Welcome to our final NewsFix for 2025 - we're sneaking it in just before the finish line! In this edition we roundup the stories that changed the world this year. From the historic change in global health to an international maritime treaty, great news for green sea turtles and the climate story of the year - this is the hidden progress that unfolded behind the headlines. You can read the full download in our newsletter here.
NewsFix is brought to you by Fix TheNews. Hosted by AnthonyBadolato, Hear That! If you want to get in touch with the team, email amy@fixthenews.com
This week's headlines include – a medical breakthrough in Gaza; death rates plummet for one of our most contagious viruses; ‘Empty Spain’; Australia’s environmental reform;more bad news for fossil fuels and AI for good.
NewsFix is brought to you by Fix TheNews. Hosted by Anthony Badolato, Hear That! If you want to get in touch with the team, email amy@fixthenews.com
This week's headlines include - major victory against extreme child poverty; rewilding efforts paying off in Scotland, Vietnam, Bulgaria and Ukraine; more good news on the malaria vaccine; what went right at COP30 and science reveals some very flirty primates.
NewsFix is brought to you by Fix TheNews. Hosted by AnthonyBadolato, Hear That! Ifyou want to get in touch with the team, email amy@fixthenews.com
Meet Future Council, a global youth-led movement that’s empowering kids and teenagers to help co-design the future. Inspired by the documentary ‘Future Council’ that followed eight young activists as they travelled across Europe in a yellow bus confronting big business leaders, the movement is showing how the next generation can reshape climate leadership. In our final episode for this season, we chat with filmmaker Damon Gameau and two of the original councillors –Skye Neville, a 15 year old environmental campaigner from Wales and Clemence “CC” Currie, the 12 year old CEO of CCs Plastic Pick-up Crew in Scotland. From Billie Eilish to the phrase that we need to stop telling our kids, this conversation is a reminder than when it comes to changing the world, none of us can sit on the sidelines.
Other topics: what adults can learn from young activists; early encounters with environmental risk; small steps that scale into meaningful impact; corporate accountability and sustainability culture; hope as a tool for young campaigners; generational views on climate crisis; emerging models of youth governance; power dynamics inside sustainability boardrooms; media narratives shaping climate perception; digital networks for youth organising; the role of families in early activism; values-driven climate decision-making; the tension between optimism and urgency; cross-cultural collaboration among young leaders; and the fine line between encouragement and overwhelm.
Find Out More:
This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News.Audio Producer/Director Anthony Badolato, Hear That? If you love this episode, please leave a comment or review. You can get in touch with the team via email amy@fixthenews.com
Hold onto your hats - it's a big week of news including: the science behind Aha moments; top marks for global primary school education; cancer breakthroughs; more good news for the Amazon; Mongolia's ambitious conservation plan; crime declines in London and new hope for Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Check out our full coverage in this week's newsletter here.
NewsFix is brought to you by Fix TheNews. Hosted by Anthony Badolato, Hear That! If you want to get in touch with the team, email amy@fixthenews.com
Meet Bryan Walsh, an editorial director at Vox, where he leads Future Perfect – an ambitious solutions journalism project that focuses on the policies and technologies that will make the future a better place. As a former foreign correspondent and climate writer for Time and the author of End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World, Bryan has spent more than two decades tracking humanity’s gravest threats. Today he is focused on highlighting the under-reported progress that shows we still have room to bend the story in a better direction.
Topics discussed: the good news hiding behind everyday conveniences; George Washington’s candles as perspective; why the report card for humanity is “incomplete”; negativity bias, doomscrolling, and the allure of bad headlines; local crime statistics versus national fear of rising violence; how American political psychodrama dominates the global news feed; what AI overviews and chatbots are doing to online media traffic; the economics of journalism after print advertising and social media; Future Perfect’s origin story and focusing on what matters most; philanthropy, foreign aid cuts, and momentum in development gains; why solutions journalism can feel like eating your vegetables; the narrative deficit and hero deficit in progress reporting; pandemic vaccines as an under-appreciated scientific and moral triumph; hope as a life preserver rather than a prediction and creating a media ecosystem that rewards depth, nuance, and solutions.
Find Out More:
Future Perfect – Vox Media
Are you interested in how 80,000 Hours can help you use your career to make a difference? Check out their podcast on Apple,Spotify or where ever you listen to your podcasts.
This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News. Audio Producer/Director Anthony Badolato, Hear That? If you love this episode, please share, leave a review. You can get in touch with the team via email amy@fixthenews.com
This week's headlines include: big news for HIV, tuberculosis and Leishmaniasis; China continues emissions decline; surprising drop in youth crime; long-awaited victory for Indigenous communities in Bolivia; more fish in the US and a stair-climbing wheelchair. NewsFix is brought to you by Fix The News. Hosted by Anthony Badolato, Hear That! If you want to get in touch with the team, email amy@fixthenews.com
Meet Enric Sala, a marine ecologist, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and founder of Pristine Seas – an organisation that has helped create 31 Marine Protected Areas, safeguarding nearly 7 million square kilometres of ocean. From his five-year Pacific expedition using a three-person submersible to his film Ocean with David Attenborough and his work with governments and coastal communities to drive the 30x30 goal – Enric is someone who intimately understands the scale of the crisis and still has proof that restoration is possible.
