Today in Focus by the Guardian is a podcast hosted by Nosheen Iqbal and Michael Safi

based on combining personal stories with insightful analysis for a further understanding of
the current news headlines. In this episode, the hosts discuss Boris Johnson's new scheme
in which he sends people seeking asylum in Britain to Rwanda for resettlement.

The podcast uses a range of different audio throughout to cover every aspect of the story
and make it easier to understand. They begin with an introduction to the Rwanda deportation
policy. This is explained using a mixture of audio clips from other presenters and journalists
explaining the policy and the hosts themselves. By using these clips, they reinforce their
points by showing that others are describing it the same way. The quick changes between
clips create tension as it increases the speed of the programme. This highlights the severity
of the topic being discussed as it ultimately affects many people's lives. In this context, I
think this is a very effective technique, especially as it is accompanied by sombre music
which also sets the tone.

Being a subsidiary of the Guardian, the podcast takes a left-wing stance against the policy,
with all of the opinions of the interviewees being against it. They contrast clips of Boris
Johnson announcing the policy against clips of people expressing their concerns which back
up their opinions as it shows the lack of information given and the reality behind their plans.
Using contrasting clips to solidify their opinions works well and I think it’s something that
myself and my group are going to use when creating our audio assignment when
interviewing the vendors versus the customers to see which opinions align and find the truth
about the market.

The journalistic style of the podcast replicates the style of the magazine well. Their approach
when covering a subject matter that can be quite sensitive is very professional and
considerate. They focus on facts and back up their points with news clips, specifically when
talking about the dangers caused when migrants cross the channel. They use clips of news
stories about the tragedies of refugees using this method, as well as statistics to emphasise
the scale of the issue. Although I think this works well, I would’ve liked to see more public
opinions throughout the episode. I think when talking about such a shocking subject that
affects the general public more than anyone else, it would've worked well to include a few
public opinions, even if they all had the same perspective as the professionals as I think it
would’ve backed up the concerns over the policy further.

Overall, the podcast was very insightful into the policy, and as a listener, I understand much
more about it than I did before listening so they are definitely successful in combining
personal stories and insightful analysis in understanding the new immigration policy to
Rwanda.