Best Disinformed Content Podcasts (2025)

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Why the UN is in crisis, plus the death of the two-state solution 39:37

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5m ago39:37

39:37

Is the UN still relevant? The organisation faces numerous unresolved conflicts, a cash crisis, deep polarisation among its members, a bloated bureaucracy and the waning interest of its biggest backer, the US. Venetia Rainey speaks to Richard Gowan, veteran UN watcher and UN director for the US think tank International Crisis Group. He says the body…

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Why Trump supporters are predicting an English civil war 52:02

3d ago52:02

52:02

What links Elon Musk, Steve Bannon and Tommy Robinson? They all believe England is on the cusp of civil war. As US President Donald Trump wraps up his second state visit to the UK, hosts Venetia Rainey and Roland Oliphant examine the darker side of the transatlantic “special relationship” — from American support for the British far-right to the spr…

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Techdirt’s Mike Masnick on Growing Bluesky, Clueless Regulators & the Case for Optimism 1:14:48

5d ago1:14:48

1:14:48

Techdirt founder & editor Mike Masnick has long argued that the internet’s power should lie with its users. In his landmark 2019 essay, Protocols, Not Platforms, he laid out a vision for how decentralized systems could preserve free speech while avoiding the pitfalls of centralized control. That vision has since helped inspire Bluesky, where Mike n…

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The Role of Cognitive Load in Digital Learning (Margaret and Taye) 18:54

5d ago18:54

18:54

In this episode, hosts Taye and Margaret delve into the realm of multimedia learning. They discuss the daily interaction with digital content, from blog posts to Zoom meetings, and emphasize the practical application of multimedia principles. The conversation highlights the cognitive load theory and personalization principle, referencing Richard My…

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Why the UN thinks Israel is committing genocide in Gaza 37:20

41m ago37:20

37:20

In a bombshell report, the UN has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza for the first time. Chris Sidoti, one of the report's authors and a human rights law expert, explains why on this bonus episode of Battle Lines. Speaking to host Venetia Rainey and Telegraph reporter Lilia Sebouai, he delves into the report's findings, how his team reac…

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A Different Perspective with Peter York - Culture Wars, Disinformation and the Future of Human Connection 1:06:08

7d ago1:06:08

1:06:08

This week Nick talks to Peter York Peter York is an author, broadcaster, journalist, management consultant and cultural commentator. He was Style Editor of Harper’s & Queen for ten years and co-authored The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook in 1982. He co-founded the consultancy SRU Ltd, later chaired a UK government Foresight committee on the future…

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'This will escalate': What next after Charlie Kirk's assassination 36:57

1d ago36:57

36:57

The assassination of Charlie Kirk marks more than a shocking act of political violence - it is a symptom of America’s accelerating era of violent populism, and it will continue to escalate without intervention. That's according to Robert Pape, one of the world’s foremost experts on political violence, terrorism, and national security and director o…

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Bonus: Cory Doctorow on Sci-Fi Influences & the Social Media Bill of Rights 20:33

43m ago20:33

20:33

We had more to talk about with Cory Doctorow than we could fit in this week’s episode. In this bonus ep, the science fiction author and internet rights activist talks to Rabble about being raised by science fiction in Toronto, and his one objection to the social media bill of rights: the right to “own” your connections to other people. “I think own…

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A day at UK’s largest arms fair, plus Qatar and Poland attacks 48:52

7h ago48:52

48:52

It's been a week of big developments, with Nato planes scrambled after Russia sent more than a dozen drones into Polish airspace, and Qatar on high alert after Israel bombed a Hamas negotiating team in the centre of Doha. Roland and Venetia unpack the significance of the events and what might happen next. Plus, the team spends a day at DSEI, one of…

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Cory Doctorow on Escaping Big Tech, Privacy Battles & “Enshittification” 1:08:42

