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The New Humanitarian

The New Humanitarian

The New Humanitarian 100 episodes Latest Jun 4, 2026

The New Humanitarian brings you an inside look at the conflicts and natural disasters that leave millions of people in need each year, and the policies and people who respond to them. Join TNH's journalists in the aid policy hub of Geneva and in global hotspots to unpack the stories that are disrupting and shaping lives around the world.

Episodes

Crisis comms: donations vs. dignity | Decolonise How? Jun 9, 2026 44:27 NGO ads don't have to be a balance between dignity and donations. A look at the ethics and power dynamics of crisis communications, and how humanitarian agencies can do better for the communities they serve, with Levis Nderitu, a Kenyan DEI specialist, and Marie-Rose Romain Murphy, a Haitian-American community development expert.  "At the core of your communication should be people, should be dign
Event | Humanitarianism in the West Bank Jun 4, 2026 01:40:18 Humanitarianism in the West Bank: Structures, Power, and the Limits of Aid ___   What does it mean to "do no harm" in a context where aid can both alleviate suffering and entrench the very systems that produce it?   In this critical conversation on the state of humanitarianism in the West Bank today, we examine what it means for humanitarian actors to operate within a broader landscape o
Decolonising the newsroom | Decolonise How? May 26, 2026 38:34 The first African to lead the BBC's African service, Joseph Warungu, and The New Humanitarian's Head of Editorial, Andrew Gully, have over half a century's worth of experience working in and leading newsrooms. Why do both use the word "battle" to describe their efforts to produce decolonised journalism with local perspectives? Decolonise How? is a new podcast by The New Humanitarian that examines
Diaspora aid: the lifeline we don't talk about enough | Rethinking Humanitarianism May 21, 2026 48:30 Every year, people in the diaspora send hundreds of billions of dollars home. It is one of the single most important streams of assistance, far outweighing all official foreign aid. So why does it get less attention when it outpaces aid flows? And can it – or should it – better complement international humanitarian response? Host Tammam Aloudat discusses the wide-reaching role of diaspora aid in G
Who gets to tell the story? | Decolonise How? May 12, 2026 39:29 Does it really matter whether a journalist is a local or a foreigner? The distinction between "local" or "international" journalists raises questions about trust, credibility, and control in global news.  In this episode of Decolonise How? Patrick Gathara sits down with The New Humanitarian's Ali Latifi and Ahmer Khan to discuss power dynamics in crisis reporting, and why it matters. Decolonise Ho
What it means for humanitarians to be political | Rethinking Humanitarianism May 7, 2026 28:01 Saving lives is a choice, and that makes it hard for humanitarianism to be completely apolitical despite long-running debates about neutrality and impartiality. But what does being political look like? On this episode: Flotillas and White Helmets, the difference between speaking out as individual humanitarian actors or as a unified collective, moving beyond simply being in "solidarity with communi
Ethical principles vs institutional realities | Decolonise How? Apr 28, 2026 37:42 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
Surviving war while delivering aid | Rethinking Humanitarianism Apr 16, 2026 22:12 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 Humanitar
Should there be foreign correspondents? | Decolonise How? Apr 14, 2026 39:39 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," Ferg
An exit talk with UNRWA's Philippe Lazzarini | Rethinking Humanitarianism Apr 2, 2026 45:40 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
What is humanitarian journalism? | Decolonise How? Mar 31, 2026 36:31 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 th
Who owns the story? | Decolonise How? Mar 17, 2026 40:47 "The first place that people are dehumanised is in stories." - Sophie Otiende The way we tell stories about humanitarian crises can distort the realities of the people living through them. From news coverage and research to aid donation appeals, there is a tendency to simplify, decontextualise, and even dehumanise – to portray locals as suffering and helpless, and the outsiders riding to their res

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