The Kicker

Earlier this month, Hind Hassan, a decorated documentary news reporter who has covered everything from conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, and Ukraine to the bizarre underworld of the global wellness industry, spoke at a graduation ceremony for students at Columbia Journalism School. In her address, Hassan pointedly apologized for not doing more to make the job safer for the next generation—a reference to, as she explains in this week’s episode of The Kicker, the brutality of the war in Gaza. “We're responsible for what our industry stands for,” she said. “I think it is the responsibility of the industry, of those who have the power, of heads of news organizations, to defend journalists when they come under attack, no matter where they are.”Watch More:*“Starving Gaza”—Hind’s 2024 documentary for Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines*“Inside the Wellness Industry’s Controversial Supply Chains”—Hind’s 2022 film for Vice News*“The Business of War”—Episode One of Hind’s new series for Al Jazeera

For the past few weeks, MAGA media and conservative podcasters have been torn apart over President Trump’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein saga.Anna Merlan, a senior reporter at Mother Jones, joins The Kicker to talk about right-wing media’s efforts to change the subject—and whether their audiences will go along with it. Read more:*Anna Merlan on what happened the last time Trump’s team tried to satisfy right-wing media’s hunger for Epstein news*Merlan on how Trump has constructed a new state media machine at the White House*Ben Mathis-Lilley in Slate on Steve Bannon’s not-so-hidden hand in the Epstein narrative*Charlie Warzel on the “upside down” world of right-wing media supporting Trump (2017)Hosted by Josh HershProduced by Amanda Darrach

Recent weeks have not been very comfortable for the BBC. A documentary about Gaza it refused to broadcast was aired instead by a competitor, to critical acclaim. A livestream of the Glastonbury Festival turned into a political nightmare, after a performer led the crowd in a chant of “Death to the IDF”—leading the network to ditch plans for future “high risk” live shows.But Alan Rusbridger, who spent twenty years as the editor of The Guardian and is now the editor of Prospect magazine, believes the BBC’s problems go much deeper—at a moment when it’s more needed than ever. “The BBC has never really recovered its nerve,” he says.Read More:*Listen to Media Confidential, Rusbridger’s podcast on the media, cohosted with Lionel Barber*Rusbridger: “The BBC Claims Impartiality over Gaza but There Is a Conflict of Interest at Its Heart” — July 2025*Rusbridger: “How the Government Captured the BBC” — January 2024*The Gaza documentary the BBC refused to broadcast*Controversy over an earlier Gaza documentary*The David Kelly sagaHosted by Josh HershProduced by Amanda Darrach

Last year, Branko Brkic, the founder of the Daily Maverick, a South African news outlet, left his day job to launch an advocacy campaign in defense of journalism. Called Project Kontinuum, the organization aims to sound the alarm about the global threats facing the institution of journalism—and to begin to mount a defense.In this conversation, Brkic speaks about the admittedly “bleak” picture that he paints, and why news outlets have to stop playing defense if they want to survive.This podcast was recorded live at ZegFest 2025, in Tbilisi, Georgia.Read more:*Brkic’s 2024 “Call to Arms” for journalism*Brkic’s farewell editorial to readers of Daily Maverick*Daily Maverick reflects on the revelations of its #GuptaLeaks projectAudio producer: Levan KurtskhaliaAudio recorder and editor: Zura PatsiaProduced by: Amanda DarrachHosted by: Josh Hersh

For nearly twenty years, Arwa Damon worked as a journalist covering conflict zones across the Middle East—much of it as a prominent correspondent for CNN. But in 2015, amid the unending horrors of the Syrian civil war, Damon had enough. She left the network and founded Inara, a charity that helps provide treatment to children facing some of the most difficult medical conditions. Her new role has allowed her access to people and places she wouldn’t have seen as a journalist, including four visits to Gaza since October 7, 2023.Damon joins The Kicker to talk about the transition from journalism to humanitarianism—why she reached her limit as a reporter, and how doing aid work draws on many of the same skills. This podcast was recorded live on the sidelines at ZegFest 2025, in Tbilisi, Georgia.Read more:*Learn about Inara, Damon’s charity*Seize the Summit: Damon’s recent documentary about four young survivors of war attempting to climb Mount KilimanjaroAudio recorder and editor: Zura PatsiaProduced by: Amanda DarrachHosted by: Josh Hersh