8d ago1:08:42

1:08:42

Sci-fi isn’t about hypothetical technologies, but rather about challenging the social impact of that tech, says author and activist Cory Doctorow. And in the real world, we must be just as conscious of the societal impact of the tech products we use. “Apologists for Big Tech would like you to think that all of the properties of their platforms are …

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Multimodal-ala-Mode: Teaching Multimodality (Michael and Aaron) 20:27

12d ago20:27

20:27

In this premiere episode of The Class Act Podcast, hosts Mike Lombardo and Aaron Hung dive into multimodal literacy and what it means for today’s classrooms. They explore multimodality in education, drawing on ideas from Kress, Gardner, and include an in depth discussion on visual literacy and digital media. The discussion highlights how images, vi…

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Kim Jong Un: the underestimated dictator and his teen protege 43:49

3d ago43:49

43:49

For three generations the Kim dynasty has ruled North Korea with ruthless precision. Now Kim Jong Un appears to be grooming his 12-year-old daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his heir—a bold move in a country where women have never held power. At the same time, reports surface of a disastrous US Navy SEALs mission to bug Kim’s communications, ending in civili…

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'A mole blew our CIA cover': The spy couple who found love on the frontline 55:24

7d ago55:24

55:24

Andrew and Jihi Bustamante aren’t your average married couple — they met inside the CIA and their romance played out under the shadow of espionage. In this gripping conversation, they reveal how they fell in love during training, the reality of life inside America’s most secretive agency, and how a mole within the CIA blew their cover. Love, lies, …

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Taylor Lorenz on Moral Panics, Tech Villains & Protecting Free Expression 1:04:58

5d ago1:04:58

1:04:58

Journalist and Power User host Taylor Lorenz has reported on the fall of Vine, influencers who accept "dark money," and the proliferation of far-right content on Substack, just to name a few.Today on Revolution.Social, she joins Rabble to talk about why governments, including the U.S., are advancing laws to restrict free speech online; the misleadi…

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Axis of upheaval: Inside China's military parade with Russia, North Korea and Iran 38:03

6d ago38:03

38:03

China's biggest ever military parade boasted sophisticated new weapons, thousands of goose-stepping troops, and a guest list designed to put the West on notice. The footage of Chinese President Xi Jinping walking in between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in particular was a clear message to the US, Europe and i…

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A Different Perspective with Flowtech CEO, Mike England - From 17 Brands to One, Digital Launch, Acquisitions and Growth in the £30bn Fluid Power Market 55:50

21d ago55:50

55:50

This week Nick talks to Mike England Mike holds a Master's Degree in Engineering and brings over 25 years of commercial and operational leadership experience in industrial product distribution and services. He spent eight years with FTSE100 RS Group plc, where he held key leadership roles including Group Chief Operating Officer, overseeing P&L acro…

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The battle for Darfur + Chinese weapons in Sudan 32:36

8d ago32:36

32:36

As the war for Sudan's Darfur region heats up, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are stepping up their brutal siege on the last remaining army stronghold of El Fasher, with new satellite pictures showing a wall being built around the northern city. The RSF have been accused of genocide for conducting a campaign of violence, rape and murder against Dar…

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Famine denials, dead journalists and disinformation: the war on truth in Israel 48:07

12d ago48:07

48:07

As the old cliché goes, the first casualty when war comes is truth. In the past week, Israel has denied that it has caused a famine in Gaza, accusing the UN-backed body behind the report of a “blood libel”, and killed five more journalists in a widely condemned double-tap attack on a hospital. It is part of a wider trend that has made getting to th…

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Chris Messina on Hashtags, Google+ & the Unintended Consequences of Building Social Media 1:05:39

12d ago1:05:39

1:05:39

Chris Messina is best known for co-founding BarCamp and giving Web 2.0 the hashtag. Now on Revolution.Social, he joins Rabble to talk about the bigger picture of what has gone right, and wrong, with social media. In this episode, he and Rabble unpack why Google+ failed, the unintended consequences of hashtags, and how algorithms have reshaped our d…

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‘We can’t future-proof our defence, but we can be future-ready’ 27:44

23d ago27:44

27:44

How can Nato make itself future-ready? What are the biggest threats facing Western democracy? And what black swan event helped change the course of the First World War? To find out, Venetia chats to Dr Gabriele Rizzo, a defence futurist and foresight strategist whose job is to imagine different possibilities and help his clients prepare for them. H…

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Inside havenX: Fighting Crypto Kidnappings & Digital Surveillance 32:38

19d ago32:38

32:38

In this conversation from Boston Blockchain Week, Alec Harris, founder of HavenX and an expert in digital and physical security, sits down to expose the modern threats lurking behind your digital footprint. From virtual kidnappings powered by voice cloning to North Korean social engineering attacks, Alec walks us through real-world case studies, wh…

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Did Trump really stop six wars? 32:29

22d ago32:29

32:29

In his desperate attempt to win the Nobel Peace Prize, President Trump claims to have ended at least six wars around the world. But how does that stack up in reality? In this episode Roland Oliphant hears from Telegraph correspondents Adrian Blomfield and Sarah Newey alongside Caucasus expert James Kilner about Trump’s actual involvement, or not, i…

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Medium CEO Tony Stubblebine on AI Slop, Quality Content & Social Media Fragmentation 1:11:38

19d ago1:11:38

1:11:38

After the introduction of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, the blogging platform Medium got ten times busier, says CEO Tony Stubblebine — and that was not a good thing. "Most of it was slop," he says. "Our job got a little bit harder on the filtering side. Actually, a lot harder on the filtering side." Luckily, Medium had already built human-ru…

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A Different Perspective with Benedict Evans - AI’s Evolution: Hype, Real-World Impact and Moral Panic 1:01:26

1M ago1:01:26

1:01:26

In this weeks episode Nick talks to Benedict Evans Benedict Evans is an independent analyst with over 25 years’ experience in mobile, media, and technology. Evans recounts his career journey, from equity analysis of mobile operators, to strategic roles in media and telecoms, and later his work at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Nick and B…

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Remembering WWII's 'forgotten army': VJ Day 44:43

27d ago44:43

44:43

Eighty years on from Victory over Japan day in 1945, the contribution of British and Commonwealth soldiers in a brutal battle against the Imperial Japanese armed forces is often overlooked. The fact that the dropping of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved the lives of many in prisoner of war camps is even less discussed. Featuring voic…

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What Ukrainians want from Trump and Putin's meeting 40:09

1M ago40:09

40:09

As US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin get ready to meet in Alaska, there has been lots of talk about what Washington, Moscow and even Europe want from the historic summit. But what about Ukrainians? What do they want? To find out, Roland speaks to former Ukrainian defence minister and chairman of the Center for Defence Strategies…

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"Invisible Rulers" author Renee DiResta on Propaganda, Disinformation, & Online Abuse 1:17:17

30d ago1:17:17

1:17:17

Renee DiResta has spent a decade tracking how small groups can hijack global conversations — and why the same tactics still work today. The author of "Invisible Rulers" and a leading academic researcher on online influence, she joins Rabble on Revolution.Social to unpack the hidden forces shaping what we see — and believe — on social media. Drawing…

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Frenemy: why Australia can't live without China 38:13

1M ago38:13

38:13

Australia holds a unique position in global geopolitics - on the other side of the world but still very much a 'Western' country. To that end, Roland Oliphant speaks with former Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne about the delicate balancing act his country faces in dealing with an increasingly sharp-elbowed China; and whether President T…

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Bonus Episode: News Deserts, Echo Chambers, and the Digital Town Square 19:01

2M ago19:01

19:01

In this special bonus episode of On Assignment, guest host Dr. Leona M. Rios explores one of the most urgent issues in journalism today: the collapse of local news and the rise of informal digital ecosystems filling the void. From the closure of hundreds of newspapers to the surprising role Facebook groups and WhatsApp chats now play in rural Ameri…

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How Putin, Xi and Trump sparked a new nuclear arms race 45:42

