On Assignment
On Assignment is a podcast from Reuters that takes listeners behind the headlines to explore the stories shaping the world. The show features award-winning investigative journalists reporting from war zones, corporate boardrooms, and political centers. Each episode provides in-depth analysis and context on the most important news stories of the day.
Episodes
Wildfires: A photographer's perspective
Wildfires are blazing across the world. Veteran Reuters photojournalist Michael Blake shares his experience documenting wildfires over the last 40 years. Hear what it is like to travel into the flames when everyone is leaving and how covering the Palisades fires in his own community changed his perspective on capturing these natural disasters.
Data centers: Small town politics turn into a national fight
As AI transforms our lives, companies are racing to build data centers, the physical infrastructure needed to power such a technological revolution. On this week's episode of On Assignment, energy reporter Valerie Volcovici and video journalist Eric Cox travel to Middleton Township, Ohio. There, a new Meta data center and power station have sparked a debate about whether jobs and promises of inves
Collateral damage: The war comes for Iran’s ancient past
As U.S. and Israeli strikes hit targets across Iran, some of the country's most treasured cultural sites found themselves in the blast zone. Reuters reporters gained rare access to historic palaces and the UNESCO-listed heart of Isfahan, documenting shattered windows, damaged mosaics and centuries-old architecture scarred by war. On this episode of On Assignment, Pulitzer-winning investigative jou
Fourth of July from inside the White House
What's it really like to cover the most powerful office in the world when the news never stops, the facts are constantly in dispute, and access can be cut off without warning? On this episode of On Assignment, Reuters White House correspondents Nandita Bose, Steve Holland, Trevor Hunnicutt, and Humeyra Pamuk pull back the curtain on life inside the press corps.
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Understanding Europe’s heatwave
As a record-breaking heatwave scorches Europe, the scenes—children hosed down in London, shoppers scrambling for fans in Paris—offer a glimpse of a continent struggling to cope. On this episode of On Assignment, host Jonah Green speaks with data journalist Ben Welsh, who built Reuters’ new Climate Monitor to measure just how unusual this moment really is. By comparing today’s temperatures to histo
Turkmenistan: A reporter’s rare journey
Felix Light is the first Reuters journalist to travel to Turkmenistan in more than 10 years. The former Soviet state, bordered by Iran, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, has strong economic ties to China, but has isolated itself from Russian and western influences. Now Turkmenistan is starting to show signs of cautiously opening up.
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Exposing a massacre
In this episode of On Assignment, set against the backdrop of Sudan’s civil war, Reuters journalists Nafisa Eltahir, Suzanne Vanhooymissen and Reade Levinson investigate what happened during the assault on al‑Fashir, a besieged city in Darfur. They reveal how they verified videos filmed by fighters and matched them with survivor testimony to reconstruct events in their documentary Death in Darfur:
Covering Cannes
The red carpet. The stars. The parties. But behind the glamour and extravagance, it’s blood, sweat and tears. This week, Reuters showbiz reporter and Cannes veteran Rollo Ross takes us behind the scenes of the world’s most famous film festival.
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A conversation with Pulitzer winners
Reuters journalists received Pulitzer prizes for investigations into Meta and Trump's campaign of retribution, and were finalists for Illustrated Reporting and Breaking News Photography. We talk to the journalists and editors about the obstacles they overcame on their assignments in order to bring these stories to light.
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Inside Chornobyl
Forty years after the world’s worst nuclear disaster, Chornobyl remains a place suspended in time — and newly exposed to danger. In this episode of On Assignment, Reuters correspondent Dan Peleschuk takes us inside the abandoned towns, sealed control rooms and vast confinement arc built to contain the radioactive remains of reactor four.
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On tour with Pope Leo
Joshua McElwee, who covers the Vatican for Reuters, has just returned from the pope's 10‑day journey across Africa. Joshua walks us through what it's like to cover America's first pope (Joshua is also a Chicago native) as he comes under increasing fire from the president. Plus, what it’s really like inside the Vatican and on the papal plane.
