Political scientist Ian Bremmer (@GZEROMedia) has access to the rooms, conversations and world leaders who make the news of the day. So how does he stay on top of everything that’s going on? In conversation with TED’s Helen Walters, Bremmer opens up about how he thinks about sources, how he avoids getting spun — and what we can all do to think more clearly about the news. (This interview was recorded on May 20, 2026.)
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@doubleuenbeeeh
May 22, 2026 at 11:10 am
Step 1: ignore anything Ian bloviates about
@Comenta-san
May 22, 2026 at 11:15 am
“The only good news channel is no news channel” – Lao-Tzu
@zenmaster-x2b
May 22, 2026 at 11:25 am
One important takeaway here is that in today’s world, access to information is no longer enough — the real skill is knowing how to filter noise, verify sources, and think independently.
Ian Bremmer highlights something powerful:
Staying informed is not about consuming more news, but about understanding context, incentives, and global patterns without being emotionally manipulated by headlines.
In an AI-driven and fast-moving world, critical thinking may become one of the most valuable skills anyone can develop.
Definitely an important conversation worth listening to.
@peterp5099
May 22, 2026 at 11:51 am
@zenmaster-x2b It’s also important to understand the ramifications of the news they don’t want You to understand. A.E. that going to war doesn’t pay off for the average Ukrainian drafted to the trenches, and that it’s much better to be one of the guys who took their families and fled on time to a different country. That’s what there is to learn in case war comes to Your country, and what the politicians really don’t want us to comprehend. 😉
@daigoro7216
May 23, 2026 at 5:41 am
The Truth is though that is was always the case. From your Mother to Dan Rather, they all had biases which you could understand if you had enough Understanding and you wouldn’t if you didn’t. Same thing now.
@stevewolf3962
May 23, 2026 at 10:43 am
@daigoro7216 exactly. We always needed to think critically.
@nomandad2000
May 22, 2026 at 11:38 am
Did y’all catch the interview with the general who was wearing the weird mask? What do we make of that?
@ericsynchrona5495
May 22, 2026 at 11:49 am
Everything from Iran to Israel is a tiny amount of the dictionary.
@laserhobbyist9751
May 22, 2026 at 11:55 am
I do not trust TED after they continually suppress speakers.
@KQSZLOK
May 22, 2026 at 12:07 pm
Ground News is a good way for lay people to do this for themselves.
@CapnAndMe
May 23, 2026 at 5:44 am
Problem here is they look like the rest of us, but they are actually mouthpieces for the transatlantic imperial, neocon warmonger bankers and arms manufacturers, big oil etc.
Empire tries to sell you wars and trickledown economics etc.
@samara_art
May 23, 2026 at 7:13 am
who is watching it to improve IELTS Listening ?
@YveraldinaAssompthaJasmin
May 23, 2026 at 8:35 am
JESUS LOVES YOU. LOVE HIM TOO GUYS. THANKS.
@Boo-BooBonhomie
May 23, 2026 at 9:03 am
UNBIASED news coverage is hard to find. I think the general public wants to hear the facts, but also the perspectives & opinions of both sides of the story. Truths are complex – the world is complex – if the news entities try too hard to make things simple, or purposely exclude ALL the facts, then it’s incomplete/false news. In wars, in genocides, in crisis, in politics, in protests, in life there are tough uncomfortable truths or unraveling “developments and stories” that might not have a black and white explanation or ever get and ending. It’s the nuance of perspectives -from all sides – that doesn’t get covered in the dry mainstream media news. That’s why people go to social media more and more. And that’s why the US Federal Govt (Dems as Republicans in Dec around the holidays I believe will likely pass Sunset Section 230 Act. To, in my opinion, censor citizen journalism that you get in social media.
@Boo-BooBonhomie
May 23, 2026 at 9:16 am
I don’t really watch Ted too much, I would respectfully suggest they open their stage to an even more diverse group of voices. The voices of Gazan Palestinians, the voices of the oppressed. And also the voices of the peacemakers, voices of Parrhesia (courageous speakers voicing uncomfortable truths). Positive uplifting Ted speakers are great, but for a Movement – say towards peace and saving innocent lives – all voices need access to the stage.
@cheersmodreams691
May 23, 2026 at 12:44 pm
Adding NHK World to my list of non-U.S. news sources which already includes France24, Al-Jazeera, CBC, DW News.
@kivalurswaminathan2197
May 23, 2026 at 5:02 pm
@cheersmodreams691 with a big dose of hope the deep state doesn’t get to them too.
@HarryKnuckles-the3rd
May 25, 2026 at 8:51 am
@cheersmodreams691
Oh my…. Adding the CBC to anything but your junk folder is a mistake.
It is HORRIBLY biased. The once fully trusted news source has become a pathetic partisan propaganda machine these days.
Not quite Fox “news” but it’s not a long distance between the two.
@cheersmodreams691
May 23, 2026 at 12:49 pm
Listening to 45 min. of Trump would be torture. As much as I want to keep tabs of world events, paying attention to Trump is best served by not listening to Trump and, instead, listening to the world’s response to Trump and concluding – such a waste.
