On Assignment

About On Assignment

Dive into the stories behind the news with a new podcast from Reuters. We take you past the headlines right to the heart of the action. From the frontlines of war to corporate boardrooms and the centers of political power, listen to our award-winning investigative journalists around the world make sense of the most important stories today.

Publisher

Reuters

Category

news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Aug 2025

Latest episode

3 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 54 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   3 Oct 2026

   When your journalism goes to Hollywood

   Reporter Jeff Horwitz is having a surreal week. His investigation into Facebook has been turned into a major Hollywood film starring Jeremy Allen White. On this episode of On Assignment, the Pulitzer prize-winning journalist reflects on the Facebook Files investigation, his relationship with whistleblower Fances Haugen, and the impact the revelations had on the debate over social media's harms. He also shares what it's like to see his own story transformed for the big screen in Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to opt out of targeted advertising.

2. 

   19 Sept 2026

   Inside China's AI race

   As the US and China race to dominate artificial intelligence, Reuters correspondents Eduardo Baptista and Laurie Chen say the two countries aren't even playing the same game. On this episode of On Assignment, they take us inside China's AI industry - from Beijing's push to weave AI into every corner of society, to the murky world of chip access, distillation and export controls. Hear what it takes to report on one of the most fast-moving industries on Earth, and why the answer to "who's winning" may depend entirely on how you define the race.

3. 

   12 Sept 2026

   Under siege in the West Bank

   As wars rage across the Middle East, another conflict is unfolding the occupied West Bank. On this episode of On Assignment, Reuters correspondent Pesha Magid travels to the Palestinian village of Qusra, which has become the focal point of a growing struggle over land, security, and political power.

Inside a recent episode

Mexico vs. the cartels

Published 28 Feb 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So these are very complicated criminal organizations that extend far, far beyond drugs. Okay, so that's the business side of things. What is it like for everyday Mexicans to live under this kind of widespread, sometimes unseen cartel influence and control? So everyone here in Mexico, their lives are touched by the cartel. Many don't know it, and some live in daily fear and suffer horrific violence and trauma as a result of it. They've obviously for years been involved in human trafficking, human smuggling, forced labor, CG &G is perhaps the deepest into forced labor and forced recruitment, which means they'll put out ads and social media or in newspapers online that they're looking for a security guard, for example, and all you need to do is get to the bus stop in Guarajara, but when you get there, you realize that you were actually recruited by the Halesco cartel taken to a training camp and forced to work for the cartel. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

12 ratings

Spotify

4.7 / 5

43 ratings

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