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Inside Lebanon: A journalist's perspective
In this episode, Reuters Beirut Bureau Chief Maya Gebeily helps make sense of a country in crisis. Lebanon has endured civil war, foreign occupation, economic collapse and political paralysis. Then came war with Israel. Hear how Maya and her team cover the complexities of this nation in conflict settings and daily life.
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Flying to the moon
Space reporter Joey Roulette takes us inside his day job to give a unique viewpoint of the Artemis II launch. Watch Joey unpack what's at stake for the astronauts trying to get further from earth than anyone before them and the geopolitical rivalries at stake. And get a glimpse of his unusual office in the sky this week.
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Inside Iran: A video diary
The whole world can see the missiles flying over the Middle East. But what does life actually look like inside Iran right now? Reuters correspondent Ahmed Jadallah and his team became one of the first Reuters crews to report from Tehran in over a decade — navigating internet blackouts, restricted access, and nightly airstrikes to bring back something rare: the human story. In this episode of On As
In Search of Banksy
Follow two Reuters journalists Simon Gardner and Blake Morrison, on their international journey to unravel the true identity of Banksy, the enigmatic British street artist that's kept his identity just out of reach for decades. Hear how this mystery took them from a bombed-out Ukrainian village, through Bristol’s music scene, Manhattan’s high-rise art world and hundreds of documents to uncover a n
Beyond Macron: What local French elections mean for the future of the republic
This weekend France is holding the second round of municipal elections which are seen as a key test ahead of next year's presidential race. The elections provide a glimpse into the rise of the far right as many contemplate an era beyond Macron. Our reporters fan out across France from Paris to Marseilles to cover the country’s “chaotic” political scene.
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The Oscars industrial complex
It’s the glitziest night of the year but behind the sparkle and the acceptance speeches lie big money and PR maneuvers. Entertainment reporters Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine pull back the curtain on the political-style machinery of awards season. And as Hollywood grapples with AI threats, studio mergers, and declining viewership, this year's Oscars remain refreshingly unpredictable.
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Iran's future: Listen to our journalists in the Middle East
John Davison and Edmund Blair have covered the Middle East for decades, reporting from Iran, Iraq and across the region. Hear them discuss how the U.S. and Israel’s most ambitious operation yet against their arch-enemy compares to previous invasions, and what that means for global stability in the short and long term.
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Mexico vs. the cartels
A pre‑dawn raid that killed cartel leader El Mencho triggered nationwide chaos, but our reporters say daily life in Mexico often looks very different from what goes viral online. Reuters correspondents Laura Gottesdiener and Emily Green join On Assignment to describe what it’s like to cover these criminal organizations. They also break down the cartel’s deep social and economic reach, and what El
Four years of war: On the ground in Ukraine
Journalists in Ukraine share their experiences of the war in Ukraine. Hear how daily life has changed for Yulia Dysa and Max Hunder, not just as reporters, as they deal with daily bombardments, freezing temperatures and the shift in global support for the war since Trump took office. Host David Spencer explores how the country has changed after four years of war.
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What the world can learn from Aussie kids and the social media ban
The Australian social media ban seemed like an outlier when it was first introduced in December. Now, countries around the world are considering tough regulations to manage the online lives of children. On this episode, hear from teenagers no longer scrolling Instagram, and their parents, about how the first months of the ban are going. Are children now riding their bikes and playing footy, as the
Super Bowl LX: Can the NFL go global?
As the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks get ready for their gladiator moment, we speak to our global sports journalists about the NFL's attempts to reach new audiences. Hear how the rest of the world is reacting to America's game, Bad Bunny's halftime appearance, and the politics surrounding the most valuable league in sports. Plus, a Pats supporter dreams big.
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Minneapolis from different angles
Listen to the journalists who have been on the ground in Minneapolis documenting actions by ICE agents, the protests and the fallout for this Midwestern city. Get a view from behind the camera and go inside the communities affected by Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
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Trump's second year
This week, Donald Trump celebrated his first year back in office with what he called “365 wins in 365 days.” What will the next 365 look like? And how will the US president be influenced by midterm elections in November? Reuters US and Canada editor Sally Buzbee joins On Assignment this week to discuss how she and her team are preparing to cover another year of Trump.
