

This Is Why
Sky News
The world’s a pretty confusing place right now – so how do you make sense of it all? This Is Why takes one story every day, explains how we got here and why it matters to you.
Sky News’ Niall Paterson speaks to experts and correspondents from around the world, getting simple answers to some complex questions.
Available every weekday afternoon.
This Is Why is a Sky News podcast – if you have a question, contact us: why@sky.uk
Sky News’ Niall Paterson speaks to experts and correspondents from around the world, getting simple answers to some complex questions.
Available every weekday afternoon.
This Is Why is a Sky News podcast – if you have a question, contact us: why@sky.uk
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 1, 2023 • 18min
How do you end the strikes?
The first of February will go down as the biggest day of industrial action in a decade, as half-a-million workers strike in bitter disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.Teachers, train drivers, civil servants, university lecturers, bus drivers and security guards are all involved in the disputes. The government's is continuing to push through its controversial plans for a new law on minimum service levels during strikes. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by business correspondent Paul Kelso, to look at the economic impact of the action, and political correspondent Ali Fortescue, who explores the pressure it's putting on the government. Podcast producer: Rosie Gillott Assistant podcast producer: Charlie Bell Digital promotions producer: David Chipakupaku Editors: Paul Stanworth and Philly Beaumont

Jan 31, 2023 • 25min
The death of Tyre Nichols
Tyre Nichols was brutally assaulted by five police officers during a traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee. He died from his injuries three days later on 10 January, with the beating having striking similarities with the 1991 Rodney King assault in Los Angeles. The family of Tyre Nichols have been invited to meet US president Joe Biden. On the Sky News Daily, host Niall Paterson talks to history professor Brenda Stevenson about the systematic problems with police and the wider justice system in America, and our US correspondent James Matthews about another example of brutality towards a black man. Warning: Sound from the police bodycam footage is used during the first eight minutes of the podcast. There's discussion of violence throughout.Producer: Soila ApparicioEditor: Philly Beaumont

Jan 30, 2023 • 16min
Zahawi's sacked: What does it mean for Sunak?
After facing weeks of scrutiny, Conservative party chairman Nadhim Zahawi was sacked on Sunday, following an ethics inquiry into the handling of his tax affairs that found he made a "serious breach" of the ministerial code. On the Sky News Daily, host Niall Paterson and our deputy political editor Sam Coates analyse the fallout of Zahawi’s exit from the cabinet, and what it means for prime minister Rishi Sunak.Producer: Soila Apparicio Editor: Paul Stanworth

Jan 28, 2023 • 12min
Ukraine War Diaries: EP42 - Tanks, transfers & the threat of doing nothing (Jan 23-27)
Returning from assignment, Seva speaks with comrades in the eastern city of Bakhmut who are in desperate need of more advanced weaponry but happy to be alive.In Kyiv, Ilyas turns his birthday into a military fundraising exercise.And as Ukraine pleads to the West for more heavy weapons, the story of displacement continues as Oksana supports the arrival of more refugees into Kyiv. OUR DIARISTS Seva, 41, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro. Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there.Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of January 2023, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv. Ukraine War Diaries uses first-person audio, recorded on the ground in Ukraine, to give an intimate day-to-day perspective of life in a war zone. EP64 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note. From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast. Producer: Rob MulhernEditing: Paul StanworthArchive: Simon WindsorDigital: David Chipakupaku

Jan 27, 2023 • 19min
Should you pay to see a GP?
Charging for GP appointments and A&E visits is "crucial" to the survival of the NHS, according to former health secretary Sajid Javid. But is asking patients to pay for GP appointments the answer to long waiting lists. On the Sky News Daily, host Niall Paterson hears from GPs at one surgery in Cheshire about their thoughts on paid-for appointments, and Sky’s health correspondent discusses the future of the NHS, 75 years after it was founded. Podcast producer: Rosie Gillott & Annie Joyce Editor: Philly Beaumont

Jan 26, 2023 • 35min
NHS in crisis: A day in the life of a GP surgery
The NHS is in crisis. Ambulance response times are the worst on record and most departments are struggling to cope with a surge in demand this winter. That includes most people's first port of call when they're feeling unwell, the GP surgery.On this episode of the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson spends the day on the frontline at a GP practice in Cheshire. There he meets staff and patients to uncover the pressures the practice faces during a time when the healthcare system is on its knees.Podcast producer: Rosie Gillott Digital podcast producer: David Chipakupaku & Emma-rae Woodhouse Editor: Philly Beaumont

