Doha Debates is bringing its signature debate approach to the Doha Debates Podcast, a new podcast where expert guests representing different – and often opposing – viewpoints on a pressing global issue engage in spirited but respectful discussions to resolve differences and find common ground.
The podcast, which launched earlier this month, explores complex and sometimes contentious questions:
- Does having money make you happy?
- Are some sports too violent for children?
- Is it time to delete all our social media apps?
- Does mass surveillance make us safe or infringe on our privacy?
Podcast guests and a rotating line-up of hosts hail from countries like Nigeria, Pakistan, Ghana, South Africa, the UK, and the US.
The bi-weekly podcast is a co-production of Doha Debates and FP Studios, the podcast production arm of Foreign Policy magazine. Recorded for audio and video, all episodes will be available at DohaDebates.com, on all major podcast platforms and on the YouTube channel of Doha Debates.
First episode – Virtual violence
Audio storyteller and producer Karen Given hosted the first episode, Virtual violence: Do video games change our behavior? Award-winning South African game designer, writer and filmmaker Bahiyya Khan argued that most video games perpetuate stereotypical and dangerous narratives about women and people of colour, and that they affect the gamers’ real-world actions.
Josh Ferme, presenter and podcaster with background on psychological research, countered that video games are an art form that should not be censored, and that their real-world consequences have been blown out of proportion.
Other episodes in the first season explore similarly provocative questions like
- Is eating meat an act of cruelty toward animals?
- Should we be putting a moratorium on gas-powered cars?
- Are some sports too violent for children?
According to Doha Debates Managing Director Amjad Atallah, they endeavour to change the very definition of debate, from a war of words to a process that encourages multiple perspectives, respectful dialogue and collective reasoning.
We’re honoured to team up once again with FP Studios to bring our signature approach to a podcast that takes on some of the most contentious issues of our time, and to demonstrate that honest, civil discussion is the only way to bring about meaningful, lasting change.
Previous podcast collaborations of Doha Debates and FP Studios include The Negotiators, a behind-the-scenes look at historic high-stakes negotiations across the globe; and The Long Game, which examines the power of sports to change the world for the better.
Doha Debates is a production of Qatar Foundation.
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