The Audio Long Read - podcast cover

The Audio Long Read

The Guardianwww.theguardian.com
The Audio Long Read podcast is a selection of the Guardian’s long reads, giving you the opportunity to get on with your day while listening to some of the finest longform journalism the Guardian has to offer, including in-depth writing from around the world on current affairs, climate change, global warming, immigration, crime, business, the arts and much more. The podcast explores a range of subjects and news across business, global politics (including Trump, Israel, Palestine and Gaza), money, philosophy, science, internet culture, modern life, war, climate change, current affairs, music and trends, and seeks to answer key questions around them through in depth interviews explainers, and analysis with quality Guardian reporting. Through first person accounts, narrative audio storytelling and investigative reporting, the Audio Long Read seeks to dive deep, debunk myths and uncover hidden histories. In previous episodes we have asked questions like: do we need a new theory of evolution? Whether Trump can win the US presidency or not? Why can't we stop quantifying our lives? Why have our nuclear fears faded? Why do so many bikes end up underwater? How did Germany get hooked on Russian energy? Are we all prisoners of geography? How was London's Olympic legacy sold out? Who owns Einstein? Is free will an illusion? What lies beghind the Arctic's Indigenous suicide crisis? What is the mystery of India's deadly exam scam? Who is the man who built his own cathedral? And, how did the world get hooked on palm oil? Other topics range from: history including empire to politics, conflict, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Gaza, philosophy, science, psychology, health and finance. Audio Long Read journalists include Samira Shackle, Tom Lamont, Sophie Elmhirst, Samanth Subramanian, Imogen West-Knights, Sirin Kale, Daniel Trilling and Giles Tremlett.
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Episodes

Nitrogen wars: the Dutch farmers’ revolt that turned a nation upside-down

In 2019, a looming crisis over pollution led the Dutch government to crack down on farm emissions. The response was furious – and offers a warning to other countries about protecting the environment without losing public trust. By Paul Tullis. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Dec 08, 202341 min

From the archive: The rise and fall of French cuisine

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2019: French food was the envy of the world – before it became trapped by its own history. Can a new school of traditionalists revive its glories?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Dec 06, 202336 min

A violent murder, a child on death row

Paula Cooper was 15 when she murdered 77-year-old Ruth Pelke in her Indiana home, and was sentenced to death. But a campaign for her life came from an unexpected quarter. By Alex Mar. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Dec 01, 202336 min

From the archive: ‘We the people’: the battle to define populism

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2019: The noisy dispute over the meaning of populism is more than just an academic squabble – it’s a crucial argument about what we expect from democracy. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Nov 29, 202344 min

Chainsaws, disguises and toxic tea: the battle for Sheffield’s trees

What started out as a small protest escalated into a decade-long struggle between the council and hundreds of ordinary people who decided to take radical action to save their city’s trees. By Samira Shackle. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Nov 24, 202354 min

From the archive: How the murders of two elderly Jewish women shook France

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2018: Two killings in Paris, one year apart, have inflamed the bitter French debate over antisemitism, race and religion. By James McAuley. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Nov 22, 202353 min

Inside the Taliban’s luxury hotel

Once the site of legendary parties, the Intercontinental in Kabul is still a potent symbol of who rules Afghanistan – and what its future might hold. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Nov 17, 202337 min

Special Edition: Behind the scenes at the Long Read

To celebrate the launch of the new Guardian Long Read magazine this week, join the Long Read editor David Wolf in discussion with regular contributors Sophie Elmhirst and Samanth Subramanian • The Guardian Long Read magazine is available to order now. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Nov 15, 202325 min

The mass protest decade: why did the street movements of the 2010s fail?

From Brazil to Egypt, Turkey to Hong Kong, the 2010s saw a series of huge public uprisings. Yet many of them led to the opposite of what they asked for. I spoke to 200 participants across 12 countries to find out why. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Nov 13, 202334 min

From the archive: The last of the Zoroastrians

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2020: A funeral, a family, and a journey into a disappearing religion. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Nov 08, 202342 min

From the archive: What I have learned from my suicidal patients

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2019: A GP has minutes to try to convince a person that life is worth living. It’s a challenge that brings rare rewards. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Nov 01, 202330 min

From the archive: ‘In our teens, we dreamed of making peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Then my friend was shot’

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2022: At a summer camp for kids from conflict zones, I met my brave, funny friend Aseel. He was Palestinian. I was Israeli. When he was killed by police, my hope for our future died with him. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Oct 25, 202341 min

From the archive: Cholera and coronavirus: why we must not repeat the same mistakes

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2020: Cholera has largely been beaten in the west, but it still kills tens of thousands of people in poorer countries every year. As we search for a cure for coronavirus, we have to make sure it will be available to everyone, not just to those in wealthy nations. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod...

Oct 18, 202334 min

The widow and the murderer: a friendship born of tragedy

A decade after Maixabel Lasa’s husband was shot by Basque separatists, she received a message from one of his killers. He wanted to meet her. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Oct 13, 202350 min

From the archive: ‘A body drifted past the window’: surviving the Ladbroke Grove train crash

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2019: On 5 October 1999, two trains collided at speed in west London, killing both drivers and 29 passengers. Barrister Greg Treverton-Jones, who survived the crash and worked on the harrowing inquiry, pieced together what went wrong Warning: this article contains graphic descriptions of injury and trauma. Help support our independent journalis...

Oct 04, 202330 min

Empire of dust: what the tiniest specks reveal about the world

Nobody normally gives a second thought to dust, but it is inescapable. And if we pay close attention, we can see the biggest things – time, death and life itself – within these tiny floating particles. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Oct 02, 202326 min
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