Jan 25, 2023 • 17min
Inside Myanmar: How life has changed since the junta came to power
A Sky News team has spent 12 days inside Myanmar travelling around the country to see how life has changed for ordinary citizens since the junta came to power two years ago.On the Daily podcast, Asia correspondent Cordelia Lynch tells Leah Boleto about what the regime wanted her to see – the military parade to celebrate Independence Day - and the people they’d rather she didn’t - those who are terrified to admit that lives have been destroyed since the coup. Annie Joyce – senior podcast producer Simon Windsor - archive researcher Philly Beaumont and Paul Stanworth – editors

Jan 23, 2023 • 16min
How will Sunak handle the latest Tory troubles?
The prime minister has asked his independent ethics adviser to investigate Nadhim Zahawi, the Conservative Party chairman. Sir Laurie Magnus will look at whether Mr Zahawi breached the ministerial code by settling tax issues with HMRC while he was chancellor. Mr Zahawi says it was “careless and not deliberate” error. That’s on top of the two investigations around the appointment of Richard Sharp, the BBC chairman, after reports he helped Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, secure a loan worth up to £800,000.One is by the commissioner for public appointments and will look at the process that led to Mr Sharp getting the job. He has also asked the BBC to review any potential conflicts of interest he might have. The investigations came after Rishi Sunak was fined for not wearing a seatbelt.On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson talks to Sky News’ chief political correspondent Jon Craig about the latest developments. Producer: Emma Rae Woodhouse Podcast Promotions Producer: David Chipakupaku Editors: Philly Beaumont and Paul Stanworth

Jan 23, 2023 • 22min
The Nazi hunter: Remembering victims of the Holocaust
Every year on 27 January, people remember and reflect on the genocide carried out by the Nazis during the Second World War. On the Sky News Daily Niall Paterson speaks to Efraim Zuroff, a historian and Nazi hunter, about delivering justice for victims of the Holocaust before the perpetrators of those crimes pass away. Plus, Karen Pollock, chief executive at Holocaust Educational Trust, explains the importance of remembering what happened. Audio credit: Ernest Marchand was interviewed by Louise Coutts in 1998 for National Life Stories at the British Library. You can access the full interview online at British Library Sounds. The Library will be relaunching its ‘Voices of the Holocaust’ education web resource in spring 2023. Producer: Soila Apparicio Interviews producer: Tamara Bungaroo Valdes Editor: Philly Beaumont

Jan 21, 2023 • 14min
Ukraine War Diaries: EP41 - Dnipro, despair & waiting for deliverance (Jan 16-20)
Seva has a difficult conversation with his sister after a Russian ballistic missile targets her Dnipro neighbourhood, killing 45 people and injuring dozens more. In Kyiv, Oksana shares some of the stories that have penetrated the soul of the nation and reflects on how the attack is impacting the Ukrainian psyche. Meanwhile, a conversation between Ilyas and his grandmother - who grew up in the aftermath of World War II - shifts his focus to those ageing citizens who are struggling to cope with war. OUR DIARISTS Oksana, 35, works in overseas education. She lives with her husband, Seva, in an apartment complex in central Kyiv. Many of Oksana’s closest friends have left the country to begin new lives in Europe. Some may never return. She’s continues to try and make a life there. Seva, 41, is a company CEO and husband to Oksana. Before the war, he travelled across Europe for business. Now, he makes regular supply drops of medical aid and rations to Ukrainian troops on the front line in Eastern Ukraine. He’s originally from a small village near Dnipro. Ilyas is an IT specialist and married father who fled from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the war started. His wife Natalia, and two young sons are taking refuge in Poland. As of January 2023, Ilyas is back living in the family apartment in Kyiv. Ukraine War Diaries uses first-person audio, recorded on the ground in Ukraine, to give an intimate day-to-day perspective of life in a war zone. EP41 diary entries were recorded using WhatsApp voice note. From the producers of Sky News’ multi-award winning series – StoryCast. Producer: Rob MulhernEditing: Paul StanworthDigital Promotion: David ChipakupakuArchive: Simon Windsor


