How to process the news when it all feels bad

The foreign editor of FT, Alec Russell, has been a witness to many crises across the globe for over three decades. He was in Romania during the Ceaușescu regime downfall, South Africa during the end of apartheid, and reported on the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Recently, with the news from Gaza and Ukraine, many of us are pessimistic about the current state of the world. To gain some perspective, we asked Mr. Russell if this is a particularly challenging time in history, or if it just feels that way. In this blog, he provides us with advice on how to find hope and shares his insights gained from his experiences of being present during pivotal moments in history.

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Hyperlinks (every hyperlink from FT allows you to access the content without encountering a paywall):

Check out Alec's article that honors the 30th anniversary of Rwanda's genocide at this link: https://on.ft.com/3QnQbfx.

If you're looking for something else to read, you might want to check out Alec Russell's book, After Mandela: the Battle for the Soul of South Africa.

Alec is currently using X.

The FT Weekend Festival is returning soon and is scheduled to take place in Washington, DC on May 4th! The event boasts an impressive lineup of speakers such as Nancy Pelosi, Alec, and Lilah. If you're interested in attending, head over to ft.com/festival-us and take advantage of our exclusive discount code: weekendpodcast.

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Take a look at the written version of this episode by visiting FT.com and browsing through the transcript.

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