Introducing...Elon's SpiesElon Musk is one of the most powerful men in the world. He's a billionaire, the founder of SpaceX, Tesla and more. To his followers, he's a hero; to his critics, a far-right rabble rouser. But for someone so public, there’s one part of his life that’s less well known.Elon’s Spies investigates how this free-speech champion uses private investigators and surveillance to target everyone from whistleblowers at his companies, to online critics and people in his own life. This is episode one of three. You can binge the entire series today by subscribing to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or by downloading the Tortoise app. To listen, search for Elon's Spies wherever you get your podcasts.To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]: Alexi MostrousProducer: Gary MarshallSound design and original composition: Tom KinsellaPodcast artwork: Jon HillExecutive producer: Ceri Thomas Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing...What's Wrong With Democracy?By the end of this year, countries making up half the world’s population will have held elections. But not all of them will have been free and fair. In ‘What’s Wrong with Democracy?’ Professor Ben Ansell of Oxford University will, with the help of academics, journalists, activists and writers, figure out whether democracy is working and how best to preserve democratic freedoms, equality and rights. What’s Wrong with Democracy? is produced by Tortoise Media and supported by The Open Society Foundations. To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]: Professor Ben AnsellProducers: Katie Gunning and Ada BarumeEditor: Jasper CorbettOriginal artwork: Jon Hill | Emma O’Neil Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have an exciting new investigation coming up next week and you can join Tortoise as a member to get early and ad-free access to the new series and support our investigations at tortoisemedia.com/invite. While you're waiting, we wanted to tell you about a new podcast from our friends at Canadaland. Introducing...Pretendians.Why do people pretend to be Native? Hosts Robert Jago (Kwantlen First Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe) Angel Ellis (Muscogee (Creek) Nation) begin their journey by asking someone who has been doing just that. He’s not just your average imposter – "Grand Chief" Guillaume Carle is the king of the “pretendians", a French Canadian who made a small fortune creating his own fake First Nation and issuing phony Indian Status Cards to thousands of other identity thieves.Follow Pretendians on your podcast app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing...To Die ForImagine you were a fly on the wall at a dinner between the mafia, the CIA, and the KGB. That’s where this unprecedented story begins. A journey through the dark world of Russian intelligence where, for the first time, a professed “sex spy” tells her story. All of it.Host Neil Strauss (Rolling Stone, The New York Times) brings listeners into the dangerous world of sexpionage, where enemies of the State are not the only victims. So too are the spies themselves, brainwashed to believe that their bodies belong to Russia and meticulously trained to become “the perfect weapons.” From the creators of the #1 hit podcast series To Live and Die in LA, this is To Die For. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are partnering with Wondery, so that we can continue to bring our listeners investigative series like Hoaxed. You can join Tortoise as a member to get early and ad-free access to new series and support our investigations at www.tortoisemedia.com/inviteIntroducing...The Spy WhoThese are stories you were never meant to hear. The invisible but vital work of the world’s intelligence services: secret operatives playing to very different rules. The Spy Who, hosted by Indira Varma and Raza Jaffrey, takes you deep inside that shadow world to meet spies who risked everything in the national interest – or, sometimes, their own.Search and follow The Spy Who wherever you listen to podcasts, or binge entire seasons early and ad-free on Wondery+ on Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing..Who Trolled Amber?What comes to mind when you think of Amber Heard? Liar? Survivor? Narcissist? Millions of us watched the celebrity trial of the century, Depp v Heard, in 2022. Amber Heard lost and Johnny Depp was vindicated. But what if Amber was actually the victim of an organised trolling campaign? What if the online hate against her was manufactured?Alexi Mostrous, the reporter who brought you Sweet Bobby and Hoaxed, investigates what happened to Amber and who might have been responsible. It’s a story about how our own thoughts and opinions can be moulded without us even realising.The first two episodes of Who Trolled Amber are available now, with further episodes released each week. To listen to the whole series become a Tortoise member or subscribe to Tortoise+.To find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected] and host: Alexi MostrousProducer: Xavier GreenwoodEditor: David TaylorNarrative editor: Gary MarshallAdditional reporting: Katie Riley Sound design: Karla Patella Artwork: Jon Hill & Oscar Ingham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are partnering with Wondery, so that we can continue to bring our listeners brilliant investigations like Hoaxed. You can join Tortoise as a member to get early and ad-free access to new series and support our investigations at www.tortoisemedia.com/inviteFrom Wondery and Goalhanger Podcasts, this is Legacy. A Corsican boy, an outsider, seizes his chance to make a name for himself when France is turned upside down by a long and bloody revolution. He’s relentless in his pursuit of power, and in the pursuit of one woman.Listen to the full episode and follow the feed here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are partnering with Wondery, so that we can continue to bring our listeners brilliant investigations like Hoaxed. You can join Tortoise as a member to get early and ad-free access to new series and support our investigations at www.tortoisemedia.com/inviteIntroducing Hooked On Freddie, a new six-part podcast series from Wondery and Blanchard House.This is the story of Freddie, a wild dolphin who one day in the late 1980s swims into the harbour of a grim northern fishing town, and turns the inhabitants’ worlds upside down.Some believe Freddie the Dolphin has healing powers. Others say that he’s an alien. And everyone wants to swim with him. But Freddie chooses one person above all others - Alan Cooper, a passionate animal rights activist.But one day Alan is accused of taking his passion WAY too far. It becomes a tabloid sensation that grips the country, and a court case that changes Alan’s life forever.Search and Follow ‘Hooked On Freddie’ wherever you listen to podcasts.https://link.chtbl.com/FreddieHoaxed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nikki Allan was 7 years old when she was brutally murdered. Her mother never gave up the hunt to find her killer. David Boyd was a convicted child sex offender who lived three doors down from where Nikki first went missing. So how did it take the police thirty years to find him? This is a story of class prejudice, police corruption and a shocking miscarriage of justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the team that brought you Sweet Bobby, and over three years in the making, Tortoise introduces Into The Dirt – a story about truth, spies and the stories we tell ourselves.Misunderstood whistleblower or traitor to a cause? Our latest six-part podcast series explores the extraordinary story of private spy, Rob Moore.Listen today. Follow Into The Dirt wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you enjoyed listening to Hoaxed, we hope you enjoy the latest podcast from reporter Alexi Mostrous, an episode of this week's Slow Newscast from Tortoise.In 2014, a Jordanian man was imprisoned in Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost Emirate in the UAE. He alleges he has been illegally detained and threatened. The man he primarily blames? A British lawyer called Neil Gerrard.It’s a story that contains allegations of hacking, complicity to torture and an attempted cover up. Neil Gerrard denies all these allegations - but they’ve been described as the most serious ever made against a British lawyer…Search for the Slow Newscast – available now wherever you get your podcasts or clicking this link: https://podfollow.com/the-tortoise-podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing...Pig Iron. A story about the mysterious death – and life – of a young war reporter killed on the frontline in South Sudan. Christopher Allen was just 26 when he died and at first, it looked like another tragedy of war. A journalist caught in the crossfire. But, hours after his death, his story splintered. The government claimed he wasn’t a journalist at all, but a mercenary. Other evidence suggested he was targeted for being a reporter. In this new series from Tortoise and the team behind Sweet Bobby, Pig Iron is a journey into the seduction of war, the complicated relationships made on the frontline and what really happened to Christopher Allen.  Search Pig Iron from Tortoise wherever you get your podcast to listen to the first four episodes of the series, and follow the feed to be the first to know about future episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2014, two children told police a shocking story: that they were being abused by a Satanic cult; a cult headed by their father and by parents and teachers at their school in the wealthy London suburb of Hampstead. The story was a lie. But on the internet, that didn't matter. From the team who brought you Sweet Bobby, Hoaxed is an investigation into one of Britain's most serious-ever conspiracy theories. A story about a modern-day Satanic panic; about the victims whose lives were destroyed and about the conspiracists who spread the lie around the world. Oh, and it's about our hunt for the perpetrators - the people who forced the kids to lie - the ones who started it all. New episodes of Hoaxed launch each week, but Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts get exclusive, early and ad-free access. To access the first 5 episodes now subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get invites to exclusive events. Visit the Tortoise website and use the code Alexi50 for half price membership for £50 per year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.