Intelligence Squared U.S. Wins Adweek's Best Podcast Event In 2022

 Bona fide debates are so rare today that they are often recognized when done and done exceedingly well. That's why Adweek's 2022 Podcast of the Year Awards, "Best Podcast Event" was awarded to nonprofit media organization Intelligence Squared U.S.'s recent episode debating the question "Is Cancel Culture Toxic?"

Adweek wrote, "Reaching more than 200,000 unique listeners, the live event brought together widely respected thinkers who didn't simply pander to partisan allegiances, but endeavored to share their point of view in hopes of arriving at a clearer understanding of the phenomenon."

The "Is Cancel Culture Toxic?" episode featured Russian Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov and Freethink co-founder Kmele Foster arguing Yes against Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah and Wellesley professor Erich Hatala Matthes arguing No. It is available to listen to at the Intelligence Squared website (which also features video of the taping) and on all podcast apps.

The award follows another milestone for Intelligence Squared U.S.: After years of airing as a periodic special on public radio, the show can now be heard weekly on public radio stations across the country (including WNYC every Saturday). Find more info on the new weekly radio show and a list of upcoming episodes here. 

 Episodes will come out every Friday in podcast apps and air soon after every week on a range of public radio stations across the country, with more being announced regularly.

The programming schedule for the next two months is as follows:

• August 5: Should We Eat More Processed Foods?
• August 12: Should We Indict Trump?
• August 19: Is Cancel Culture Toxic?
• August 26: Should We Do Away With the SAT?
• September 2: Will AI Do More Harm than Good?
• September 9: Activism in Healthcare
• September 16: Can We Separate Art from the Artist?
• September 23: Is Amazon Good for Small Business?
• September 30: Will Dollar Dominance Last?

To mark the launch of the new weekly show for public radio, Intelligence Squared U.S. will take the stage live on August 31st at PRPD Public Radio Content Conference in New Orleans to debate a timely question: “Is public radio still relevant in a digital world?”

“In our increasingly divided world, Americans deserve a contempt-free zone for hearing both sides of the issues,” said Clea Conner, CEO of Intelligence Squared U.S. "We are thrilled to offer our program on a weekly basis to help expose public radio listeners to a range of ideas on some of the most important questions of our time."

The program was made possible in part by a generous grant from the Laura and Gary Lauder Family Venture Philanthropy Fund, contributing up to $1.25 million over four years to initiate the Debate for Understanding program.

"The ability to consider and learn from each other's perspectives is crucial for our democracy to function," said Laura Lauder. "We are thrilled to support Intelligence Squared U.S.'s new program, Debate for Understanding, to enable all Americans to explore the most pressing issues of our time through debates conducted with civility and respect."