John Barron takes a deeper look at the major stories and key issues of the day, examining the facts and the social and historical implications of the subjects we’re all talking about.
The Context (8pm Friday ABC News and iView) is a weekly half hour looking into the historical, scientific, social and factual context of major issues and top stories, hosted by John Barron (Planet America, Fact Check).
In tonight’s first episode The Context looks at the forgotten genocide, when 4 million Ukrainians were deliberately starved to death by Russia, which helps explain their resistance to Russian domination today.
We’re putting together tonight’s premiere episode of “The Context” on @abcnews, with stories on the hidden Ukraine genocide and Australia’s battle to quit the smokes (and vapes). 8pm AEST pic.twitter.com/Njh7mv1vix
— John Barron (@JohnBarronUSA) June 9, 2022
Joining John is journalist and comedian Ange Laviopierre, who will take a “Now and Then” nostalgic look at the past, including asking the same vox pop questions today that ABC reporters asked back in the 1950’s and 60’s…a great insight into how much (or how little) things change. Madeline Morris will also line up to deliver the number crunching across each issue.
Across the eight episode series they’ll also looking at the fifty year fight to get us to quit smoking tobacco, and ask if vaping is part of the solution or an all new problem – guests include former health Minister Nicola Roxon who introduced plain packaging ten years ago.
Next week, it’s fifty years since Watergate, where John will talk to a top reporter and a lawyer who were both in the thick of it, with one saying Trump is much worse than Nixon was. On July 1 a special ABC 90th episode is planned, looking at the early years of Aunty when journalists were banned from gathering news and Murdoch (Sir Keith) had oversight of our bulletins!
