The podcast that discusses world current affairs with women leaders!
Our host Ilana Bet-El welcomes one or two women experts for an informal conversation to explain, analyse, discuss and highlight events of the day by an array of wonderfully qualified women from all around the world.
Democracy, and freedom, die in ignorance. There is wilful ignorance, as in not wanting to know; there is collateral ignorance, as in watching silly videos and media feeds rather than seeking information; and there is imposed ignorance, when sources of information are cut off and denied.
The Trump administration is blatantly indulging in the latter — both internally and externally. Within the US, the administration is hand picking the media outlets it will deal with, while also dismantling the Department of Education. Outside the US, it has chosen to defund and potentially close both Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and the Voice of America — two amazing organisations that have brought facts and news to people across the globe, notably those in non-democratic regimes.
It seems that for the Trump administration journalism is passé, or worse: a threat. In a world where the boundaries between media, politics and business continue to erode, the likes of Trump, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos—owners of major media outlets—have become central figures in shaping public discourse. Moreover, the rise of entertainment news, change of habits, explosive volumes of news pose significant challenges for journalism today.
To explore these issues, Ilana Bet-El is joined by veteran BBC journalist Kate Adie. In a conversation rich with anecdotes from her storied career, she reflects on the evolution of media, the structural crises of today’s news industry and the fundamental role of journalism in society. Amid the explosion of information and the struggle to filter truth from noise, she argues that people—whether in Europe, the US, Russia, China, or Africa—basically seek real news and information, not propaganda. Because in the end, the truth still matters.
This episode was recorded on 20 March 2025.
We take pride that this episode is part of the third edition of the Podcasthon, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness for a large number of charities worldwide, thanks to (great!) podcasters. For this episode, we would like to put the spotlight on the Committee to Protect Journalists: an independent, nonprofit organisation that promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the right of journalists to report the news safely.
Chapters
What is journalism in an age of billionaires and power struggles?
The decline of traditional media and the rise of digital chaos
The battle between real news and entertainment-driven coverage
The structural crisis of the media industry
Why people still want real journalism—and why it matters
Mentions
Committee to Protect Journalists website, Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter , Youtube
www.podcasthon.org to discover hundreds of other associations!
US Executive decision to close RFE/RL
Russian exuberance to the closure
US Executive decision to shut the Department of Education
Kate Adie reporting on Tiananmen Square
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Credits
Production: Florence Ferrando
Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll License code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT