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On the ground in Greenland
Reuters journalist Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen has been traveling to Greenland as a reporter for years. On this assignment, the story dramatically changed. Listen to Jacob’s account of how Greenlanders are dealing with being at the center of an international tug-of-war after President Donald Trump vowed to buy or seize the country “whether they like it or not.”
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Trump and Venezuela
Hear from our journalists covering the Pentagon and Latin America about reporting on the extraordinary capture of Nicolas Maduro, and what it all means for Venezuela and the world.
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Retribution and reconciliation in Syria
Syria’s new rulers are trying to win over the Alawites after months of violence. But the reconciliation effort is controversial. On this episode of On Assignment, Reuters' Timour Azhari travels to Syria’s coastal provinces, the heartland of the Alawite religious minority which counts former President Bashar al-Assad among its number. He reports on the sectarian tensions and threat of violence that
The hidden victims of Congo’s war
Reporter Giulia Paravicini travels to Congo and Burundi to document how sexual violence has become a deliberate weapon of war—destroying not just individual victims, but entire communities. She speaks with dozens of survivors, from girls as young as 10 to women over 70, many eager to share stories the world has ignored. This episode reveals the brutal reality behind one of the world's worst humani
Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni on the year in news
In this special year-end edition of On Assignment, Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni sits down with host Jonah Green to reflect on the tumultuous 2025 news cycle. Galloni discusses the challenges of covering Trump’s second term, keeping journalists safe in war zones and how AI-generated misinformation complicates the pursuit of truth. Plus we look ahead on what to expect and how to prepar
A peanut paste was saving Kenyan children - and then Trump took it away
Disruptions to U.S. humanitarian aid under president Donald Trump have been devastating to developing nations around the globe - even economically and politically stable nations, like Kenya. On this episode of On Assignment, Reuters East Africa Bureau Chief Ammu Kannampilly travels to Kenya's Turkana County, where malnutrition is spreading, and health workers faced empty shelves for months while a
Tracking Trump’s retribution targets
On this week's On Assignment, Reuters reporters Ned Parker and Peter Eisler join host Jonah Green to detail how Donald Trump's campaign of retribution has targeted about 470 people and organizations — from civil servants and universities to law firms and media — reshaping U.S. governance through firings, threats, frozen funds and coercive deals.
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Europe’s left gets tough on immigration
Britain’s Labour government is tightening the rules for handling asylum seekers. The overhaul comes at it tries to stem the rise of the populist Reform UK party. In this episode of On Assignment, we look at the rapidly changing politics of immigration in Europe on the left and the right - and how Britain's own plans are modelled on those of Denmark's Social Democratic government.
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Trump vs. the BBC
President Trump is threatening the BBC with a $1 billion lawsuit over a documentary that allegedly misrepresented his January 6th speech. The controversy has already forced out the broadcaster's top two leaders and sparked its biggest crisis in decades. This week's On Assignment examines Trump's legal strategy against media outlets, the BBC's unique role in British society and what this means for
Inside Ukraine's ‘fortress belt’
Reuters journalists witness daily life under drone fire in Kramatorsk, a key Ukrainian city just 20 kilometers from the front line. As Russia pushes deeper into the Donbas region, we explore how drone warfare has transformed the conflict and what Ukraine's grip on this strategic territory means for any future peace talks.
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The Peace-prize winner, Trump and Venezuela strikes
Donald Trump's pressure on Venezuela is giving hope to the country's opposition party, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado. While some hope Trump's policies will pressure Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro to step down, others worry about the human cost of Trump's pressure campaign. Our investigative reporter Sarah Kinosian and Pentagon correspondent Phil Stewart explore what
Syria's hidden graves
A Syrian mechanic's curiosity led to the discovery of a massive cover-up operation. In this episode, our journalists investigate how the Assad regime moved tens of thousands of bodies from an exposed mass grave to a secret desert location, and what this means for families still searching for their missing loved ones.
