500 episodes

Background Briefing goes far beyond the headlines and deep under the radar to bring forward truths unheard elsewhere in American media. Background Briefing features international and national news, expert guests, policymakers, and critics offering analysis and insight on national security, foreign and domestic policy, political, cultural, and social issues.
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twitter.com/ianmastersmedia
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Background Briefing with Ian Masters Ian Masters

    • News
    • 4.7 • 526 Ratings

Background Briefing goes far beyond the headlines and deep under the radar to bring forward truths unheard elsewhere in American media. Background Briefing features international and national news, expert guests, policymakers, and critics offering analysis and insight on national security, foreign and domestic policy, political, cultural, and social issues.
backgroundbriefing.org/donate
twitter.com/ianmastersmedia
facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

    June 6, 2023 - Dr. Sasha Dovzhyk | Simon Shuster | Emily Channell-Justice

    June 6, 2023 - Dr. Sasha Dovzhyk | Simon Shuster | Emily Channell-Justice

    Flooding From a Breached Dam Delays Any Ukrainian Military Attack From the South Into Crimea | A Reporter's Earlier Conversations With Zelensky About Russia Blowing up the Dam | The Impact on Ukrainian Civilian Infrastructure and New Reporting That Ukraine Was Behind the Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage
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    • 59 min
    June 5, 2023 - Peter Dreier | Tom LoBianco | Jan Kubik

    June 5, 2023 - Peter Dreier | Tom LoBianco | Jan Kubik

    The False Equivalence of the Far-Right House Freedom Caucus and the Democrat's Progressive Caucus | Mike Pence and the Growing Republican Ranks of Hopefuls Challenging Trump | Sunday's Massive Demonstrations in Poland Against Anti-Democratic Authoritarianism
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    • 1 hr 4 min
    June 4, 2023 - James Galbraith | Lauren Kahn | Antony Loewenstein

    June 4, 2023 - James Galbraith | Lauren Kahn | Antony Loewenstein

    A Phony Crisis Averted Now a Celebration of Compromise and Bipartisanship | The Next War of Drones and AI Now in Ukraine | Exporting the Technology of Repression and Australia's Trial of the Century
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    • 1 hr 3 min
    June 1, 2023 - Dennis Aftergut | Richard Parker | Ben Freeman

    June 1, 2023 - Dennis Aftergut | Richard Parker | Ben Freeman

    Trump Eviscerates His Own Defense as Jack Smith Closes in on Indicting Him | The Disconnect Between Biden's Low Poll Numbers and His Many Achievements | How Defense Contractors Influence the Ukraine Debate
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    • 1 hr
    May 31, 2023 - Chris McGreal | Daniel Serwer | Jake Grumbach

    May 31, 2023 - Chris McGreal | Daniel Serwer | Jake Grumbach

    The Sacklers Get to Keep Most of Their Money After a Million Americans Have Died From Their Drug OxyContin | Serbia's Authoritarian Leader and Russian Provocateurs Are Behind What Lavrov Says is a Big Explosion Looming in the Heart of Europe | The March Towards Authoritarianism in States Taken Over by Republican Supermajorities
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    • 1 hr
    May 30, 2023 - Jeff Hauser | Paul Pillar | Aaron Stein

    May 30, 2023 - Jeff Hauser | Paul Pillar | Aaron Stein

    The Hazardous Passage of the Debt Ceiling Deal Through Congress | Will Putin Get the Traitor-in-Chief Back in the Oval Office? | Is Erdogan's Victory Also a Victory For Putin?
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    • 1 hr 2 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
526 Ratings

526 Ratings

M. Shasha ,

The best fact-based IN-DEPTH news Podcast

Yes, the host is biased - TOWARD REALITY.
If “the pursuit of facts” is considered too liberal by some then they can go to mainstream media which has surrendered to radical talking points instead of facts, details and careful analysis.

Lavadus ,

Sometimes on point, sometimes delusional

To his credit, Masters seems to dig for sources, frequently presenting interviews with knowledgeable people who raise salient arguments.
He’s not consistent, though, in how he questions his guests. If the guest is saying something that Masters seems to agree with, he can be a patsy.
This was especially evident in a recent episode where he brought on somebody who trotted out that old canard about NATO provoking Russia to invade Ukraine. This is a talking point shared by the extreme right and the extreme left and is at variance with the actual, well documented but nuanced, facts. Irrespective of his own opinion. It was Masters’ job to ask probing questions based in the record.. He didn’t ask a single one. In other words, he let disingenuousness stand unchallenged.
Knowing a little bit about Ukraine, I was able to catch him in his game. There are other topics that I know far less about, but there seems to be reason to suspect that he would pull the same kind of stunt there, too. I think I will unsubscribe.

vassaman ,

Fabulous insights.

If you want deeper analyses and insights this is the show for you. Interesting and relevant guests and intelligent incisive conversations. Fabulous!

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