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Underreported with Nicholas Lemann

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Continue reading The Stories Chinese Fiction Reveals

The Stories Chinese Fiction Reveals

Megan Walsh joins us to share what she found out researching her book The Subplot, and how she knew there was a bigger story to tell about fiction writing in China.

Listen to episode → The Stories Chinese Fiction Reveals
Continue reading The Nuanced Literary Voices in China

The Nuanced Literary Voices in China

China is often seen as a monolith, especially by Westerners. Megan Walsh and Rosie Blau join us to help dispel the master narrative.

Listen to episode → The Nuanced Literary Voices in China
Continue reading An Open Talk on Censorship

An Open Talk on Censorship

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, one of America’s leading China specialists, helps us wade into the intricate and nuanced realities of China.

Listen to episode → An Open Talk on Censorship
Continue reading The Politics of Our Time

The Politics of Our Time

John B. Judis have charted a rise of a new and unexpected political mood produced by widespread dissatisfaction over results of the free-market policies that emerged in the late 20th century.

Listen to episode → The Politics of Our Time
Continue reading What’s Different About the New Left

What’s Different About the New Left

All over the country, the streets are full of protesters in unprecedented numbers. John’s new book, The Socialist Awakening, is an indispensable guide to this political moment.

Listen to episode → What’s Different About the New Left
Continue reading The Truth About Fracking’s Impact

The Truth About Fracking’s Impact

Bethany McLean digs deep into the cycles of boom and bust that have plagued the American oil industry for the past decade.

Listen to episode → The Truth About Fracking’s Impact
Continue reading The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants

The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants

Bethany McLeans chronicles the story of Fannie and Freddie and tells us why homeownership finance is now one of the biggest unsolved issues in today’s global economy—and why it must be placed on firmer ground.

Listen to episode → The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants
Continue reading “The Cosmopolites” rerelease

“The Cosmopolites” rerelease

[Rerelease] Atossa Araxia Abrahamian travels the globe to meet these willing and unwitting “cosmopolites,” or citizens of the world, who inhabit a new, borderless realm where things can go very well, or very badly.

Listen to episode → “The Cosmopolites” rerelease
Continue reading Ghosting the News | Part Two

Ghosting the News | Part Two

Journalism is in crisis. Newspapers, traditionally the major generators of original reporting, are rapidly disappearing, leaving behind news deserts. Margaret Sullivan joins us to analyze the damage, and offer some hope.

Listen to episode → Ghosting the News | Part Two
Continue reading Ghosting the News | Part One

Ghosting the News | Part One

Margaret Sullivan joins us to talk about her book, Ghosting the News. The story Sullivan tells is not a happy one, but is meant to give rise to hope, as she points the way to solutions. But first, we must take a sobering and clear-eyed look at the problem.

Listen to episode → Ghosting the News | Part One
Continue reading The Call | Part Two

The Call | Part Two

In The Call, Krithika Varagur lays out what we really talk about when we talk about Saudi money, and illuminates the global sweep of its ambitions over the last century. 

Listen to episode → The Call | Part Two
Continue reading The Call | Part One

The Call | Part One

In The Call, Krithika Varagur lays out what we really talk about when we talk about Saudi money, and illuminates the global sweep of its ambitions over the last century. 

Listen to episode → The Call | Part One
Continue reading Jeffrey Wasserstrom & “Vigil”

Jeffrey Wasserstrom & “Vigil”

Drawing on a rich store of knowledge and wisdom, and writing with literary power as well as analytic rigor, Jeffrey Wasserstrom makes us understand the deep roots and the broad significance of the tragedy we see unfolding day by day in Hong Kong.

Listen to episode → Jeffrey Wasserstrom & “Vigil”
Continue reading William Wheeler & “State of War”

William Wheeler & “State of War”

William Wheeler joins us to discusses the process of reporting his book State of War, the story of MS-13 and its American roots.

Listen to episode → William Wheeler & “State of War”
Continue reading Tim Wu & “The Curse of Bigness”

Tim Wu & “The Curse of Bigness”

Host Nicholas Lemann sits down with Columbia University law professor, and author of The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age Tim Wu to discuss the politics of Louis Brandeis and Theodore Roosevelt as antitrust has reemerged this year as a major issue in the run-up to the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. 

Listen to episode → Tim Wu & “The Curse of Bigness”
Continue reading New Kings of the World | Part Two

New Kings of the World | Part Two

New Kings of the World examines the new arbiters of mass culture ―India’s Bollywood films, Turkey’s soap operas, and South Korea’s pop music.

