Jonathan Sumption: The case for Shamima Begum

Following an explosive investigation into the Global Disinformation Index, viewed 8 million times on X/Twitter, UnHerd has been contacted by dozens of lawmakers and activists raising concerns about rating agencies like the GDI. In this update podcast, Freddie Sayers addresses government officials on the chilling effect of censorship and makes a case to defund the 'disinformation industry'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnHerd's Flo Read meets Jonathan Haidt to discuss the dangers of modern technology for younger generations.Watch it on the UnHerd website:Listen to the podcast: https://plnk.to/unherd?to=pageSince 2012, youth mental health across the West has steadily declined. Jonathan Haidt is an American social psychologist, co-author of bestseller The Coddling of the American Mind and author of the new book The Anxious Generation. His theory is simple: the introduction of smartphones to children around 2011 accelerated the crisis of social media addiction. He joins UnHerd's Florence Read to discuss parenting, porn and the age of anxiety. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The verdicts of “ratings agencies” such as the GDI, within the complex machinery that serves online ads, are a little-understood mechanism for controlling the media conversation. In UnHerd’s case, the GDI verdict means that we only received between 2% and 6% of the ad revenue normally expected for an audience of our size. Meanwhile, neatly demonstrating the arbitrariness and subjectivity of these judgements, Newsguard, a rival ratings agency, gives UnHerd a 92.5% trust rating, just ahead of the New York Times at 87.5%.So, what are these “ratings agencies” that could be the difference between life and death for a media company? How does their influence work? And who funds them? The answers are concerning and raise serious questions about the freedom of the press and the viability of a functioning democracy in the internet age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since October 7th, old divides between Right and Left on support for Israel were predictably resurfaced. Less expected, however, was a new civil war on the online Right. Compact founder and key figure in the so-called ‘New Right’ Sohrab Ahmari joined UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers to discuss it.UnHerd's Freddie Sayers talks to Sohrab Ahmari Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Law Professor Randall Kennedy has taught at Harvard University for 40 years and written hundreds of thousands of words on race politics and the legal system. He is a vocal defender of affirmative action, so why this week did he write an essay about the 'resentment' caused by compulsory diversity statements? He spoke to UnHerd's Freddie Sayers about DEI, meritocracy and how good intentions so often turn into social coercion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnHerd's Giles Fraser chats to author and historian Michael Taylor about his new book ‘Impossible Monsters’, and what the war between rationalism and religion have to tell us about our future... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could it be possible that the boom in therapy for young people is harming, not helping, the next generation? UnHerd's Florence Read spoke to the author of a new book 'Bad Therapy', Abigail Shrier, about mental health myths, gentle parenting and the medicalisation of American kids. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the Great Barrington Declaration was announced in 2020, Harvard Professor Martin Kulldorff suddenly emerged into the public consciousness as a controversial figure. Despite data showing his skepticism about lockdowns and vaccine mandates were ultimate legitimate, especially in his home country of Sweden, Professor Kulldorff was fired by Harvard. Why? UnHerd's Freddie Sayers spoke to him to find out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnHerd's Freddie Sayers meets Rob HendersonWhy are the top 1% so politically correct? Rob Henderson coined the term ‘luxury beliefs’ to explain how affluent people signal high status with ‘woke’ ideas. In his new memoir ‘Troubled’, Henderson tells the story of a difficult childhood and how it opened his eyes to the hypocrisy of America’s elite. He joins UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers to discuss the concept of luxury beliefs and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freddie Sayers was joined in Washington DC by Ruy Teixeira, Robby Soave and Emily Jashinsky to ask: who will win in 2024? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.