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Viktor Orban's political future
As Budapest gets ready to host Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is preparing for his re-election. Hungarians vote this spring, and the man known as Europe's strongman is losing in the polls. Reporter Krisztina Than returns to the countryside where Orban cemented his power base by building a migrant wall. Now, he faces growing dissatisfaction over the country's
This is the town that Wegovy helped build
Denmark's seaside town of Kalundborg is also known as "Novo Town." It's the core of pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk's production empire. Wegovy, launched in 2021, made Novo Nordisk Europe's most valuable company. Since then, fierce competition has slowed Wegovy sales and Novo Nordisk's share price has plunged by more than $400 billion. Denmark's senior correspondent Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen exp
Federal workers under attack
President Donald Trump is threatening mass firings of federal workers during the shutdown. This week's On Assignment takes us inside the work done by our investigative reporters this summer to document the intimidation and harassment of federal workers by a group linked to Trump.
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UNGA and global diplomacy in the Trump era
Join our journalists at the UN General Assembly for a rare look behind the scenes. Listen in as they tackle high-stakes diplomacy, broken escalators and the challenges of global politics in the second Trump era.
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Europe’s migration crisis a decade later
Ten years ago, Europe faced an unprecedented wave of migration as millions fled war and poverty. Germany’s open-door policy reshaped communities like Altena, sparking hope and tension alike. In this episode, reporter Riham Alkousaa visits Altena and explores the lasting impact for Germany, Europe, and herself. From integration success stories to rising anti-immigration sentiment, we explore how mi
Vaccines, RFK Jr. and America’s health
Join our health and politics reporters as they examine recent moves by RFK Jr. at the CDC and on autism research. Listen to correspondents Robin Respaut, Jeff Mason and Julie Steenhuysen discuss how health policy, science and research are being changed by politics, and the potential ramifications for the public.
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Where’s the Beef?
From Italian beef in Chicago to vast cattle ranches, host Christopher Walljasper takes you on a journey to understand the factors pushing up beef prices in America. Join reporters Cassandra Garrison, Heather Schlitz and Leah Douglas as they visit and speak with ranchers and agricultural experts in Texas, Mexico and beyond, exploring how drought, international trade and the threat of screwworm are
The nuclear town under Russian occupation
Once a bustling hub of atomic energy, the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar is now a ghost town under Russian control. Investigative reporter Mari Saito and host Jonah Green reveal what daily life is like for those living near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. In schools, supermarkets - and even inside residents’ homes - occupation by Russian forces is taking its toll.
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Inside Congo’s mines
Reporter Giulia Paravicini travels deep into the remote heart of rebel-held territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to a mineral-rich mine that’s at the center of hostilities - but also a potential key to peace. The mine supplies 15 percent of the world’s coltan ore, a precious mineral that powers the modern world. On this episode of On Assignment, Giulia and host Kim Vinnell explore the
Meta’s flirty chatbot and the man who never made it home
Investigative reporter Jeff Horwitz traces the story of a cognitively impaired man who was invited by a flirty AI chatbot to meet up in New York City. He left over the objections of his alarmed family - and he never made it home. Listen as Jeff and host Jonah Green explore the ethical implications of AI companionship and the potential risks this technology poses, particularly to vulnerable people.
The heat inside America's prisons
Race and justice reporter Disha Raychaudhuri and host Christopher Walljasper examine the challenge of extreme temperatures inside crammed U.S. prisons. Hear one man's experience of 28 years incarcerated in the California prison system and follow our reporter's journey to uncover the extent of the problem for state and federal prisons across the US.
Scorching cells: How heat threatens lives in
ICE raids
Immigration enforcement agents have stepped up raids, detaining farmworkers, restaurant staff, meat packers, day laborers and construction workers. The Trump administration says the raids protect public safety and national security. Critics say they create fear among workers the country badly needs and impact asylum seekers trying to do
the right thing. The first episode of On Assignment examines
On Assignment - Trailer
Dive into the stories behind the news with a new podcast from Reuters. We take you past the headlines right to the heart of the action. From the frontlines of war to corporate boardrooms and the centers of political power, listen to our award-winning investigative journalists around the world make sense of the most important stories today.
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