The journalism podcast industry is booming. Once dominated by true crime, book reviews and sports commentary, today podcasts are a growing source for in-depth news and deeply reported investigations, all while bringing journalism to a younger and more diverse audience.
Since we are constantly chasing stories ourselves, journalists may not have the time to really appreciate the work of our peers. But podcasts are a great medium for keeping up with the industry, and include some of the best reporting series journalism has to offer today.
We asked our editors, colleagues and audience to recommend their favorite, most engaging podcasts. As the winter holidays approach, curl up with a cup of tea, put on some headphones, and enjoy these top choices:
English podcasts
(1) Drum Tower
China is a growing topic of coverage, but reporting on what’s happening inside the country is often lost through the geopolitical lens of most Western reporting. Drum Tower, by The Economist, offers an alternate look through weekly insights into Chinese culture, politics, and current events as seen from within the country, rather than without. Episodes dive into topics ranging from the significance of the search for ancient Chinese sailing vessels in the South China Sea to the effects of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative on neighboring Laos.
To listen to Drum Tower, you will require a subscription to Economist Podcasts +, or connect an Economist subscription to your podcast platform of choice.
(2) 544 Days
Jason Rezaian, an Iranian-American Washington Post journalist, was arrested by Iranian authorities in July 2014 and held for 544 days in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison for political prisoners. His ordeal, as told in this nine-part series, showcases how one individual can endure isolation and psychological abuse without giving up hopes for freedom – or his belief in the power of journalism to humanize the stories of everyday Iranians.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Gimlet.
(3) Who Killed Daphne?
Daphne Galizia was a Maltese investigative journalist and anti-corruption activist known for her investigations on the Panama Papers. On October 16, 2017, she was killed in a car bomb assassination. In the aftermath of her death, an international team of journalists take it upon themselves to investigate who was responsible for her murder, in the process uncovering the links between organized crime and powerful business interests while holding a mirror to the risks journalists face even in the heart of Europe.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Wonderly.
(4) The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop
Former revolutionary and socialist prime minister of Grenada, Maurice Bishop, was executed in a coup in October 1983, setting in motion a series of events that would result in the U.S. invasion of Grenada. Bishop’s body was never recovered, and the events of his assassination – including what role, if any, the U.S. government and CIA played in his death – remain objects of controversy and speculation. A Washington Post investigative team takes up the case.
Listen on Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, and the Washington Post.
(5) Wind of Change
Did the CIA write the hit Scorpions song, Wind of Change, to foment pro-democracy demonstrations in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe? Years ago, journalist Patrick Radden Keefe heard a tip that this outlandish tale might, in fact, be true. Follow him down the rabbit hole to learn more about the history of music as propaganda, the CIA’s use of “soft power” as a tool of subversion, and the emotional pull the “song that ended the Cold War” still holds across the region today.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Crooked Media.
Non-English podcasts
(6) El Hilo (Spanish)
El Hilo is a weekly podcast where in-depth conversations and understanding of the latest news in Latin America and the Latino community in the U.S. happen. Every Friday, the hosts invite local journalists and experts in the region to talk about what is happening in Latin America, and why it matters. The episodes range from Latin American presidential election analysis to immigration to financial crises. If you're interested in knowing more about what is going on in Latin America or want a better insight into what's going on with the Latino community, you should be listening to this podcast.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and El Hilio’s website.
(7) Projeto Querino (Portuguese)
During its history, Brazil was the destination of some 4 million slaves captured from Africa during the trans-Atalantic slave trade, and was the last country in the Americas to outlaw slavery. In the wake of global reckoning over the continuing impact of slavery today, Project Querino, by Brazilian journalist Tiago Rogero, took inspiration from the New York Times’ 1619 project to look at Brazil’s history and society through its complex and complicated slavery past.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Youtube
(8) Programme B (French)
The current affairs podcast of Binge Audio, Programme B looks at events across the French-speaking world, including in France and Francophone Africa. Check out their series analyzing the recent coup in Niger, or their look at new and innovative outlets reporting on climate change.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Binge Audio.
Bonus Podcasts
Did you know that IJNet and our parent organization, ICFJ, also host their own podcasts? Check them out below:
(9) IJNotes
IJNet’s podcast explores the work of journalists and experts, and their advice for covering today’s most pressing topics. Our series highlights how journalists are reporting on climate change and the environment, methods for balancing mental health while reporting, and global perspectives covering abortion access and reproductive health. You can also listen to IJNotes in Arabic.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout.
(10) Chasing the Story
Chasing the Story, by the International Center for Journalists, follows the stories of outstanding journalists in the ICFJ network as they conduct some of the world’s most important investigations. Reporters explain how they chased – and landed – major stories, from probing into the murder of a Slovak investigative journalist to reporting on the toll of honor killings in Pakistan.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and ICFJ’s website.
Photo by Mark Rohan on Unsplash.
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