and it should be an exhausting process every single sentence every single section of audio in This podcast in in the hole 10 par podcast we scrutinised to a degree that I've never experiencing any other project that I've ever worked on a little bit.

I'm not Monster that seems to move from the outset to be saying that perhaps you've already come to the conclusion.

So this is important to clarify the title is the shamima Begum to be honest as a listener if I go onto BBC signs which is where I get the podcast it says I'm not a Monster series 22 bacon massive letters.

Bold letters and just read to me, what if you look at that right now in front of you.

Can you tell me what the largest letters on their I might say what in white the shamima Begum starting is the issue that you're driving at right is the implication of your question is that we are saying shamima.

Begum is not a Monster and yet in very bold print on the front of my phone here it sometimes have a conversation about that.

I've been more sensible for you.

Knowing this was very controversial simply not to have I'm not a monster in large letters shamima Begum story is in the feed.

I'm not a Monster which is a multi-part investigative series which has all round the world when you have podcast people subscribe to the point here is what is this journalism and I get your point and I do understand where you're coming from.

I think that I would go back to the podcast and listen to the editorial and see that this is very robust journalism in which the BBC clearly doesn't have a stands.

It's our job to test what you mean if bacon has said retracing her journey by talking to keep my witnesses and talking to experts and pop by doing are very forensic journalism and the series really does stuck up on that as we seen with the critical reviews and the listener to listen to it.

Hi, my name is Amara Donald I am 28 years old and I am currently living in Cardiff you know I really do person who believe that the story telling is really balance and really unbiased I think Josh has a great approach to interviewing people across the whole series especially shamima.

You know he really hold her account he gives her the chance to talk to her story in a real way, I think so, this is can make their own mind up you know he's often.

Can I saying maybe she is telling me the truth or maybe she is ok and you know I don't really know and I love that element of the podcast because you do really feel like you're on this journey that this fact finding mission together which you know I think it's really cool.

Joshua put obviously should you want to time and effort into this? What's your response to listen? It was like and how it is clearly become very moved and very attached to the podcast all I'm trying to do is present this story.

Way that is devoid of bias.

That is authentic and essentially has the gravity of our investigative skills behind it so people can make up the Romans so it's nice to see somebody listening to it and feeling like something from the story very grateful son, how much do you feel that you were able to actually get to the truth the thing is with a journalism and particularly this moment you can too often straight into activism and there's a great trap isn't out of what you wish to be true choosing to believe in that and what we are constantly says that he needs a little just cos we want this to be true.

We can't we can't fall into that trap.

We stayed away from it is also between the baby it is to be mindful.

There is certainly times when she is trying to deceive me there are certainly times when she's lying to me.

There are times when she's honest to attachment admitting to me.

Love with the idea of joining Isis is a pretty sensational comment so I think what we trying to do is just navigate each conversation and look at what comes out of it and then go away and my son format.

You to pick those inconsistencies and to check those inconsistency.

Hello, my name is Karen I am from Fife in Scotland currently work of a community link worker and obviously they use Justice officer.

I believe you failed shamima and her friends online grooming trafficking and radicalisation can pose significant threats, how can we expect people to speak up and seek support and the lack of care shamima has received and the negative press and public perception is very much front and centre Stage I think it's interesting that will Karen said she has that perspective somebody else will look at it and take something completely different from it and that's because there is so much nuance and sort of subtext in this story and it's just important to approach it from a gender perspective and separate that emotional feeling I think hello this is Steve Wells from Birmingham I'm phoning with a comment on the second series of I'm not a monster.

Really important story of the means of presentation could have been much better the story is more important than trying to make it into a soap opera and the trailer for the last episode that perfectly you would even having Naga Munchetty referring to the Cliffhanger the desire to draw out the information to 10 episodes used overridden the divider tell the story by journalistic standards well done for doing the difficult research to find the interviews it was at the Producers choice for the BBC Bitesize insulating way as to downplay the importance of the story in the quality of the research.

We said it should be a 10-part series it wasn't BBC saying you have to do a 10-part series worry about that the format of a podcast I take a point that you can use you can actually investigate and pull of context around is very difficult issues, but you will so do need in a podcast format to have a little bit of you know.

Will you won't you find out what happens next the Cliffhanger element of the day.

I met you describe describe it as a beginning middle and end of each episode is the symbol that and then a story Arkwright the whole series so you know these are not manufactured cliffhangers as we the listeners through her story from when she went from London to Turkey to Syria there are natural points in the story where there is a tension which we continue for 1 episode 21 and I think the audience is really responded to thanks to Josh Baker and Jonathan aspinwall and you can listen to that whole 10-part series.

I'm not a Monster at the shamima Begum story on BT signs know next week women's are will be a nice thing.

It's powerlist 2023 this year.

It's naming the 30 most influential women in sport.

