J-Lab

About J-Lab

A forum for professional, student and community journalists in the north east of England to meet, learn and collaborate. It’s supported by Newcastle University.

Publisher

Civic Journalism Lab at Newcastle University

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Nov 2017

Latest episode

5 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 46 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   5 Mar 2026

   J-Lab Episode 46: Reimagining local news, with Jim Waterson of London Centric

   Jim Waterson is former media editor at The Guardian and now the publisher of London Centric, which covers politics, business and life in the UK capital via a fast-growing Substack newsletter as well as TikTok videos. After years reporting on national media, Jim made a striking decision: to step away from one of the most influential journalism jobs in Britain and try to build something new — a reader-funded local news operation focused on London. London Centric combines deep investigations with explainers and features about the city — and it’s built around a simple idea: that a core of paying subscribers can support ambitious reporting that might otherwise struggle to survive in the digital advertising economy. In our conversation, we ask Jim what local journalism looks like in 2026 — what works, what doesn’t, and what opportunities might exist for the next generation of local news reporters. To read Jim’s reporting or subscribe to the newsletter, visit londoncentric.media while his TikToks are @JimWaterson J-Lab is the podcast from Newcastle University’s Civic Journalism Lab — where we explore how journalism is evolving and what it means for the next generation of reporters.

2. 

   8 Jan 2026

   J-Lab Episode 45: The Salt Path scandal, with Chloe Hadjimatheou of the Observer

   This episode centres on The Salt Path, a publishing phenomenon that has sold millions of copies worldwide, inspired a major film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, and has become, for many readers, a story of endurance, love and hope in the face of loss. But over the past year, that story has also become the subject of a major investigation by The Observer. Our guest is Chloe Hadjimatheou, narrative editor at The Observer, whose reporting has examined serious questions about the truth-claims of The Salt Path, including the authors’ identities, the circumstances around the loss of their home, the presentation of illness, and what responsibilities publishers, journalists and readers have when a memoir presents itself as fact. In our conversation, Chloe takes us inside that investigation: from the first tip-off that something didn’t quite add up, through months of document-trawling and interviews, to the ethical, legal and emotional decisions involved in publishing a story that challenged a book so many people loved. We also talk more broadly about narrative investigation as a form, what kinds of stories Chloe is drawn to, what this case says about our appetite for certain kinds of stories — and what advice she has for early-career journalists who want to do deep, patient reporting in a fast and pressured media environment. You can read Chloe's reporting for the Observer at https://observer.co.uk/contributor/chloe-hadjimatheou and listen to her podcast series by searching for "The Walkers" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or BBC Sounds. J-Lab is a podcast by the Civic Journalism Lab at Newcastle University.

3. 

   12 Dec 2025

   J-Lab Episode 44: Reporting on the deaths of young people in custody, with Dani Garavelli

   In this episode, we talk with award-winning investigative journalist Dani Garavelli, whose reporting for the London Review of Books on the suicides of Katie Allan and William Lindsay at Polmont Young Offenders Institution has been nominated for a British Journalism Award. Dani has spent years uncovering the systemic failures that contributed to these deaths — and has also reported some of Scotland’s most significant recent stories, from the Sheku Bayoh case to the Alex Salmond trial, as well as long-form investigations into domestic abuse, youth justice and institutional accountability. In our conversation we talk about how she gained the trust of grieving families, what her reporting revealed about Scotland’s justice and care systems, how she structures complex features and what advice she has for young journalists who want to hold powerful institutions to account. You can read Dani's award-nominated feature "Jailed, Failed, Forgotten: Deaths in Custody" at https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n03/dani-garavelli/jailed-failed-forgotten and follow her on X @DaniGaravelli1 J-Lab is a podcast by the Civic Journalism Lab at Newcastle University

Inside a recent episode

J-Lab Episode 5: Comedy + Journalism = ??

Published 2 Jul 2018 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And so it's very difficult to do a lot of, kind of, like, news satire. We last, pathetically, you know, the world wording was fantastic, because it was like a big story that everyone was talking about, you know, it is a bit pathetic over us. But it was really good for us last week, because it was just, you know, some fresh, fresh places for us to go, and so it worked really well. But what we've moved a lot into now, is this kind of social satire, which is satirising, like, social tropes, and clasps, and things like that, which is a bit less, hard music, but it's very, very, kind of, very effective, anyway, from my point of view. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings