A Critical Ear

The war in Ukraine

Our latest episode focuses on the war in Ukraine, with an interview with Robert Naiman. Previously Policy Director with Just Foreign Policy, he is the President of the Board of Truthout, the online progressive news outlet. An experienced activist and lobbyist, he has been particularly focused in recent years on the war in Yemen. We talk to him about the prospects for peace in Ukraine, along with the implications of the war on other conflicts, such as Ukraine, as well as on issues like climate change.

As always, our special correspondents Tadhg and Noah bring their insights too. Tadhg reviews Anti-Racist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi, while Noah reviews the new Netflix show, Is it cake?

You can listen to the show on our site, access the archived version on the Internet Archive, or syndicate it from the A-Infos Radio Project.

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World Radio Day special

Today (13 February) is World Radio Day, and we have a special episode to celebrate. It will air on Flirt FM (Galway, Ireland) today, as well as other stations worldwide. You can download it from the links here.

As usual, our WRD2022 show includes input from pupils at Galway Educate Together National School, along with contributions from KTWH in Minnesota (thanks Zak!), and Dianne Ballon. We share the One Free Press Coalition list of ’10 most urgent’ cases of radio journalists worldwide. We discuss the role of radio and media in nationhood and propaganda, and discuss internet safety and children. The show includes PSAs and announcements from UNESCO/World Radio Day, WHO (regarding COVID and misinformation), Media Literacy Ireland, and others.

You can download the show from our site (above), from the Radio4All syndication site, or from the Internet Archive.

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Thinking past the pandemic

In today’s show – available online now – we feature some reports examining the impact of the pandemic, and think about what happens next. Tadhg brings us a book review, and in advance of Holocaust Memorial Day, we take a look at contemporary bigotry and hate speech.

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New episode!

Our latest episode is now available to syndicate from Radio4All, and can be listened to there or on the Archive. It includes a selection of reports and interviews drawn from UN News, The Taylor Report, and Latin Waves.

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9-11, twenty years on

On the twentieth anniversary of the terror attacks in the US, and 48 years since the CIA-sponsored coup in Chile, we bring a special issue of our show.

We open with UN News Headlines, followed by Christy Moore with his song about the Chilean songwriter Víctor Jara, who was tortured and killed during the coup against Allende’s government in 1973.

We then have an extended conversation with FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley about the intelligence failures in advance of 9-11, and why those have been largely ignored.

Finally, we close as always with special correspondents Tadhg & Noah.

(In addition to our entry on the A-Infos project, you can find our show on the Internet Archive.)

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Summer episode

Our latest episode includes a report from Team Ireland in Tokyo (thanks Heather!), and news features from UN Radio News.

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The School Year Ends

For this episode, we invited some schoolmates of Tadhg and Noah to contribute to the show. The result is a joyous and sometimes anarchic celebration of childhood, as we round out a distinctly unusual school year. Noah continues to be fascinated by Pokemon, while Tadhg reflects on schooling during the pandemic.

The show also includes some items from UN News, including an audio bulletin and news of some youth initiatives focused on climate.

As usual, the show is available on the A-Infos Radio Project and the Internet Archive. We are also now broadcast on WRFU-LP in Urbana, Illinois, USA. If you want to join them in syndicating the show on your station, please let us know.

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Matthew Hoh on Afghanistan – our latest episode

Our latest episode is now available to download from A-Infos Radio Project and the Internet Archive. It includes an interview with Matthew Hoh of the Center for International Policy. He discusses the announced withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan. With reports that significant numbers of US personnel will stay in the country, is this really an end to the occupation? What are the prospects for Afghanistan after a US withdrawal?

As usual, we also include our regular correspondents Tadhg and Noah in the last 15 minutes – Tadhg talks paradoxes, while Noah enthusiastically explains Pokemon.

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Latest episode – updated podcast link

The podcast link for our latest episode should show up here.

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Policing in the United States

Our April episode is now available online. Stream it from the Flirt FM Mixcloud feed, or download it from the Internet Archive or the A-Infos Radio Project.

Our guest is Netfa Freeman of the Institute for Policy Studies and Pan-African Community Action. I spoke with him following the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict in his trial for murdering George Floyd. We discussed community control of the police, a topic he recently wrote about for Black Agenda Report.

The show also features an excerpt (a speech by Sydney Wallace, Jewish Council On Urban Affairs) from audio recorded by Dale Lehman/WZRD at a Chicago rally, the day after the Chauvin verdict, on the proposed Empowering Communities for Public Safety Ordinance. We include a news bulletin from UN Radio News. Finally, as always, special correspondents Tadhg and Noah chat with us – this month about playgrounds, anti-matter, and Pokemon.

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