Other topics: the Ocean Decade’s slow progress; High Seas Treaty benefits and blind spots; why 96% of catch comes from inside coastal waters; the spillover benefits of Marine Protected Areas; community-driven reserves in Greece and Turkey; a five-year Pacific expedition with a new sub; the Port State Measures Agreement in practice; China’s distant-water fleets and accountability; combining science and National Geographic storytelling; how protection boosts local incomes; community-driven reserves in Greece and Turkey; exploring ‘pristine ocean’ that no human has gone to; financing and defending parks through politics; succession planning after a cancer scare;educating future stewards across the Pacific; Revive Our Ocean as a tool for communities; focused action as an antidote to despair; and bottom-trawling footage as a visceral wake-up call.
Find Out More:
Ocean, the film.
Enric Sala- Website + Books,
This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News. Audio Producer/Director Anthony Badolato, Hear That! If you love this episode, please leave a comment or review. You can get in touch with the team: amy@fixthenews.com
Meet Krystal Birungi, Carolina Morgado, Nice Leng’ete and Bhavreen Kandhari – four incredible women who are working on the frontlines of science, conservation, human rights, and environmental advocacy. Krystal is an entomologist with Target Malaria in Uganda developing gene-drive mosquitoes; Carolina is the executive director of Rewilding Chile; Nice leads community-based campaigns to end female genital mutilation in Kenya; Bhavreen co-founded Warrior Moms in India to force accountability on air pollution.
Topics discussed: growing up with endemic malaria and the arrival of the Global Fund; proof-of-concept gene-drive trials in Italy and timelines to 2030; resistance to insecticides and drugs; elimination as a realistic regional goal; Chile’s Route of Parks as connected protected areas; park creation as local economic engine; carbon storage in temperate rainforests and kelp systems; Chile’s Cape Froward as a new national park; conservation grounded in community livelihoods and guide certification; outlawing FGM in Kenya in 2011 and the limits of law alone; elders’ councils and alternative rites of passage; mother-to-girl and father-to-son forums; measurable outcomes from community ceremonies and schooling; Delhi school closures during severe smog; COVID as a natural experiment in pollution control; formal complaints versus performative fixes; collective action by parents; clean air as a right, not a luxury.
02:08 Krystal Birungi - The scientist using gene drive to fight malaria
10:27 Carolina Morgado - Rewilding landscapes and communities in Chile
19:42 Nice Leng’ete - Creating an alternative rite of passage for girls in Africa
28:12 Bhavreen Kandhari - The warrior mum fighting for clean air
Find out more:
This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rosefrom Fix The News. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato from HearThat? If you have a guest suggestion, feedback or interested in sponsorship, please reach out amy@fixthenews.com
This week's headlines include: deforestation in the Amazon takes another plunge; Mexico reduces poverty; Nigeria boosts child health; no more corporal punishment in Czechia and the world is surprisingly becoming less grumpy.
Welcome to our first edition of NewsFix - your weekly dose of good news! On today's episode: global air-pollutiondeaths fall as the 'clean-air' era begins, hidden progress on youth literacy, why we're celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, a new atlas to map the human body, how AI is helping farmers in India, species extinction is losing speed and some big news for the humble zipper.
NewsFix is brought to you by the team at Fix The News and hosted by Anthony Badolato from Hear That. If you want to find out more about what's gone right in the world this week, subscribe to our newsletter.
Meet David Fajgenbaum, a physician scientist who is savinglives by repurposing existing medications to treat different diseases through his organisation Every Cure. This conversation will challenge the way you look medicine and unlock the possibility that some of the solutions we’re looking for, arehiding in plain sight, on the shelves of your local pharmacy. From the near-death experience that changed the course of David’s life to how he’s harnessing the power of AI for good, this episode is a total game changer. Topics discussed: how a repurposed drug saved David’s life, living life in ‘overtime,’ what it’s like to swim upstream against the medical system, the AI advantage in fast-tracking drug matches to our 18,000 knowndiseases, how Viagra is saving sick kids, the economics of repurposing existing drugs and what we can expect from the future of medicine.
Find out more:
You can check out David’s recent TED talk or his book ChasingMy Cure. You can also support Every Cure and if you want to let his team know about a repurposed drug that’s worked foryou, click here.
Are you interested in how 80,000 Hours can help you use your career to make a difference? Check out their free resources here.
