Nearer East
Claim This Podcastby Francesca Maria Lorenzini
Podcast Overview
<p>The Middle East, or South-West Asia, is closer than you think.</p><p></p><p>Every two weeks, Nearer East pulls up a chair and invites you into conversations with the journalists, thinkers, and activists shaping the region today. Beyond the noise of the 24-hour news cycle, the podcast dives into the stories that last: from cultural preservation under fire in Gaza, to Iranian journalists in the diaspora, to the uneasy realities of rebuilding Syria.</p><p></p><p>Hosted by Francesca Maria Lorenzini, an on-the-ground journalist in the region, Nearer East is made for curious minds. It cuts through jargon, challenges clichés and replaces headlines with human stories, grounded in lived experience and sharp analysis.</p><p></p><p>If you want to understand South-West Asia not as a monolith, but as a place of people, ideas and contradictions, this is where you start.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/21/2026
1 verified contact email on file for Nearer East
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Recent Episodes
May 6, 2026
Syria’s Shifting Media Landscape with Natacha Danon
<p>Journalism in Syria is changing but the fear that once defined it hasn’t fully disappeared.</p><p></p><p>Natacha Danon, journalist and executive director of Syria Direct, reflects on reporting under the Assad regime, where protecting sources meant relying on encrypted tools and anonymity. Today, while access and openness have improved, many journalists still navigate unspoken red lines and lingering risks. Is this a real turning point for press freedom, or just a temporary opening?</p><p></p><p>Subscribe to my Youtube channel: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/@francessmarlo" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@francessmarlo</a></p><p></p><p>Follow me:</p><p>- Instagram: @francessmarlo</p><p>- TikTok: @francessmarlo</p><p>- X (Twitter): @francessmarlo</p><p>- Substack: Francesca Maria Lorenzini / @francessmarlo</p>
April 15, 2026
Challenging Colonial Narratives in Refugee Representation with Yafa El Masri
<p>Refugees are often depicted as helpless children, but what if that image itself stems from a colonial legacy?<br />Researcher Yafa El Masri, who grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, saw firsthand how images shape understanding. Photographs usually show children in states of vulnerability not because that’s all they are, but because Western media and aid systems tend to favor those narratives. This framing, she says, casts refugees solely as victims and denies them agency. </p><p></p><p>But what if refugees were the ones telling their own stories, instead of researchers, aid workers or journalists deciding which stories get told?</p><p></p><p>Subscribe to my Youtube channel: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/@francessmarlo" target="_blank"><b>https://www.youtube.com/@francessmarlo</b></a></p><p></p><p>Follow me:</p><p>- Instagram: @francessmarlo</p><p>- TikTok: @francessmarlo</p><p>- X (Twitter): @francessmarlo</p><p>- Substack: Francesca Maria Lorenzini / @francessmarlo</p>
April 1, 2026
Telling Assyrian Stories from Iraq with Joe Snell
<p>Joe Snell is an award-winning Assyrian American journalist reporting from Erbil in northern Iraq. His work has taken him across Iraq and Lebanon, as well as Europe and the United States, with bylines in outlets like The Washington Post and Al-Monitor. He is the founder of The Assyrian Journal and the author of “Our Assyrian Story,” a project dedicated to documenting the history and lived experiences of the global Assyrian community.</p><p></p><p>Throughout his career, he has focused on shedding light on this often underreported community, ultimately choosing to go independent and relocate to Iraq last October.</p><p></p><p>In this episode, we explore his path into journalism, his life on the ground in Iraq and what it means to tell the stories of one of the region’s oldest and most overlooked communities.</p><p></p><p>Subscribe to my Youtube channel: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/@francessmarlo" target="_blank"><b>https://www.youtube.com/@francessmarlo</b></a></p><p></p><p>Follow me:</p><p>- Instagram: @francessmarlo</p><p>- TikTok: @francessmarlo</p><p>- X (Twitter): @francessmarlo</p><p>- Substack: Francesca Maria Lorenzini / @francessmarlo</p>
8 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Nearer East?
<p>The Middle East, or South-West Asia, is closer than you think.</p><p></p><p>Every two weeks, Nearer East pulls up a chair and invites you into conversations with the journalists, thinkers, and activists shaping the region today. Beyond the noise of the 24-hour news cycle, the podcast dives into the stories that last: from cultural preservation under fire in Gaza, to Iranian journalists in the diaspora, to the uneasy realities of rebuilding Syria.</p><p></p><p>Hosted by Francesca Maria Lorenzini, an on-the-ground journalist in the region, Nearer East is made for curious minds. It cuts through jargon, challenges clichés and replaces headlines with human stories, grounded in lived experience and sharp analysis.</p><p></p><p>If you want to understand South-West Asia not as a monolith, but as a place of people, ideas and contradictions, this is where you start.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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