I'll be at the launch talking to the team behind the list including the Woman's Hour editor and the judging panel.

I'd love to put some of your questions to them so do share your thoughts with me on this.

nothing else to do with BBC audio you can send us an email feedback at bbc.co.uk 454 that BBC R4 feedback to us PO Box 672 34, London SE18 4ax BBC Radio 2 that was Becky Hill and David Guetta remember what we going to play a bit of wet, Wet Wet love is all around with all twinkly eyes, but first bucks Fizz making your mind up the true roots voice the great Luke Kelly of The Dubliners Durkin

Anyway, all my friends I believe the people texting to radio stations there you have it in a Motown right now everything from The Dubliners to dance music there an eclectic mix but many of you have been telling us that you feel alienated by the music played on Radio 2.

You've noticed a shift towards 90s music and wrap which alongside the recent departure of a number of well-known and well-loved presenters is making some listeners feel the station just isn't for them anymore, so has there actually been a change of a drive to attract younger listeners that we're all getting older and Radio 2 is Daventry to its brief well to get to the bottom of it all.

I'm joined by the man.

Beaufort using the tunes Jasmine and responsible for deciding the music strategy and policy of the radio station and a lot of that is based around the mainstream music policy and the day stuck here day in day out on Radio 2.

My name is David based in Liverpool Radio 2 was always on in the dental practice while working and the music policy seem to appeal to everybody inside from the 20 year olds to the 6-year olds but as of late the music seems to have pain and the station doesn't have the stone that that's of you that's been shared by a lot of our listeners, and I know I'm sure you've heard it yourself, but how would you respond to it in terms of a change the music policy and it hasn't changed for years remains is the best music from the past 6 decades in the best of the best new music from today in any age group.

No over 50 whenever I found myself in that age group myself.

There's no one-size-fits-all some people of Dance

Some Folk of the 80s so take the points on board, but I do think we remain true to our purpose of other put into a broad range of lessons over 35.

So you really don't feel that there has been any change to the kind of so many of our listeners feel that it has changed and that there is much more modern music that might be something that the perception but it's not real.

I think it is perceptually because as a times do change and music just move on and we've got a massive range of decades now.

We're actually genre and Keira agnostic.

If you want it away what we're just trying to do is represent the best of music and also cut the secret recipe I think of Radio 2 is manifested in our work with the producers and presenters to be feels like and it is the select music broadly about what they like to play as well with our audience in mind.

It was reported before he left it can be said he didn't like playing tuneless dance music so I wonder.

Which control do DJs have over what they play with really value working with other presenters and produces the music team to make sure that it feels like a part of the show much is it was it was in the Breakfast Show it's always been a part of what I think makes us unique and indeed on Ken's last show he wanted to pay tribute to Wayne shorter and so we work with him to back Birdland by weather report which one short he was a part of an appropriate tribute but also an appropriate way for Ken to show how he can play a selection of music within the show or any other presenters can play music within the remit of what radio 2 is Vernon Kay use arriving in May is a big fan of Ibiza dance music and Metallica does it get to play that in the morning.

I think Radio 2 can't play anything to an extent something.

I Enter Sandman is quite a timeless and melodic song and nothing Else Matters by Metallica I think you can find timelessness and melody in all genres and as long as that's in.

That's fine.

Blackburn as he joined us the person producing that show in terms of the music team at charcoal Garry birtles has been producing the music for can show 20 years prior he will also be working on the music.

So you can see that kind of continuity in that line in terms of music quality will extend through even with our new presenter.

Hello feedback.

This is Paul Campbell from Manchester with a few thoughts on the direction in which Radio 2 seems to be heading it seems to me Madness to be alienating its core audience.

I don't forget that Radio 2 is more music at its best it brings the nation together.

It's a friend a companion and a place of familiarity as well as diversity and surprises it seems to me that stations like boom radio another's now seem to better understand what being Radio 2 is all about the radio to itself.

My name is Phil smart play the same playlist for what seems like my entire life and I'm 47 now.

I can't tell you how relieved I am that Scott Mills is now in the afternoon slot not only see someone I can relate music I can wait to a not just the same songs I've heard over and over again since I was about 3 I wonder do you feel that you are trying to walk a tightrope trying to balance this idea of making sure that younger listeners the over 35s hear something they like and perhaps older listeners to have more eclectic taste as well whilst constantly facing those kind of our I should have been giving you today where I'm saying that so many of us getting in touch with us are complaining that they feel that their music taste of no longer being.

