In this episode, Vincent talks with Max Smedes, an editor and researcher at the Dutch radio program Bureau Buitenland - the Dutch radio program known as The Foreign Desk. The radio show covers international news, reports, backgrounds and geopolitics, and also produces podcasts and audio-documentaries. 

Max shares his insights on the evolving landscape of foreign news in Dutch media and discusses the role and responsibilities of foreign reporters. The conversation is on the issue of maintaining objective journalism amidst potential budget costs or political pressure, pressures, and how these issues impact global reporting. 

Meet the guest 
Max Smedes is an editor and researcher at Bureau Buitenland, which covers international news, reports, backgrounds and geopolitics. He studied political science in Amsterdam and did a Master in Crisis and Security Management: Intelligence and National Security.

Recommendation of the week
Max recommends a book, Will You Care if I Die, by Swedish author Nicolas Lunabba. In this semi-autobiography, he describes how he (a social worker) helps a vulnerable teenager escape his disadvantaged environment. In the book, Lunabba analyses the place of migrants in Swedish society and creates (as this particular review says) “ a powerful memoir about social class, race, friendship and unexpected love, and a blazingly topical exploration of social polarisation and the rise of the far right.” You can read another review by the Guardian here, and you can buy the book through the Guardian Bookstore or in your local bookshop.