The Explanation Podcast
Where the world is explained. Making sense of the big stories - looking behind the spin.
Where the world is explained. Making sense of the big stories - looking behind the spin. Exploring the important questions about long-running stories and the latest global news. An honest, unvarnished, explanation of the world. Episodes from The Explanation, Unspun World, The Global Jigsaw and The Media Show.
Episodes to download
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Unspun World: Donald Trump鈥檚 whirlwind start to his second term
Yesterday
John Simpson examines Donald Trump鈥檚 first few weeks in office
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The Media Show: Bill Gates on tech and politics
Thursday
Microsoft co-founder discusses social media, Trump, and his concerns over misinformation
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Unspun World: How will Trump's second presidency affect the war in Ukraine?
Last Friday
John Simpson reflects on how the collapse of the Soviet Union has shaped Putin鈥檚 Russia
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The Media Show: China鈥檚 AI rise
Thu 30 Jan 2025
DeepSeek shakes up tech, raising security and influence concerns in the West
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Mindu Hornick: Interview with an Auschwitz survivor
Mon 27 Jan 2025
Tim Franks speaks to Mindu Hornick, who survived the Nazis' largest concentration camp
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Unspun World: What's behind the growing tensions between China and Taiwan?
Fri 24 Jan 2025
In Taiwan, John Simpson reflects on the last 60 years of Chinese politics
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The Media Show: Prince Harry鈥檚 legal victory and TikTok鈥檚 future
Thu 23 Jan 2025
Prince Harry gets a formal apology from Murdoch鈥檚 News Group Newspapers and a payout
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The Media Show: Reporting the LA fires
Thu 16 Jan 2025
Challenge and dilemma for journalists reporting on the LA wildfires
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The Media Show: Meta drops fact-checkers and Grand Theft Auto 6 hype builds
Thu 9 Jan 2025
Why Mark Zuckerberg has changed tactics ahead of President Trump鈥檚 return
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The Global Jigsaw: The language of war: Ukraine
Sat 28 Dec 2024
Kyiv鈥檚 answer to the Kremlin鈥檚 warspeak
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The Media Show: Jeans, cars, deodorant
Boxing Day 2024
Advertising legend Sir John Hegarty on creating some of the world鈥檚 most famous ads
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The Media Show: CNN鈥檚 Syria report controversy
Thu 19 Dec 2024
CNN faces backlash over Syrian prisoner misidentification
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The Media Show: Reporting Syria and reaction to Luigi Mangione
Thu 12 Dec 2024
Syria enters a new era for journalists after the fall of the Assad regime
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The Media Show: Reddit's rise
Thu 5 Dec 2024
Why Reddit is one of the world鈥檚 fastest growing social networks
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The Media Show: 大象传媒 presenter defection
Thu 28 Nov 2024
Mishal Husain leaves the 大象传媒 after 26 years to join Bloomberg
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Unspun World: Could Russia's war with Ukraine escalate?
Fri 22 Nov 2024
John Simpson examines the risk of nuclear escalation in Russia鈥檚 war with Ukraine
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The Media Show: Jake Paul v Mike Tyson
Thu 21 Nov 2024
What the Jake Paul v Mike Tyson boxing bout on Netflix tells us about the future of media
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Unspun World: What can the world expect from a second Trump term?
Fri 15 Nov 2024
John Simpson explores the implications of a second Trump term for US foreign policy
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The Media Show: US Election and its impact on media
Thu 14 Nov 2024
Why Trump鈥檚 victory poses a credibility challenge for journalism
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Unspun World: What does the US election tell us about America?
Fri 8 Nov 2024
How the US presidential campaign highlighted the deep divisions in the country
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The Media Show: Trump's winning media strategy
Thu 7 Nov 2024
The pundits and pollsters who got the election wrong
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The Global Jigsaw: Russia鈥檚 鈥渟pecial demographic operation鈥�
Sat 2 Nov 2024
Why is the Kremlin worried about population decline?
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Unspun World: What will Iran do now?
Fri 1 Nov 2024
How the Iranian regime might respond to Israel鈥檚 attack
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The Media Show: Ballots, bias and big tech
Thu 31 Oct 2024
Ros Atkins is in Washington DC and asks what role the media is playing in the election
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The Global Jigsaw: Turkey鈥檚 anti-LGBT drive
Sat 26 Oct 2024
What鈥檚 behind the evolution of the Turkish president's anti-LGBT narrative?
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Unspun World: The Middle East: The regional perspective
Fri 25 Oct 2024
Analysing attitudes of other regional powers towards Israel鈥檚 wars in Gaza and Lebanon
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The Media Show: The king of reality TV
Thu 24 Oct 2024
How Andy Cohen created the Real Housewives phenomenon
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Unspun World: Israel's Middle East strategy
Thu 17 Oct 2024
John Simpson analyses Israel鈥檚 long-term strategy in the Middle East