2M ago45:42

45:42

Nuclear weapons are back. This week, Moscow announced that it would no longer abide by the once hugely significant Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Last week, President Donald Trump announced that he had moved nuclear submarines towards Russia. From growing stockpiles in China and North Korea, to growing cooperation between the UK an…

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Substack CEO Chris Best on Democratizing Media, Content Moderation & Freedom of Speech 56:04

1M ago56:04

56:04

"If you're a consistent advocate for freedom of the press, you will unfortunately have occasion to quarrel with every party and every side of the political spectrum," says Substack CEO Chris Best. As one of the most important platforms for independent writing online, and one of the only ones not reliant on advertising, Substack has sometimes attrac…

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A Different Perspective with Lionel Barber, Journalist and Author - Inside SoftBank: Masayoshi Son’s High-Stakes Vision 45:54

2M ago45:54

45:54

This week Nick talks to Lionel Barber. Lionel Barber is a distinguished British journalist best known for his tenure as Editor of the Financial Times from 2005 to 2020, during which he spearheaded its transformation into a globally respected, digital-first news organisation. A graduate of St Edmund Hall, Oxford, he began his career at The Scotsman …

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Israel's growing isolation - and why it benefits Hamas 30:15

2M ago30:15

30:15

Amid growing international outrage over an unfolding famine in Gaza, lack of aid supplies and the high death toll in the ongoing war, Israel is increasingly isolated on the world stage. Last week, several of Israel's major Western allies - the UK, France and Canada - set out a timetable for recognising a Palestinian state. In the following days, an…

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The Darkening Forest: How Informal News Ecosystems Are Reshaping What We Know 9:26

2M ago9:26

9:26

As local newspapers vanish and broadcast outlets shrink, a new—and often shadowy—ecosystem is stepping in to fill the information void: Facebook groups, WhatsApp chats, and community-run pages now serve as the de facto newsrooms for thousands of towns across the country. In this episode of On Assignment, host Gath Townsend speaks with Dr. Leona M. …

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Why We Need a New Social Media Bill of Rights 20:50

1M ago20:50

20:50

Thanks for listening to Revolution.Social! in this bonus episode, recorded live at Web Summit Vancouver in May 2025, Rabble speaks with Penny Daflos, reporter for CTV News Vancouver. They discuss Rabble's work as part of the founding team at Twitter, why we need to reframe and create social media 'rights' for both developers and users, and how to c…

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Bonus Episode: Bridging the Divide – Journalism in an Age of Polarization 13:12

2M ago13:12

13:12

In this special bonus episode of On Assignment, guest host Dr. Kanji Nakamura, a civic engagement expert from San Francisco, unpacks one of the most urgent threats to American democracy: political polarization. As partisan divides deepen and media discourse grows more combative, what role should journalism play in restoring trust and fostering dial…

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China’s military (3/3): Why, when and how it might invade Taiwan 35:58

2M ago35:58

35:58

Will China invade Taiwan? If so, when and what signs should we look for that will show it is imminent? How exactly could Beijing seize the island? And what would the US do in response? These questions have been at the core of Indo-Pacific security concerns for decades, but in recent years, the threat has become more tangible - and the questions mor…

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Yoel Roth on Banning Trump, Battling Bots & the Difficult Job of Trust & Safety 56:48

1M ago56:48

56:48

"Content moderation decisions are like assholes," says Yoel Roth, the former head of trust & safety for Twitter. "Everybody's got one." The underrated challenge of working in trust and safety is that every decision could affect millions of users, and the reasons for those decisions are often opaque. Today on Revolution.Social, Yoel and Rabble talk …

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China’s military (2/3): Its three major flaws and how Xi is trying to fix them 22:04

2M ago22:04

22:04

China’s military is not a real army - it’s the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party. Ideology is paramount and corruption is endemic. Plus, the People’s Liberation Army hasn’t fought a war since 1979. Xi Jinping calls it “the peace disease”. In episode two of this three-part series, Venetia Rainey looks at the PLA’s weaknesses and how the Chin…

