The battle for freedom of the press with Kate Adie

Democracy and freedom, die in ignorance. There is wilful ignorance, as in not wanting to know; there is collateral ignorance, as in watching silly videos and media feeds rather than seeking information; and there is imposed ignorance, when sources of information are cut off and denied. The Trump administration is blatantly indulging in the latter, both internally and externally. Within the US, the administration is hand picking the media outlets it will deal with, while also dismantling the Department of Education. Outside the US, it has chosen to defund and potentially close both Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Voice of America — two amazing organisations that have brought facts and news across the globe, notably those in non-democratic regimes.It seems that for the Trump administration journalism is a threat. In a world where the boundaries between media, politics and business continue to erode, the likes of Trump, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos have become central figures in shaping public discourse. Moreover, the rise of entertainment news, change of habits, explosive volumes of news pose significant challenges for journalism today.To explore these issues, Ilana Bet-El is joined by veteran BBC journalist Kate Adie. In a conversation rich with anecdotes from her storied career, she reflects on the evolution of media, the structural crises of today’s news industry and the fundamental role of journalism in society. Amid the explosion of information and the struggle to filter truth from noise, she argues that people basically seek real news and information, not propaganda. Because in the end, the truth still matters.This episode was recorded on 20 March 2025 and is part of the third edition of the Podcasthon, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness on various charities worldwide, thanks to (great!) podcasters. For this episode, we put the spotlight on the Committee to Protect Journalists: an independent, nonprofit organisation that promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the right of journalists to report the news safely.ChaptersWhat is journalism in an age of billionaires and power struggles?The decline of traditional media and the rise of digital chaosThe battle between real news and entertainment-driven coverageThe structural crisis of the media industryWhy people still want real journalism—and why it mattersMentionsCommittee to Protect Journalists Instagram X/Twitter Youtubewww.podcasthon.orgKate Adie reporting on Tiananmen SquareFollow Kate's BBC websiteInstagramELN Twitter LinkedIn websiteCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #UppbeatContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcastWatch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.