Freedom Desk with Jason Rezaian

CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward has spent more than two decades reporting from war zones. She joins Jason Rezaian to explain why firsthand reporting matters—and what the public loses when journalists cannot reach the people living through a conflict.

They discuss the threats facing local journalists in Gaza, why Ward has remained committed to journalism despite many harrowing close calls in the field, and the fractured nature of truth in the age of social media.

Today’s show was produced by Josh Carroll and Layli Nazarova. It was edited by Ted Muldoon and Reena Flores.

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Jason Rezaian knows the cost of free speech. He spent 544 days in an Iranian prison for simply being a journalist.

The world is witnessing the erosion of democratic values. The Freedom Desk video podcast is about what comes next in the global fight for free expression.

Every week, Jason talks to one leading voice about freedoms gained, freedoms lost, who's trying to take it from us, and how we take it back.

First episode drops September 9th.

The "Freedom Desk" video podcast is a new project from Jason Rezaian, Director of Press Freedom Initiatives at The Washington Post.

On the final episode of Sidebar, The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin, James Hohmann and JM Rieger breakdown the shaky ceasefire between Iran and Israel – and whether it will hold. And having decided to enter the conflict, President Trump is now trying to play peacemaker.

Then, the crew breaks down Trump's stunning turn of fortune since Sidebar began – from being found guilty in his New York hush money and election interference trial, to winning the presidency for a second time and seeing his federal charges dismissed.

Later, the crew reflects on their time hosting Sidebar and other Washington Post coverage.

On this episode, The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann break down the evolving news on Iran – from trading strikes with Israel to President Trump's increasing involvement.

The crew breaks down what Trump says he might do, what his endgame is – and whether Israel is luring the United States into a war of its choosing.

Then, Trump's 2024 financial disclosures have been released – and the President made money from all kinds of ventures, from his golf courses to crypto to signed guitars. Which ones earned him the most money?