Introducing First Person, Foreign Policy’s New Flagship Podcast
Weekly episodes will feature interviews with people who have participated in world events.
For the past few months, Foreign Policy’s flagship podcast, The E.R., has been heading in a new direction. Instead of convening a panel of experts for heated analysis (the old name stood for "The Editor's Roundtable"), our host Sarah Wildman, a deputy editor at FP, has been interviewing one guest each week for an intimate, narrative-driven conversation on a topic that's timely and important in the world. (Listen to an introduction from Sarah below.)
This week, we’re officially relaunching the podcast in that new format, under the name First Person. Our guests on this new show are people who have participated directly in world events, either as protagonists or eyewitnesses. We get them to tell a story about their experience, not just offer their analysis of current events.
The format has allowed us to hear from people with captivating stories, including an American journalist who spent 18 months in an Iranian prison on false espionage charges, a cabinet secretary who haggled with dictators to win the release of American detainees, and a U.S. ambassador who experienced the terrifying ordeal of a bombing attack on her embassy.
For the past few months, Foreign Policy’s flagship podcast, The E.R., has been heading in a new direction. Instead of convening a panel of experts for heated analysis (the old name stood for “The Editor’s Roundtable”), our host Sarah Wildman, a deputy editor at FP, has been interviewing one guest each week for an intimate, narrative-driven conversation on a topic that’s timely and important in the world. (Listen to an introduction from Sarah below.)
This week, we’re officially relaunching the podcast in that new format, under the name First Person. Our guests on this new show are people who have participated directly in world events, either as protagonists or eyewitnesses. We get them to tell a story about their experience, not just offer their analysis of current events.
The format has allowed us to hear from people with captivating stories, including an American journalist who spent 18 months in an Iranian prison on false espionage charges, a cabinet secretary who haggled with dictators to win the release of American detainees, and a U.S. ambassador who experienced the terrifying ordeal of a bombing attack on her embassy.
The shift is driven in part by the feeling here at FP that to understand our world—to grasp the complexities and nuances of our time—we need to get as close to the source as possible. Hence the name First Person.
Listen to the first episode here—an interview with the Saudi dissident Manal al-Sharif—and visit our new page, where you’ll find episodes every Friday. (You can also subscribe to First Person wherever you listen to your podcasts.)
We hope you’ll keep listening and tell your friends about the show. Share your thoughts on First Person with us at podcasts@foreignpolicy.com.
More from Foreign Policy
Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.
So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.
Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.
Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