@kivalurswaminathan2197
May 23, 2026 at 5:07 pm
Exactly the thought that came to my mind. My admiration for Putin went up a few notches. Man, he must have a strong mind to be able to put up with a 45 minute Trump conversation without an explosion of some sort.
@progenitrix
May 25, 2026 at 7:30 pm
@kivalurswaminathan2197 As an ex-KGB agent, I’m sure Putin enjoys hearing all the information Trump provides him with that a normal US President is not supposed to divulge.
@based_and_true
May 23, 2026 at 2:49 pm
The issue is not the access to multiple sources, but the lack of capabilities to parse other news sources in a non-biased way. People don’t want accurate news and, even if they had that, they would reject it. You can’t rationalize away the unconscious aspect. The access and ability to choose (or not) a specific narrative is the main issue. A less-informed population would yield better results in this specific landscape. You need a certain coldness and distance to be able to analyze correctly. The whole convo feels performative and avoid the structural problem in place. The idea that you can avoid biases by a specific method is a trap in itself, and it is an harmful one to those where the emotional core is more active. Maybe you can, or believe you can, and you are either a non-representative outlier or a self-deluded unbiased reader. Ultimately, this isn’t helping anyone and it will harm more common people to make them believe they actually can parse multiple sources in a productive and analytical way. It basically avoids the emotional question in how the news is consumed : it dehumanizes common people while also harming their future relation to the news.
@TC-hl1ws
May 23, 2026 at 5:07 pm
How sad that 1 day later this only has 9K views. Ian Bremmer is the best unbiased political global news specialist but never seems to draw much viewership. I guess everyone is so politically biased that just the facts and no political spin doesn’t interest most people.
@kivalurswaminathan2197
May 23, 2026 at 5:08 pm
One of the sharper cookies out there. Respect.
@Ali-5745c
May 23, 2026 at 5:46 pm
This was so enlighting, thank you! Followed Ian’s media and this TED series. Funny enough I was listening while doing some spring cleaning, agree with the multitasking comment 😊
@AG-ze9tf
May 24, 2026 at 1:34 am
The great Ian B. ! Thank you!
@seanburton5298
May 24, 2026 at 12:04 pm
It’s interesting that long form audio works. 20 years ago long form written advertisements worked really well.
@andyreznick
May 24, 2026 at 12:23 pm
Thanks for the look into your process.
@George-bs3nb
May 24, 2026 at 12:27 pm
Big takeaway for me…biases as an identity….seed for self reflection as Professor Shiller would say during a lecture “think about it”.
@paddleduck5328
May 24, 2026 at 4:32 pm
24:30 well…maybe check new developments
@ArkansasVoteBlue
May 24, 2026 at 10:47 pm
Thank y’all for this interesting conversation. I watch anything Mr. Bremmer is on. He’s so good. 🩵🇺🇸🇺🇦🇬🇱🇨🇦
@themarquee1497
May 25, 2026 at 2:22 am
barf
@cullypettigrew
May 25, 2026 at 3:11 am
Stopped looking at news over 16 months ago when Trump was re- elected. The thought of listening to his whining sarcastic voice drove me to this decision and I now sleep well at nights. And you know, somehow I’m remarkably well informed of what’s going on in the world.
@jps0117
May 25, 2026 at 4:30 am
I especially appreciate Ian’s Stoic admonitions in the last five minutes.
@Erritae
May 25, 2026 at 6:28 am
Youtube viewer ‘views’ are out of wack too, been noticing ‘experts’ who have had zero presence before then all of a sudden they’re boasting huge viewership while their content is very B-level. Meanwhile authentic channels are still showing average, realistic views based on their release date.
@MrFrankNickels
May 25, 2026 at 7:03 am
Bremmer is a unique and valuable voice.
@sens36
May 25, 2026 at 12:28 pm
Stop conusming Ian bremmer’s content is a good first step.
@AWM-r8e
May 25, 2026 at 1:23 pm
👏👏👏
@JerrryMillion
May 25, 2026 at 6:43 pm
I no longer trust, western media, especially Fox NewsB
@rmcl2525
May 25, 2026 at 7:58 pm
As a Canadian I find it amusing that Ian listens to the CBC as a credible news source. The CBC is subsidised and beholding to the federal government and have shown their bias on numerous occasions. Recent Funding Levels (Parliamentary Appropriations)Base/typical annual funding: Around $1.3–1.4 billion CAD in recent years (e.g., ~$1.38 billion cited for 2024-25 and planned for 2026-27). 2025-26: Temporarily higher at around $1.57 billion, due to one-time boosts (including a $150 million increase).
Prime-time audience share (English CBC TV): Dropped from around 7.6% in 2018 to 4.4–4.6% in recent reports (e.g., 2024 data). Some sources note even lower figures for specific periods or news programming (e.g., down toward 2–3% in certain quarters). They are a running joke in Canada and would have been defunded if the conservative would have won the last election. 🤣🤣
@SaffaInNewZealand
May 25, 2026 at 8:17 pm
If you don’t follow the news you are uninformed, if you do then you are misinformed.