Mehdi Hasan: Gaza, Debating & Independent Media | Sumud Podcast

🎙️This week on the Sumud Podcast, we’re joined by Mehdi Hasan—Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Zeteo, the independent media platform built to challenge power and amplify silenced voices. Known worldwide for his fearless debate style and sharp fact-checking, Mehdi has spent 25 years exposing propaganda and holding leaders to account.

His layered identity—son of Indian immigrants, a Shia Muslim growing up in the UK as a “minority within a minority,” and now an immigrant navigating life across the U.S. and U.K.—has shaped his worldview. These experiences of being both insider and outsider inform his politics, his journalism, and his commitment to journalistic integrity in an era of disinformation.

From Win Every Argument to his viral TV debates, Mehdi’s work blends storytelling with accountability. He reflects on what it means to live between worlds—and how identity, politics, and media intersect in today’s polarized climate.

Beyond his career highlights, Mehdi opens up about the struggles of independent journalism, the dangers faced by Palestinian reporters in Gaza, and why disinformation remains one of the greatest threats to truth.

🔑 In this conversation, we explore:

➡ Why Mehdi built Zeteo to rival corporate media

➡ How lies and propaganda became his “antagonist”

➡ Growing up Muslim in the West

➡ Lessons from Win Every Argument on debate & persuasion

➡ Advice for Palestinian and pro-Palestinian students facing attacks

➡ The murder of Gaza’s journalists and why their voices matter

This video is for educational purposes only. It provides historical and political analysis to inform and educate viewers.

📌 Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction

01:28 – The Birth of Zeteo & Challenging Power

03:19 – Propaganda, Lies & Mehdi’s “Antagonist”

07:09 – Growing Up Shia Muslim in the West

10:24 – Sectarianism, Geopolitics & Divide-and-Rule

13:23 – Debate Lessons from Win Every Argument

19:54 – Advice for Palestinian & Pro-Palestinian Students

24:56 – Rapid Fire Questions

32:52- Final Message: Support Independent Media

📲 Follow: @mehdirhasan & @Zeteo

🎙 Follow our host: @dredhasan

Shop his book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/win-every-argument-the-art-of-debating-persuading-and-public-speaking-mehdi-hasan/18308276?ean=9781250853462&next=t

🌐 Explore more: https://sumudpod.com

Check out: https://zeteo.com/

#Palestine #Sumudpod #MehdiHasan #FreePalestine #IndependentMedia #WinEveryArgument #Gaza #Journalism

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