Recent Episodes
How to Defeat Political and Religious Extremism
On the podcast: A former State Department official who led the outreach to the Muslim world after the 9/11 attacks. Listen Here
Inside the Fall of the Islamic State
On the podcast: A reporter who embedded with U.S.-backed forces in Syria describes the battles there. Listen Here
Meltdown at Chernobyl
On the podcast: A journalist reconstructs the world’s worst nuclear disaster. Listen Here
How Citizen Journalists Solved the Mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
On the podcast: The founder of the group Bellingcat on using open sources to investigate war crimes and abuses. Listen Here
Toward a More Feminist Foreign Policy
On the podcast: Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom on how to give women a voice in an arena dominated by men. Listen Here
China’s War on Uighurs
On the podcast: A Uighur journalist in exile tells her family’s story. Listen Here
Inside the Battle to Decriminalize Homosexuality in India
On the podcast: A human rights lawyer describes the 10-year fight for LGBT rights. Listen Here
Paellas for the People
On the podcast: How chef José Andrés feeds the needy around the world. Listen Here
How the Taliban Won
On the podcast: Former Pakistani Ambassador Husain Haqqani on America’s endgame in Afghanistan. Listen Here
Venezuela Unraveled
On the Podcast: A human rights activist describes life under Maduro. Listen Here
An American Captive in Iran
On the podcast: The Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian recounts his grueling 18 months in an Iranian prison. Listen Here
Budapest Blues
On the podcast: What it’s like to be a journalist in Orban’s Hungary. Listen Here
Climate Change Prophet
On the podcast: A scientist who is also an evangelical Christian wants conservatives to understand the dangers of climate change. Listen Here
The China Syndrome
On the podcast: A former CIA analyst on Beijing’s interference in the affairs of other countries. Listen Here
Why Economists Hate Tariffs
On the podcast: How the Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930 embroiled the U.S. in a trade war and prolonged the Great Depression. Listen Here
Are Brazilians Ready for Bolsonaro?
On the podcast: The era of the strongman returns to Brazil. Listen Here
The Brexit Rubik’s Cube
On the podcast: Inside the British campaign for a second vote on leaving Europe. Listen Here
Shot in Sri Lanka, Shelled in Syria
On the podcast: War correspondent Marie Colvin documented the horrors of war until one of them took her life. Listen Here
Costa Rica’s War on Climate Change
On the podcast: How a tiny Central American country became a leader in reducing carbon emissions. Listen Here
Inside China’s Re-education Camps
On the podcast: A Uighur journalist describes the plight of her relatives interned in Xinjiang. Listen Here
‘To Be a Journalist in Turkey Means You’re Ready to Sacrifice Everything’
On the podcast: the price one Turkish newspaper editor is paying for angering President Erdogan. Listen Here
‘How Do You Balance a Million People Murdered Against 22 Defendants?’
On the podcast: The last living Nuremberg prosecutor describes the Allied trials against Nazi leaders. Listen Here
Not Just Bombs but Economic Warfare
On the podcast: How a Saudi-led campaign has starved Yemen’s children. Listen Here
Flirting With Fascism
On the podcast: How Brazilians grew tired of democracy and rallied around a strongman. Listen Here
‘They Took Them Quietly. All of Them Are in Jail Today.’
On the podcast: A woman who challenged the Saudi regime by getting behind the wheel of a car speaks out. Listen Here
About First Person
Each week on First Person, we conduct a narrative-driven conversation with one person whose experience illuminates something timely and important about our world. Our guests tend to be people who have participated directly in events, either as protagonists or eyewitnesses. We get them to tell their story, not just offer analysis. First Person is hosted by FP deputy editor Sarah Wildman. Sarah is an award-winning journalist whose stories have appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Vox and the New Yorker online. She is the author of Paper Love: Searching for the Girl My Grandfather Left Behind. Learn more about First Person here.
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