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Quantum Civics and Journalism: How Local Focus Can Bridge National Divides 16:48

2M ago16:48

16:48

What if the key to healing our national divisions isn’t in Washington, but right next door? In this episode of On Assignment, host Liz Cochrane explores the idea of “Quantum Civics” — the notion that small, local civic actions can ripple out to address some of our deepest societal rifts. She’s joined by Dr. Kenji Nakamura, a San Francisco-based res…

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China's military (1/3): How it went from obsolete to world-class 24:03

2M ago24:03

24:03

Dive into the strengths and weaknesses of China’s military and its remarkable transformation over the last few decades from obsolete to world-class in a new special series on Battle Lines. How significant is China’s military buildup? What does Xi Jinping’s ongoing purge mean for the People’s Liberation Army? And how likely is an invasion of Taiwan …

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Verified Voices: The Promise and Pitfalls of User-Generated Content 9:41

2M ago9:41

9:41

In this special bonus episode of On Assignment, guest host Dr. Marisol Treviño unpacks the complex world of user-generated content (UGC) — the citizen-shot videos, social media posts, and crowdsourced stories that are rapidly reshaping modern journalism. From the frontlines of breaking news to investigative reporting powered by public contributions…

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Why Gaza is starving, plus Thailand-Cambodia conflict explained 38:32

2M ago38:32

38:32

What exactly is going on inside the Gaza strip? Amid growing reports of children starving to death and fears of full-blown famine, the international community appears to be becoming more critical of Israel. Roland Oliphant hears from a UNICEF staffer with recent on the ground experience in Gaza about why mass starvation is setting in - but is still…

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Kara Swisher on Tech Founders' Flaws & Why Social Apps Are the New Cigarettes 49:21

2M ago49:21

49:21

The founders of social media companies like Facebook and Twitter never cared about the lofty ideals they claimed, says longtime tech journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher. "I never thought they were idealistic. I thought they were there to make money," she says.Swisher, who co-hosts Pivot and also hosts On With Kara Swisher, likens tech giants to t…

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A Different Perspective with The Acid Capitalist - Hugh Hendry on Why Bitcoin Could Explode: The Asymmetric Crypto Bet Institutions Can’t Ignore 1:05:33

2M ago1:05:33

1:05:33

This week Nick talks to long-time friend of the show, Hugh Hendry, the Acid Capitalist. Hugh Hendry is a Scottish hedge fund manager and outspoken investor known for his contrarian views and sharp macroeconomic commentary. Born in Glasgow, he studied Economics and Finance at the University of Strathclyde before starting his career at Baillie Giffor…

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The War for Truth: Joe Lindsley on Ukraine, Burisma, and Fighting the Russian Disinformation Machine 1:27:09

2M ago1:27:09

1:27:09

In this episode, Matthew speaks with journalist Joe Lindsley. Joe is the only journalist who has reported live from Ukraine every single weekday since Russia's full-scale invasion, all while assembling money and volunteers to deliver vital supplies to the front lines. Formerly entrenched in Murdoch media circles, Joe now delivers unfiltered, on-the…

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War with China: Inside Taiwan's biggest ever drills 36:44

2M ago36:44

36:44

Amid growing speculation around China’s invasion of Taiwan, the island nation has held its largest ever military exercises. Fresh from reporting on live fire drills off the Taiwanese coast, The Telegraph’s Asia correspondent Allegra Mendelson shares the latest on Indo-Pacific tensions with Roland Oliphant. Also, Roland speaks to Neal Urwitz, close …

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The Rise of Citizen News: Understanding and Using User-Generated Content 10:31

2M ago10:31

10:31

User-generated content—or UGC—is reshaping the way news is gathered, reported, and consumed. In this episode of On Assignment, host Gath Townsend sits down with digital media expert Dr. Marisol Treviño to explore how everyday people are becoming part of the journalistic process through photos, tweets, videos, and on-the-ground reporting. They dive …