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Barack Obama to host Audible podcast on six books that shaped him

The former US president will discuss literature with guests in a six-episode series debuting 24 September 2026

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

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Barack Obama to host Audible podcast on six books that shaped him

What this story says

  • Barack Obama will host a six-episode podcast, 'A Great Book with Barack Obama', discussing books that shaped his worldview, debuting 24 September 2026 on Audible.
  • The podcast is part of a first-look deal between Audible and Higher Ground, Obama’s media company, and will feature six guests discussing six selected books.
  • The books include works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and John le Carré, among others, chosen for their influence on Obama’s understanding of identity and society.
  • The left-rated reports emphasised the personal and societal themes of the books, while the right-rated digests focused on the podcast’s format and Obama’s role as host.

Who covered it

Left 43%(17)Centre 32%(13)Right 25%(10)

Percentages are shares of the 40 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 9 of the 49 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

82/100

Craft

68/100

Hype

20/100

49 sources · methodology

Missing from the right

Only 10 of the 40 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

A reader who follows the right would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

Former US president Barack Obama will host a new podcast, 'A Great Book with Barack Obama', discussing six books that have influenced his worldview. The podcast, announced by Audible and Obama’s media company Higher Ground, will debut on 24 September 2026 exclusively on Audible. It is the sixth release under an exclusive first-look deal between the two companies.

The six books selected by Obama for the podcast are 'The Fire Next Time' by James Baldwin, 'Song of Solomon' by Toni Morrison, 'All the Pretty Horses' by Cormac McCarthy, 'Gilead' by Marilynne Robinson, 'All the King’s Men' by Robert Penn Warren, and 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' by John le Carré. The podcast will feature discussions with six guests, described as 'thinkers, writers and artists', though their identities have not yet been announced.

In a statement, Obama said the books had helped him 'figure out who I am and what I believe'. The podcast is described by Audible and Higher Ground as exploring 'identity, power, memory and culture' through conversations between Obama and his guests. Previous collaborations between Audible and Higher Ground include podcasts hosted by Michelle Obama and Michele Norris.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests named the six books Obama selected for the podcast. The centre-rated digests also omitted the titles of the books and did not include quotes from Obama or representatives of Audible or Higher Ground. The left-rated reports, including Variety’s full article, provided the most detail, but none of the digests across the political spectrum mentioned the identities of the six guests who will appear on the podcast.

Coverage settled. We checked this 21 times and stopped on 16 Aug 2026, 21:31. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

17 rated outlets

  • The seven left-rated digests and the full report from Variety led on the personal and societal themes of the books Obama selected. Variety described the podcast as exploring books that have 'profoundly shaped his worldview and our society', quoting Obama’s statement that the books helped him 'figure out who I am and what I believe'. The Washington Post and USA Today also highlighted the podcast’s focus on the impact of literature on Obama’s understanding of himself and others.
  • Variety’s full report included details about the podcast’s format, the books selected, and the broader context of Higher Ground’s partnership with Audible. It quoted statements from Audible’s chief content officer, Rachel Ghiazza, and Higher Ground’s head of audio, Dan Fierman, emphasising the podcast’s aim to connect listeners with 'transformative storytelling'. The left-rated digests also noted the podcast’s release date and its exclusive availability on Audible.

Centre

13 rated outlets

  • The centre-rated outlets reported that Barack Obama will host a six-episode Audible podcast discussing books that influenced him. All nine digests led on the podcast’s format and purpose, naming the platform and the number of episodes.
  • The Hill’s digest added that the podcast is titled *A Great Book* and is produced by Higher Ground Productions, the Obamas’ media company. No other centre-rated digest mentioned the title or the production company.
  • None of the centre-rated digests identified the six books or the guests Obama will interview. The reports did not include quotes from Obama or Audible representatives.

Right

10 rated outlets

  • The right-rated digests agree that Barack Obama will host a six-episode podcast for Audible, starting in September 2026, discussing books that influenced him. All mention the podcast is produced by Higher Ground, the Obamas’ media company. The release date and the number of episodes are included in every digest.
  • Five of the seven digests lead on the Obamas’ post-presidency media ventures. The New York Post, ussanews.com, and realnewsnow.com describe the podcast as part of an expanding business. BT and Observador do not mention the Obamas’ media company or financial interests.
  • None of the digests name the six books or the guests Obama will interview. The tone in ussanews.com and realnewsnow.com is dismissive, using phrases like “the grift continues” and “media empire” without further elaboration.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Barack Obama to host Audible podcast on six books that shaped him?
Of the 40 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 43% are rated left, 32% are rated centre, 25% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 49. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Barack Obama to host Audible podcast on six books that shaped him left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 40 rated outlets on this story, 43% are rated left, 32% are rated centre, 25% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Barack Obama to host Audible podcast on six books that shaped him biased?
Barack Obama to host Audible podcast on six books that shaped him is one event reported by 49 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Barack Obama to host Audible podcast on six books that shaped him?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Barack Obama to host Audible podcast on six books that shaped him?
49 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
Which books will Barack Obama discuss on his new podcast?
Barack Obama will discuss six books on his new podcast: 'The Fire Next Time' by James Baldwin, 'Song of Solomon' by Toni Morrison, 'All the Pretty Horses' by Cormac McCarthy, 'Gilead' by Marilynne Robinson, 'All the King’s Men' by Robert Penn Warren, and 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' by John le Carré. These books were chosen for their influence on his worldview.
When will Barack Obama’s podcast debut and where can I listen to it?
Barack Obama’s podcast, 'A Great Book with Barack Obama', will debut on 24 September 2026. It will be available exclusively on Audible, as part of a first-look deal between Audible and Obama’s media company, Higher Ground.
What is the focus of Barack Obama’s new podcast?
The podcast will explore themes of identity, power, memory, and culture through conversations between Barack Obama and six guests. Obama has said the books discussed helped him 'figure out who I am and what I believe', and the podcast aims to connect literature to broader societal questions.
Which outlets reported on the books Obama selected for his podcast?
The left-rated reports, including Variety, The Washington Post, and USA Today, named the six books Obama selected. The centre-rated and right-rated digests did not include the titles of the books in their coverage.

Read it at the source

49 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

17
Show 9 more

Centre

13
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Right

10
Show 2 more

Not rated

9
Show 1 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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