Podcasters Address War: NPR Launches ‘State Of Ukraine’ And CNN’s ‘Tug Of War’ Returns.

As the coronavirus pandemic proved in its early days, podcasts can be an important news source for many Americans. With war now raging in Ukraine, producers are again creating dedicated podcast series to address the conflict.

NPR has announced a new podcast called State of Ukraine that it says will release multiple new episodes each day as news warrants. Last Thursday, five episodes were published. The podcast will feature reporting from NPR journalists on the ground, as well as conversations with officials, experts, and other newsmakers. The podcast will consider the conflict's past, future consequences, and what each new development means for the rest of the world. Listeners may also hear stories from NPR’s Washington and Business desks.

"NPR is the nation's leading audio-first newsroom. The organization is uniquely equipped to share on-the-ground reporting, voices, and perspectives from the region – and around the world – in an on-demand format," said Neal Carruth, Senior Director of On-Demand News Programming. "We are proud to bring trustworthy and timely journalism to audiences as the conflict unfolds."

In recent weeks listeners have heard familiar NPR voices reporting from the conflict zone with “All Things Considered” host Mary Louise Kelly and “Morning Edition” hosts Rachel Martin, A Martinez and Leila Fadel co-hosting NPR's news magazines live from Ukraine. International correspondents Frank Langfitt, Eleanor Beardsley and Lauren Frayer have also been reporting from across the country, as well as Tim Mak, Joanna Kakissis, Daniel Estrin and Rob Schmitz, who reported from Ukraine in the buildup to the invasion.

NPR's coverage of the crisis in Ukraine is supported in part by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. State of Ukraine joins the roster of NPR's daily podcasts alongside Up First, Consider This, The Indicator from Planet Money, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Short Wave, The NPR Politics Podcast, and Book of the Day.

Meantime, the CNN Audio podcast Tug of War is returning for a new season which it says will be an “open-ended” season. Tug of War will be reported from both the U.S. and the Ukraine with CNN reporters offering historical, political, and social context for the Russia/Ukraine conflict. New episodes of Tug of War drop Sunday and Wednesday.