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.
Featuring new episodes of The President's Path, Unspun World with John Simpson, and The Media Show.
Episodes to download
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The Media Show: Reporting the Predator at Harrods
Thu 26 Sep 2024
How the ѿý exposed the billionaire businessman Mohamed Al Fayed
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The Media Show: Trump’s Pet-eating Conspiracy Theory
Thu 19 Sep 2024
Tracing the origin of the rumour that spawned an extraordinary political soundbite
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The Media Show: Russia’s alleged influencer propaganda plot
Thu 12 Sep 2024
US says YouTubers have been paid to post videos with “hidden Russian government messages”
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The Media Show: Why Korean TV rules the world
Thu 5 Sep 2024
From Squid Game to The Masked Singer some of the most popular shows come from South Korea
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The Media Show: Telegram founder arrested
Thu 29 Aug 2024
What the Pavel Durov case means for the future of social media
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US Supreme Court
Sat 24 Aug 2024
Do nine justices in the Supreme Court fairly represent the diversity of views in the US?
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The Media Show - TV’s Hidden Dilemma
Thu 22 Aug 2024
The makers of global hits on a difficult year for TV
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What is the United Nations?
Sat 17 Aug 2024
Striving for peace & equality on a healthy planet, is the United Nations fit for purpose?
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The Media Show: Social media as crime scene
Thu 15 Aug 2024
How police are using social media to find evidence against rioters in the UK
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Big Tech – too big to hide from?
Sat 10 Aug 2024
We find out how Big Tech companies may know more about you - than you do.
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The Global Jigsaw: The Taliban’s war on women
Thu 8 Aug 2024
The group’s return to power in Afghanistan has seen the erasure of women from public life
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The Media Show: Online rumours and real-world consequences
Thu 8 Aug 2024
How misinformation on social media fuelled the recent anti-immigration riots in England
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The Media Show: Who will inherit the Murdoch empire?
Thu 1 Aug 2024
How Rupert Murdoch is locked in a legal battle with three of his children
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Why is the Gulf Stream and AMOC so important to our climate?
Sat 27 Jul 2024
Complex ocean currents keep Europe warm and bring rain to Africa, but could they end?
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The Media Show: Can memes win the US election?
Thu 25 Jul 2024
Why supporters of Kamala Harris believe the battle to win is online
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What makes a good peace mediator?
Sat 20 Jul 2024
Brokering peace between warring nations, how does it work and what causes failure?
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The Media Show: Reporting from the scene of the Trump shooting
Thu 18 Jul 2024
Journalists from ѿý, Bloomberg and Getty share their account of a moment in history
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The Media Show: The war reporter who stopped to help
Thu 11 Jul 2024
Why Oz Katerji decided to temporarily stop reporting and help injured Ukrainians
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The Media Show: Reporting Biden’s Health
Thu 4 Jul 2024
Is the White House press corps doing its job?
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Unspun World: The UK election
Fri 28 Jun 2024
Plus, what impact is extreme heat having on the world?
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The Media Show: Julian Assange - journalist or activist?
Thu 27 Jun 2024
The WikiLeaks founder and his impact on journalism
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The Media Show: How podcasts took over the world
Thu 20 Jun 2024
In the space of 20 years, podcasting has gone from hobby to big business
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The Global Jigsaw: The evolution of the Islamic State Group
Tue 18 Jun 2024
After a lull in activities, in 2024 IS claimed to be behind several major attacks
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Unspun World: Israel's war cabinet fragments
Fri 14 Jun 2024
Plus, why isn't economic growth having a greater impact on the US presidential election?
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The Media Show: How to interview a Prime Minister
Thu 13 Jun 2024
We speak to a journalist who sat down with Rishi Sunak
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Unspun World: The new threats to global peace and security
Fri 7 Jun 2024
Plus, why did the ANC fail to win a majority in South Africa?
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Unspun World: Will the UK's election change its place in the world?
Fri 31 May 2024
Plus, can Iran's governing elite win back popular support?