Is it a difficult position that you're in a difficult position? I think it is a challenge and it's actually an enjoyable challenge for me as a music fan trying to kind of bring the Generations together around this kind of new established artists like Elton John Belinda Carlisle Paul McCartney new music by study started should I say like them who we also play with other radio stations don't play that you'll find music by The Legends in the icons and new music by new artists and that's you know alongside the 16000 different tracks a year so we are hitting a lot of different kind of audiences was a lot of variable music for a 5 times what the marketplace Saddam Hussein did not have an alliance with Al-Qaeda in the Invasion was a catastrophe with consequences that still Blyth lives here in Iraq and across the middle east it rock slide into terrible bloodshed that the American and British

Tyres could not understand or control the BBC's international editor Jeremy Bowen there with part of his special report on the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq was that reports on Mondays Today programme called the year of many listeners for its dark appraisal of the reasons for the war and it's lasting Legacy in the region.

My name is please add.

I'm a professor of security and Intelligence studies from the University of Buckingham the reason given by Blair and MI6 within totally wrong and that had very serious consequences both 6 we know that but who's saying was an appalling killer 20 years on critics especially in the Global South ask, what difference there is between the us-led invasion of Iraq and Rushes

Asian of Ukraine this is Dr Paul last farm at City University of London I listen to Jeremy Bowen excellent report from Iraq this morning.

It was measured reasons account as someone who'd been in Iraq for many many years and covering that wore it was quite clear that decision to invade was catastrophic Jeremy festival.

I know you're just back from two weeks in Iraq and thank you so much for making feedback one of your first port of call, but thanks for inviting me.

I'd like to talk about the impartiality because it's been under the spotlights at the BBC as it often.

It was a good thing was going on well.

I was in Iraq I was going to follow.

It's ok.

If you can't criticise the current government but if you are a foreign editor who has to use the very highest degree of impartiality.

Say the previous governments core strategy probably one of the ones is best remembered for the decision to invade a rat was a catastrophe, but that doesn't impartiality guidelines.

Talk me through that well.

I'll tell you why doesn't because it's based on the facts and it's based on the events of 20 years and it's based on the Close analysis of those events of how much is 20 years of the events running up to the war the things of the said the things that Saddam Hussein did before that.

It's based on all of those things now if I go on the day the Invasion 20-years ago and said you know this is going to be a catastrophe.

You know that we could see the chaos that there were challenges for the government but we did not criticise government policy.

It's 20-years hindsight that allows you to do that.

Comments on social media, but you know what I'm absolutely confident in the reporting that I've done for me because the experience I've got has not been from staring at a computer screen a reading someone else's report.

I've seen the stuff myself you decided to begin report on the 20th anniversary not in Baghdad the capital or perhaps Basra which was the British base 20 years ago but in a part of a rock that very few of us know much about in sinjar.

Why did you decide to do well? It's a number of things I was very to do a piece that did not really litigate what happened 20 years ago and I also did not want to do a piece that was almost down memory lane 20 years ago this was happening and I was very anxious to put together some reporting which actually showed the consequences because it's not just today.

It's what happened.

During Islamic state roughly 10 years after the Invasion and even before that during the the uncertainty against the Americans during the sectarian Civil War that started bottom line when the Americans and the British arrived, they hadn't thought it out and they didn't have the where was all or the I think the bandwidth to seize the country to restore order and after years and years decades of dictatorship.

They're all schools to settle and the place just exploded.

Hi, I'm David Campbell bannerman.

I'm a Foreman European Parliament and for 5-years.

I was chairman of the Iraq delegation of that Parliament to the BBC's summary of 20 years since the war as being catastrophe is monuments on that let's not overlook.

The Iraqi kurds as 20% of frogs and they were delighted to see Saddam Hussein being toppled.

Kurdish peshmerga did amazing work fighting Isis and save derived from Isis and actually liberated Mosul but it is more nuanced and then the BBC report you know there are some benefits from what happened and they should be recognised the course extreme jihadist Islamic violence something that pre-existing the Invasion I don't think I forgot about the 9/11 attacks the same of Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda that was why the Americans were doing this so I think I'm alright clear.

Maybe I didn't make it clear enough, but you know I'm very well aware as a journalist of what Saddam did it's a complex story into we've everything in to leave some things out some critics especially in the Global size saw the us-led invasion of Iraq has comparable to put invasion of Ukraine you must have known when you.

But it would create somewhere and caravan making waves of a Make Waves by reporting something is true.

I have stayed you till about this in the golf for example cause there is I think particularly in the Middle East there are many memories of what was done 20 years ago.

Maybe the government itself did not really realise the whole truth about Jeremy it is always a pleasure to speak to you.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with feedback with thanks for asking but that's all from us today.

Thank you very much for listening and for giving us your feedback from BBC Radio 4.

This is breaking Mississippi the explosive inside story of one man's war against racial segregation in 1960s America including killing me James May

To become the first black student at the University of Mississippi triggers, what's been described as the last battle of the American Civil War it's a fight that draws in the KKK and he President Kennedy himself age 89 James Meredith tells his story.

I'm Public Radio journalist Jen white and this is breaking Mississippi available now on BBC sounds.