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad is an award-winning Iraqi journalist for The Guardian and the author of A Stranger in Your Own City (2023), a reported memoir of his life as an architect turned journalist during the American war in Iraq.In this wide-ranging conversation, Abdul-Ahad shares his journey to becoming a reporter, what he was surprised to learn about his own country, and how he approaches depicting the intimate lives of the people caught up in war—from innocent bystanders to murderous warlords.This podcast was recorded live at ZegFest 2025, in Tbilisi, Georgia.Read more:*Ghaith’s book: A Stranger in Your Own City *Mustafa’s story: “The Reluctant Collaborator: Surviving Syria’s Brutal Civil War and Its Aftermath”*Ghaith’s collected reporting for The GuardianAudio producer: Levan KurtskhaliaAudio recorder and editor: Zura PatsiaProduced by: Amanda DarrachHosted by: Josh Hersh

David Fahrenthold won the Pulitzer Prize for his 2016 reporting on how Donald Trump’s lifetime of charitable giving was largely a mirage.Nine years later, he’s still reporting on how Trumpworld’s claims about financial matters don’t always add up—this time, looking closely at the cost-cutting from DOGE for the New York Times. But does this kind of facts-first reporting still land? With Trump doing so much grifting and personal enrichment out in the open, Fahrenthold joins The Kicker to give his answer about why digging up presidential secrets is still worth the effort.Read more:*Fahrenthold’s Pulitzer-winning reporting on Trump’s charitable giving*Some closer looks at DOGE’s so-called “wall of receipts”*Who attended Trump’s crypto dinner at the White House?Hosted by Josh HershProduced by Amanda Darrach

For more than thirty years, Phil Williams has been the steadying voice of investigative reporting at NewsChannel 5, in Nashville. His deep dives into toxic wastewater and lobbyist access to state politicians have earned him a slew of major journalism awards, including five Peabodys and five duPont-Columbia Awards.But in recent years, his most viral moments have been his unflappable encounters with extremists and neo-Nazis, who have popped up brazenly in communities around Nashville—that is, until Williams shows up with receipts.Read and watch more of Williams’s reporting:*Confronting Hate – NewsChannel 5’s 2024 investigation into local extremist groups.*Hate Comes to Main Street – An investigation into a local politician’s association with hate groups.*Revealed – Williams’s deep dive into the special access lobbyists have to Tennessee politicians.

Last week, Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for the end of funding for NPR and PBS. It’s the latest attempt by conservatives to cut back on support for public media, and in particular target NPR, which they view as having a liberal bias.Katherine Maher, NPR’s CEO, says that perception is deeply unfair—and notes that the vast majority of the funding for public media goes to local stations, which are widely trusted across the political spectrum.But the battle to insulate NPR from political influence is not easy—and, as Maher explains, it’s facing its toughest challenge yet.Read More:*NPR’s coverage of Trump’s recent executive order*CJR on how local and tribal radio stations have the most to lose from a funding cut*Uri Berliner, a former NPR editor, launched a broadside against the network last year for having too much of a liberal biasHosted by Josh HershProduced by Amanda Darrach

A few years ago, El Salvador was one of the most violent nations in the world, with gang killings taking the lives of dozens of people every week. Nayib Bukele, elected president in 2019, changed all that—today, violence is way down. But his brute-force approach to the problem has involved mass arrests, secret deals, and forced disappearances into a harsh prison system—which is apparently the envy of many in the Trump administration.Filmmaker Neil Brandvold has covered much of El Salvador’s transition from dangerous gangland to authoritarian dreamworld, and he joins The Kicker to explain the methods Bukele used to construct his fragile peace.Read/Watch more:*Neil’s 2024 Fault Lines documentary on El Salvador’s gang crackdown.*Neil’s 2018 Economist video about a religious reform movement for gang members.*Neil’s 2019 New York Times video including interview with Nayib Bukele.*El Faro’s 2020 investigative reporting on Bukele’s early deals with the MS-13 gang. Hosted by Josh HershProduced by Amanda Darrach