Trauma Porn, Pity Porn, Tragedy or Triumph or Factual - news reporting on disability, early diagnosis and NHS lack of support.
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About this episode
Our first podcast of 2026 has our usual mix of debate, provocation, humour, and, we like to think, important insight.
We discuss how disability is reported in the media, and whether we, as disabled readers, have our own bias in seeing it one way.
Do medical prognoses collide with our lived experience? If there is no disability voice is there balance?
For a second topic, we highlight how one minute you can get a lot of support as a disabled person, and then suddenly it drops off. When we have little choice of service providers, we often have to put up with poor service. Why are these outsourced service providers getting it so wrong?
Our topics were prompted by the BBC report about singer Jessy Nelson having twin baby daughters who both have SMA. Then there’s the Guardian article written by wheelchair user Paul Sagar, about his trials in getting a wheelchair after an accident.
To finish up, we do our own Spotify Wrapped with our show numbers and a look ahead to 2026’s guests.
Links
Little Mix Jessy Nelson’s children
Other children talk of their diagnosis
Paul Sagar getting frustrated
Beyond Mobility
I’m Not Your Inspiration - Stella Young TedTalk
How to report on disability responsibly in journalism
Disability News Service
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