Underreported from WNYC's The Leonard Lopate Show

Latest Episodes:

Underreported: Hate Crime and Racism in Russia, Part II Oct 04, 2007

Show notes

On the second part of Underreported, Leonard speaks with Paul Goble, Professor at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C., to look at the broader context through a discussion of public attitudes about race, ethnicity, and religion in Russia.

Hate Crime and Racism in Russia, Part I Oct 04, 2007

Show notes

Three years ago, the brutal murder of a 9-year old Tajik girl in Saint Petersburg turned international attention to the rise of neo-fascist groups and hate crime in Russia. Since then, the situation has not only gotten worse, it’s also fallen off the mainstream media radar. Attacks are up 28% since 2006, and many observers think the actual number of crimes is even greater. On the first part of Underreported, Leonard will be speaking with Paul LeGendre, Interim Director of the Fighting Discrimination Program at Human Rights First, and Nickolai Butkevich, Research and Advocacy Director at the Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union.

Underreported: The Cassini-Huygens Space Mission Sep 27, 2007

Show notes

The Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn is a multinational cooperation between three space agencies and 17 nations, with a total cost of over $3 billion. Launched in 1997, its goal was to orbit Saturn and its moons, and probe the atmosphere of Titan and land on its surface. The spacecraft has provided startling discoveries about Saturn, our solar system, and planet Earth, with more surprises doubtless to come. On today's Underreported, Leonard will speak with two of the mission's teams members about their discoveries: Dr. Carolyn Porco, the leader of the imaging team and Director of the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations, and Dr. Torrence V. Johnson, Chief Scientist for the Solar System Exploration Programs Directorate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

To learn more about the mission, visit the Cassini-Huygens homepage

Weigh in: Have you heard much in the media about the Cassini-Huygens space mission?

Underreported: Violent Clashes in Eastern Congo Sep 20, 2007

Show notes

There is renewed violence and instability in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Clashes have erupted between troops loyal to the Congolese Tutsi general, Laurent Nkunda, and government forces. General Nkunda claims he is protecting ethnic minorities Tutsis living in Congo from the Hutu genocidal rebels that escaped Rwanda following the genocide in 1994. Rwanda has also entered the conflict by issuing thinly veiled threats to the Congolese government. On today’s Underreported, Arnaud Zajtman, a BBC reporter based in Kinshasa, and David Mugnier, Central Africa Project Director at the International Crisis Group, join Leonard to brief us on the conflict and how it may affect regional stability in central Africa.

Underreported: Burmese Press Under Attack Sep 13, 2007

Show notes

The military regime that governs Burma is working hard to prevent news gathering. Burmese journalists have been threatened, harassed, and physically assaulted. On the second part of today's Underreported, Leonard speaks with Shawn Crispin, a Bangkok-based journalist. Mr. Crispin is an Asia program consultant for the Committee to Protect Journalists and was bureau chief for the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review in Bangkok from 1999 to 2004.

Underreported: Health Crisis in Burma Sep 13, 2007

Show notes

Burma/Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962, and decades of repression, civil war, and poor governance have contributed to the spread of infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Now the Burmese government's extreme travel restrictions have forced most aid workers out of the country. On the first part of today's Underreported, Leonard speaks with Aryeh Neier, President of the Open Society Institute, and Brian Williams, UNAIDS country coordinator for Burma, about the dire health conditions in Burma.

Event: Aryeh Neier and Brian Williams will be participating in a panel discussion on the challenges of delivering humanitarian aid to Burma, co-sponsored by the Asia Society and the Open Society Institute. The panel is called "Human Rights and Public Health: The Burma/Myanmar Tragedy." The panel is tonight, Sept. 13, from 6:30 - 8:00 pm at the Asia Society 725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street) New York City For tickets, call the Asia Society box office at (212) 517-ASIA or visit tickets.asiasociety.org

Underreported: Ethiopia’s Campaign in the Ogaden Sep 06, 2007

Show notes

While the West focuses on Darfur, another humanitarian disaster seems to be developing in the Horn of Africa. The Ethiopian government - a recipient of a great deal of western aid money - has launched a military campaign in the Ogaden, a remote region of Ethiopia that borders on Somalia. Civilians have been killed or displaced, villages have been burnt, and livestock has been destroyed. The Ethiopian military and the US military have a close working relationship, by the Pentagon's own admission. On the second part of Underreported, Leonard talks to Tom Porteous of Human Rights Watch about the destruction in the Ogaden, and how the United States government is complicit.

Underreported: Berhanu Nega, Ethiopian Activist Sep 06, 2007

Show notes

Dr. Berhanu Nega is a recently released Ethiopian political prisoner, and is also a leading member of the CUD, Ethiopia’s main opposition party. He joins Leonard on the first part of today's Underreported to talk about his harrowing prison experience, and provide a first-hand view of Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi's heavy-handed suppression of political dissent.

Event: Dr. Berhanu Nega will be giving a talk Tonight, Thursday, Sept. 6th at 7:30 pm New School for Social Research Swayduck Auditorium 65 Fifth Avenue, between 13th and 14th streets The event is free and open to the public.

Underreported: Sri Lankan Journalist In Danger Aug 30, 2007

Show notes

Veteran Sri Lankan journalist Iqbal Athas has faced a great deal of danger over the course of his career. More recently, grave threats have been made against him following his investigations into irregularities surrounding a 2006 government deal to purchase fighter jets from Ukraine. Mr. Athas joins us by phone from Sri Lanka to tell us more about his investigative report, why it's putting him in danger, and how much press freedom there is in Sri Lanka right now.

You can read the Committee to Protect Journalists' letter to the president of Sri Lanka regarding threats to Iqbal Athas by going to CPJ's website here

Underreported: Government Abuses in Sri Lanka Aug 30, 2007

Show notes

Unlawful killings, disappearances, and crackdowns on press freedom have been intensifying in Sri Lanka over the last year, as major conflicts between Sri Lanka's government and Tamil separatists have resumed. On today's Underreported, we'll find out more about the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. Joining Leonard are Kavita Menon, of the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Charu Hogg, of Human Rights Watch.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Underreported from WNYC’s The Leonard Lopate Show

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected