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Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from ThinkIn with James Harding podcast

More of the same is different

2024/02/26

It's only February and it already feels like the predictions Tortoise made at the start of the year were frivolous and eccentric. In his first Editor's Voicemail of 2024 James Harding tries to make sense of the scribbles in his notebook and pieces together what he's been hearing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 6 Xinjiang: The China problem

2022/02/01

China stands accused of committing crimes against humanity, and possibly even genocide, against the Uyghur population in Xinjiang. Yet Beijing compares its system of 're-education camps' to the West’s war on terror and says it's entitled to protect its citizens from domestic terrorism. This is the sharp end of the China problem; exhibit A of Xi Jinping's authoritarianism and the west's impotence to defend human rights within China's borders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 5 Universities: The China Problem

2022/01/11

Universities in the UK rely heavily on students from China, and on Chinese money and academic collaborations. But does it all come at a price? A chipping away of academic freedoms and a gagging order on discussing sensitive issues? It's a dilemma which brings the China problem much closer to home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 4 Hong Kong: The China problem

2022/01/04

China's national security law has dismantled freedoms and silenced dissenters in Hong Kong. What does the strangling of freedom of speech reveal about Xi Jinping's China? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 3 Wuhan: The China problem

2021/12/28

What does the story of the difficult search for the origins of Covid-19 reveal about China? The unresolved question of whether the virus occurred naturally or escaped from a laboratory, and the contortions of the Chinese authorities under scrutiny are a parable of our times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 2 Taiwan: The China problem

2021/12/21

How dangerous is China? Are the growing fears that China might attack Taiwan justified, or are the two countries facing an eternal standoff; a prolonged state of fear? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 1 Tiktok: The China problem

2021/12/14

In the technology great game there are plenty of battlefields but Tiktok has been the most public, and the most revealing. This addictive, Chinese-owned video-sharing app has exposed a paranoia from governments in both the east and west over who controls access to information and the power of social media. What does this mean for the future of the internet? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 6: Twitter, Trump and the battle for truth

2021/05/10

You will never again see a Tweet from Donald Trump. He's been banned from Twitter for life without the right to appeal. The world feels quieter, but is it better? The power to hand out megaphones in our democracies, and the power to take them away, now rests in a tiny number of hands. With Anthony Scaramucci, former White House director of communications; Kai Diekmann, former editor of Bild; Gilad Edelman - Political writer at Wired magazine; Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; and Dave Taylor, Editor and reporter at Tortoise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 5: Grenfell Tower and the battle for truth

2021/05/02

Public inquiries have been an important clearing house in the battle for truth. They’ve settled arguments about who was responsible for national scandals and tragedies and, crucially, taken the pen away from people in power and given it to victims and campaigners. In this episode, James Harding and guests ask: in the age of social media, when anyone can hold the pen, can the idea of the public inquiry survive? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 4: Cancel culture and the battle for truth

2021/04/26

Is cancel culture a way to wrest the mic from the powerful? A means of stifling debate? Or both? With guests Suzanne Moore, journalist; Ash Sarkar, Novara Media; Amber Rudd, former Home Secretary; Matt D'Ancona, Tortoise editor and partner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 3: Dominic Cummings, Barnard Castle and the battle for truth

2021/04/21

In theory, the press conference is the crucible where politicians encounter journalists and a truth is revealed. Is it anything like that in practice? James Harding's guests include Beth Rigby, political editor of Sky News; Alastair Campbell, formerly Tony Blair's director of communications; Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary to George Bush; Daniel Maki, who works on intelligence and investigations for the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep 2: Rhodes Must Fall and the battle for truth

2021/04/19

Our history is up for grabs. Who do we honour with statues and what do we celebrate in our museums? Join James Harding and guests to debate how we deal with empire, slavery, and all the rights and wrongs of our past Guests: Bonnie Greer, author and critic; Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, author and Rhodes Must Fall activist; Max Hastings, journalist and author; Zareer Masani, historian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.