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The Audio Long Read

The Guardian
The Audio Long Read
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513 episodes

  • The Audio Long Read

    From the archive: How Facebook and Instagram became marketplaces for child sex trafficking

    30/09/2026 | 47 mins.
    We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2023: Our two-year investigation suggests that the tech giant Meta is struggling to prevent criminals from using its platforms to buy and sell children for sex. By Katie McQue and Mei-Ling McNamara. Read by Jeanette Robinson More from this series: Rights and freedom Content warning – the following article contains descriptions of child sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
  • The Audio Long Read

    The flat-pack skyscraper: how wood can shape the cities of the future

    28/09/2026 | 27 mins.
    Our buildings are monuments to extraction and extreme emissions. But what if we turned from destructive concrete to timber? By James Crawford. Read by David Carlyle. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
  • The Audio Long Read

    The other Post Office scandal: how organised crime launders money on the high street

    25/09/2026 | 27 mins.
    Hundreds of millions of pounds of dirty money are being deposited at post offices every year. So why are the police reluctant to investigate the scale of the problem? By Oliver Bullough. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
  • The Audio Long Read

    From the archive: ‘I know where the bodies are buried’: one woman’s mission to change how the police investigate rape

    23/09/2026 | 54 mins.
    We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2023: For the past two years, Betsy Stanko has been leading an unprecedented investigation into why the police have been failing so badly to tackle sexual violence. But is there any chance of fixing a system that seems so broken? By Melissa Denes. Read by Ruth Lass. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
  • The Audio Long Read

    A bungled bomb plot in Poland exposed a spy – but whose spy was he?

    21/09/2026 | 51 mins.
    When exiled Russian opposition campaigner Igor Rogov was accused of working for the Kremlin, his friends were shocked. Could this young activist have really been an undercover agent? By Shaun Walker. Read by Kobna Holdbrook Smith. Additional reporting by Ada Petriczko. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
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About The Audio Long Read
Three times a week, The Audio Long Read podcast brings you the Guardian’s exceptional longform journalism in audio form. Covering topics from politics and culture to philosophy and sport, as well as investigations and current affairs.
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