The New Humanitarian

In the latest Decolonise How? podcast, we ask whether ethical journalism is possible when individual ideals collide with institutional realities. "In school, we are taught: Don't be too close to the story, because then how do you maintain objectivity?" says Kenyan journalist Njoki Chege. "But on the ground, things are very different." 
Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.

Like many local aid workers living through war, Hind Obeid is surviving a crisis while responding to it. Obeid works for an NGO that supports refugees in Lebanon, but since 2024 Israeli attacks have forced her to fulfill her obligations while experiencing multiple displacements, the fear of airstrikes, and the constant sound of drones. 
Obeid, who wrote about her experiences for The New Humanitarian, joins the podcast to reflect on the mental anguish of delivering aid under Israeli bombardment, how the humanitarian system can better support local staff, and why showing up in a crisis feels like resistance. 
Guest:
Hind Obeid, safeguarding officer and PSEAH focal point at Basmeh & Zeitooneh
Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.

In this episode of Decolonise How?, host Patrick Gathara sits down with journalist Jane Ferguson to debate what role foreign correspondents should have in telling stories from crises, and why she now describes herself as a "recovering war reporter". 
"I had grown up with this sense of what a foreign correspondent was… but what I learned early on was that my impression was very self-absorbed," Ferguson says.
Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.

Philippe Lazzarini has ended his term as head of UNRWA, the UN agency that provides essential services to Palestinians. In an exit interview, Lazzarini describes "the most brutal experience" of his career, his anger when atrocities are met with silence, and the "slippery slope" waiting for humanitarians in Gaza.
Guest:
Philippe Lazzarini, departing commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Got a question or feedback? Email [email protected] or post on social media using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.

There's more than one way to cover crises, says Professor Martin Scott. In the second episode of Decolonise How?, host Patrick Gathara sits down with Scott, who studies media and global development, to discuss the ethics, practice, and impact of media coverage of crises. Scott popularised the term "humanitarian journalism". He explains what makes it different from mainstream journalism, and why the labels matter. 
Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines the stories we tell about humanitarian crises.