The News Agents

By: Global
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  • Summary

  • Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall – three of the UK’s top journalists – host an award-winning daily news podcast: The News Agents. They’re not just here to tell you what's happening, but why. Expect astute analysis and explanation of the day's news – and a healthy dose of scepticism and the ability to laugh at it all when needed. Episodes are available every weekday afternoon. You can listen to The News Agents on Alexa, just say "Alexa ask Global Player to play The News Agents" The News Agents is a Global Player Original podcast. For advertising opportunities on this podcast email: dax@global.com And The News Agents now have merch! Click here to buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents
    Global
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Political Science Politics & Government
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Episodes
  • Tina Brown on truth, Trump and the future of journalism

    Tina Brown on truth, Trump and the future of journalism
    May 9 2025

    For half a century, Tina Brown has been a titan of journalism both here in the UK and in America. Editor of Tatler at just 25, she continued to take on Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, moving now into the digital age of journalism. Through the Reagan era to Trump, Tina Brown has seen it all.

    This Friday, Lewis is joined by Tina in the studio to talk about her vast career, Trump's drive for payback, and the future of journalism in the digital age.

    The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/
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    51 mins
  • Weekend Edition - The Sports Agents

    Weekend Edition - The Sports Agents
    May 9 2025

    This week on The Sports Agents...

    After two dramatic Champions League semi-finals we caught up with European Football Journalist Guillem Balagué (03:45).

    World number one tennis player, Jannik Sinner, returned from a three-month doping ban this week. His lawyer Jamie Singer came into the studio (12:15).

    With young superstars lighting up sport recently like Lamine Yamal and Luke Littler, we spoke to skateboarder Sky Brown, who became Britain's youngest Olympic medallist aged 13 (16:15).

    The new snooker world champion Zhao Xintong just came back from a 20-month ban for being party to match fixing. To find out more Jeremy Wilson, Chief Sports Reporter for The Telegraph, joined us (20:45).

    Got a question for The Sports Agents - email us at thesportsagents@global.com

    New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
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    25 mins
  • Is the Trump-Starmer trade deal really "historic"?

    Is the Trump-Starmer trade deal really "historic"?
    May 8 2025

    Keir Starmer could only dial in to Donald Trump's press conference, hailing the new US-UK trade deal, but that didn't stop an Oval Office love in between the two leaders.

    Starmer praised a "historic" day for both countries, as Trump thanked Starmer, speaking warmly of the special “external and internal bond” between the two countries.

    The timing could hardly be better for the Prime Minister, some much needed good economic news after a brutal set of local election results and growing unease on his backbenches about welfare cuts. But is there actually that much to get excited about in this trade deal? Or does it still leave us in a worse place with the US than just a few months ago?

    Later, Jon and Emily speak to Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of the Atlantic, and the man who was added to that infamous 'Houthi PC Small Group' Signal chat that ended up with the firing of America's National Security Advisor.

    The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/
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    36 mins

What listeners say about The News Agents

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Profile Image for Disorganised Mum

Great

I really value that the journalists are stating their own views without needing to toe any particular line.

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Profile Image for K. J. Pattle

Love their humour !

3 very thoughtful compassionate journalists with a lovely relaxed style. Unbiased take on current news and political events.

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Profile Image for alan ball

Well informed

Excellent pod cast, listening to one about Donald Trump, amusing and educational, listen to Newsagents regularly

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Profile Image for George Le_Wolf

refreshingly excellent journalism

look forward to every podcast. BBC, you really missed a trick with this trio. in depth news with never the term "sorry, we have finish there. we have run out of time" onwards and upwards you three musketeers !

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Listening from Ireland

Listening from Ireland and have a great interest in UK politics. This podcast is superb

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

What Newsnight used to feel like

Back in the late 80s and 90s, I'd get my news from Newsnight. Paxman's legendary interviews, Kirsty Wark trying to control Tom Paulin and Germaine Greer on the Newsnight Review. It was the fun side of the intellectual establishment. Since Maitlis and Goodall got edged out, it's been a poodle of the administration, and it's been necessary to look online for anything like independent news coverage (God forbid one look to ITV or Beeb 1; that's past praying for). But thank Heaven for the merry trio of Goodall, Maitlis & Sopel. Their coverage is a little left-leaning, within very controlled parameters - that alone makes them a breath of fresh air (and God knows the right never control the parameters within which their news partisans operate - GB Froth, anyone?) Their coverage is broad but never shallow, their access is exceptional for online news. And I'm guessing all their regular listeners find the badinage a cheesy pleasure. Since discovering the News Agents, I can go to bed a full hour earlier, because I don't need to wait up to be disappointed by Newsnight's tapioca pudding, but can think and chuckle on my commute every morning instead. God bless these merry folks.

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Profile Image for James Murtagh

Analysis worth listening to.

I got out of the habit of watching the news during Covid and never went back. Lots of daily news doesn’t interest me anymore. However, the in-depth analysis provided by ‘The News Agents’ is worthy of my attention. The presenters compliment each other well. Emily was my favourite presenter on Newsnight, back when I watched it.
The same goes for the US version.

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Profile Image for MRS TINA LEWIS

very good

i really enjoy this podcast, interesting and plain speaking daily news and political analysis.

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Profile Image for Seamus Quinn

Thoughtful and interesting analysis of the news

Very enjoyable podcast, the interaction between the three presenters is both informative and entertaining. Emily's grilling of one of the "New Conservatives" is a personal fav ("You picked radishes for four months, why'd you leave?"), also interesting to discover the pea picking and hair sweeping/washing hidden skills.
Stones in the pea bag, for shame.........

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Profile Image for London Eagle

Flashes of greatness undermined by smugness and bias

This is an uneven podcast, which is frustrating as the hosts are individually talented and collectively capable of something greater than the sum of its parts. So what goes wrong? A default soft left worldview, banal choice of topic and guests, far too much ex BBC chat, and a dangerous lack of perspective on many issues - the coverage of Huw Edwards was a travesty. Fine, he’s Sopel’s mate. But couldn’t Emily or Lewis have been more forensic in their scrutiny of Edwards’ misdemeanours?

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