Listen to episode → New Kings of the World | Part Two
Continue reading New Kings of the World | Part One

New Kings of the World | Part One

Acclaimed Pakistani writer Fatima Bhutto joins us to talk about her book, New Kings of the World, which examines the new arbiters of mass culture ―India’s Bollywood films, Turkey’s soap operas, and South Korea’s pop music.

Listen to episode → New Kings of the World | Part One
Continue reading Is Progressive Nationalism a Thing?

Is Progressive Nationalism a Thing?

Veteran reporter John B. Judis joins us to talk about his book, The Nationalist Revival, which examines the recent worldwide wave of nationalism.

Listen to episode → Is Progressive Nationalism a Thing?
Continue reading “We Want To Negotiate” with Joel Simon

“We Want To Negotiate” with Joel Simon

We’re kicking off season two with guest Joel Simon, who in nearly two decades at the Committee to Protect Journalists has worked on dozens of hostages cases. He helps us tackle the question: Should governments pay ransom to terrorists?

Listen to episode → “We Want To Negotiate” with Joel Simon
Continue reading LIVE from Columbia: Bethany McLean & Joe Nocera

LIVE from Columbia: Bethany McLean & Joe Nocera

The recent booming fracking industry has led many to declare that America will soon be free of the influence of foreign oil and gas suppliers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia. But will we really? This discussion between Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera will persuade you to think about the power of oil in a new way.

Listen to episode → LIVE from Columbia: Bethany McLean & Joe Nocera
Continue reading Business Gone Bad & the Art of Persistence

Business Gone Bad & the Art of Persistence

Via The Investor’s Field Guide podcast: I’ve often heard that good investors are a bit like journalists: doggedly collecting evidence and building an understanding of how all the pieces of a company or investment fit together. My guest this week is one of my favorite writers and journalists, Bethany McLean. 

Listen to episode → Business Gone Bad & the Art of Persistence
Continue reading High-Speed Empire

High-Speed Empire

Will Doig, author of High Speed Empire, traveled through Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore to chronicle the dramatic transformations taking place. Do ordinary people have a voice in this moment of economic, political, and cultural collision?

Listen to episode → High-Speed Empire
Continue reading LIVE from Columbia: Masha Gessen & Misha Friedman

LIVE from Columbia: Masha Gessen & Misha Friedman

This conversation between journalist Masha Gessen and photographer Misha Friedman is a can’t miss opportunity to hear one of the leading experts on Russia speak about the importance of memory rooted in history and facts.

Listen to episode → LIVE from Columbia: Masha Gessen & Misha Friedman
Continue reading Erin Banco & “Pipe Dreams”

Erin Banco & “Pipe Dreams”

When the US invaded Iraq in 2003, the Bush administration promised that oil revenue would be used to win the war and to rebuild and democratize the country. But fifteen years later, those dreams have been shattered. Where did all the oil revenue go?

Listen to episode → Erin Banco & “Pipe Dreams”
Continue reading Emily Witt on Nollywood

Emily Witt on Nollywood

We sit down with Emily Witt, author of Nollywood: The Making of a Film Empire. Amid electricity cuts, fuel scarcity, and countless other obstacles, how did Nigeria create the second largest movie industry in the world?

Listen to episode → Emily Witt on Nollywood
Continue reading Atossa Araxia Abrahamian & “The Cosmopolites”

Atossa Araxia Abrahamian & “The Cosmopolites”

Atossa Araxia Abrahamian travels the globe to meet these willing and unwitting “cosmopolites,” or citizens of the world, who inhabit a new, borderless realm where things can go very well, or very badly.

Listen to episode → Atossa Araxia Abrahamian & “The Cosmopolites”
Continue reading Helen C. Epstein & “Another Fine Mess”

Helen C. Epstein & “Another Fine Mess”

Helen C. Epstein joins us to talk about her new book Another Fine Mess: America, Uganda, and the War on Terror. Is America to blame for decades of war in eastern Africa? Who is Yoweri Museveni? And where is Trump on all of this?

Listen to episode → Helen C. Epstein & “Another Fine Mess”
Continue reading So, What is Columbia Global Reports Anyway?

So, What is Columbia Global Reports Anyway?

In the first episode of Underreported, we bring in the team to talk about Columbia Global Reports’ mission, our lessons learned from entering the book business, and populism’s role in the German election.

Listen to episode → So, What is Columbia Global Reports Anyway?
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