It was the year that brought back Donald Trump to political power. The year that saw the Tory’s lose power after 14 years. The year that saw war spread across the Middle East from Gaza to Lebanon. And that brought joy in the shape of the Olympics, a Brat summer and the announcement of an Oasis reunion. Katharine Viner, the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, tells Helen Pidd about what these huge changes looked like from the editor’s chair.
She explains how it felt to watch Labour win the UK elections: “The Guardian has shown through its reporting just how desperate life is on the ground. It was a real moment.” And how the Guardian will strive to cover a second Trump presidency given that “Trump has spelled out in black and white, what he thinks about the free press, what he thinks about journalism.”
Earlier this year, Katharine met the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was, she says, a fascinating experience with someone who has “unbelievable charisma and sort of wartime fortitude”. Alongside the turmoil and horror of the war in Gaza, she says, there was joy in the Olympics and a messy Brat summer.
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- This is our last episode of 2024. Thank you to everyone who has listened this year. We will return with new episodes on 2 January 2025.
