Doha Debates Podcast

Host Nelufar Hedayat talks about being called out online, and speaks to a crisis management expert about the best way to handle such situations. She then talks to two journalists who have faced online harassment and real-world consequences for their opinions. Finally, she hosts a roundtable discussion on cancel culture to try and parse when, if ever, canceling someone is appropriate.

Social media has made it easier than ever to share ideas around the world and galvanize people into action. Host Nelufar Hedayat looks at the double-edged sword of free speech from the perspective of social media influencer, a free speech lawyer and two tech veterans who say that today's tech companies wield too much power in determining what kind of speech should be permissible.

Why does it matter that different people have different perceptions of the truth? If you're trying to run a country, it can make a big difference. In this episode host Nelufar Hedayat speaks with former U.S. Republican Congressman Denver Riggleman, "godfather of fake news" Jestin Coler and Belarusian politician Svetlana Tikhanovskaya about disinformation's effect on politics and leadership.

Can reparations help repair generations of systemic racism? Beginning in the late 1940s, the British government invited Caribbean citizens to immigrate to England to help rebuild the country after World War II. Known as the Windrush generation, the immigrants and their descendants have frequently been denied basic British citizenship rights. We talk to a member of the Windrush generation who wants justice, and then turn to guests from Zimbabwe and the U.S. to discuss reparations in those countries.

How have different countries have dealt with the pandemic? What is best for society when we do things with shared interests in mind, versus looking out for individual needs? Featured voices include Swedish physician Johnny Ludvigsson, who is against lockdowns, and British economist Noreena Hertz.*A note to listeners the interviews for this podcast were recorded over the winter and so some of the statistics cited may be outdated. For up to the minute information on the coronavirus check out the World Health Organization's website.

In the second season of Course Correction, host Nelufar Hedayat is taking on a new challenge: Listening to people she disagrees with. Each episode addresses one polarizing issue, and Nelufar will engage with people whose opinions are very different from her own — and try to keep an open mind.

In the final episode of the season, Nelufar speaks with conflict resolution expert and friend Dr. Govinda Clayton about how to listen, how to be heard and how we can all change for the better. Read the episode transcript here.

This special episode is a live recording from the Sundance Film Festival, with Filipino journalist Maria Ressa and filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz. Diaz’s most recent film, A Thousand Cuts, documents Ressa’s work to fight disinformation and the weakening of the Philippines’ democracy. Read the episode transcript here.

Menstruation is normal — so why is it still taboo to talk about in some parts of the world? Nelufar has a heart-to-heart with her childhood friends about period stigma. Then she talks with Mandu Reid, the leader of the British Women’s Equality Party and founder of the Cup Effect, an organization that offers menstrual cups to people in need. Read the episode transcript here.

Artificial intelligence has as much racial and gender bias as the people who create it. Joy Buolamwini, a computer scientist and digital activist at the MIT Media Lab, talks with host Nelufar Hedayat about how to build artificial intelligence systems that don’t perpetuate social inequalities. Read the episode transcript here.