This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rosefrom Fix The News and sound design by Anthony Badolato from Hear That!
Two weeks ago, Amy was on the ground in New York during the UN General Assembly and Climate Week. Attending various events, including the Clinton Global Initiative, Amy spoke with some incredible people who work on the frontlines of climate, healthcare, education and crisis response. Despite dwindling aid budgets and mounting challenges, these people are meeting this moment with big, bold ambition while quietly reshaping the future of development. From the ‘miracle drug’ for HIV to energy access for all and the rewilding project that will mend ecosystems across the heart of South America, this episode may expand what you think is possible. These are the people who are fighting for a better future every single day.
Here's who you’ll meet:
Carolyn Amole, Clinton Health Access Initiative
Erica Coe & Frank Aswani, Coalition for Mental Health Investment
Sandra Chukwudozie, Salpha Energy
David Harris, Christel House
Elpida Kokkota, Mexoxo
Geeta Mehta, SocialCapital Credits
Emily Benson & Melanie Joiner, Integrate Health
Tjada D'Oyen McKenna, Mercy Corps
Deli Saavedra & Mario Haberfeld, Jaguar Rivers Initiative
Timecodes:
03:58 - HIV 'Miracle Drug'
09:36 - More funding for mental health
16:38 - The shift from aid to self-sufficiency
17:44 - Making solar energy accessible to underserved communities in Nigeria
22:54 - Working Groups at the Clinton Global Initiative
24:17 - A comprehensive education model that alleviating poverty
28:03 - The group who are democratising access to education for women
32:53 - The social currency that banks good acts in communities
37:46 - Putting women at the centre of healthcare in Togo & Guinea
42:51 - Mercy Corps, the humanitarian organisation serving 38 million people
46:18 - Cross-continental conservation initiative restoring the heart of South America
52:45 - Final Thoughts
This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News, with audio production by Anthony Badolato, Hear That? If you want to know more about this series or are interested in sharing it with your networks, send us an email: amy@fixthenews.com
In our final episode of the series, we’ll uncover the surprising stories behind the science of the world’s first jab for malaria and how this ‘orphan’ vaccine became a lifesaving intervention that has already reached 5 million children. We look at what's next for the malaria vaccine, the threats of funding cuts to global health and answer the big question – is it working?
Here’s who you’ll meet:
Angus Hervey: Founder of Fix The News
Teresa Chirwa-Ndanga: Journalist & human rights activist, Malawi
Dr Joe Cohen: Project Lead, Malaria Vaccine at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals
Dr Mehreen Datoo: Clinical research fellow-Malaria vaccine trials, Oxford University
John Bawa: Director, Malaria Vaccine Implementation, PATH.
Dr Scott Gordon: Head of Gavi's Malaria Program
A Shot At History is produced by Fix The News. Series Producer, Amy Davoren-Rose, Fix The News. Associate Producer & Audio Director, Anthony Badolato, Hear That?
Rolling out a new vaccine across an entire continent takes an extraordinary chain of people - from the scientists in the labs, to delivery truck drivers and healthcare workers on motorbikes who stop at nothing to get this vaccine into far-flung villages. In this episode, we’ll show you what it takes to navigate the last mile challenges of transporting a cold-chain vaccine across the hottest continent on earth and the surprising heroes who are stepping up to champion the world’s first malaria vaccine.
Here’s who you’ll meet:
Angus Hervey: Founder of Fix The News
Teresa Chirwa-Ndanga: Journalist & human rights activist, Malawi
Zacharia Kafuko: Director of 1Day Africa
Amanda Clemens: Social Mobilisation Coordinator, Ministry of Health, Sierra Leone
Kombra Network, Sierra Leone: Sallamatu Barrie – School Health club Champion, Reverend Christina Sutton and Dr Ramadan Jalloh.
Special music credit: "Wok Dae Ya" by Speedo'o
A Shot At History is produced by Fix The News. SeriesProducer, Amy Davoren-Rose, Fix The News. Associate Producer & Audio Director, Anthony Badolato, Hear That?Producers for Sierra Leone, Marcus Costello and Jodie Bennet.
For more information about this production, email amy@fixthenews.com
As one of our oldest and most relentless enemies, the arrival of two malaria vaccines, has the potential to change the future of humanity. In this first episode, we’ll show you what’s at stake for the millions of families across Sub-Saharan Africa who carry the burden of malaria, the economic and personal cost of this disease and the remarkable tale of the world’s first malaria vaccine that fought all possible odds to make it out of the lab and change the world.
Here’s who you’ll meet:
Angus Hervey: Founder of Fix The News.
Teresa Chirwa-Ndanga: Journalist & human rights activist, Malawi.
Dr Mary Hamel: Senior Technical Officer, Team Lead,Malaria Vaccines at WHO
Zacharia Kafuko: Director of 1Day Africa
Dr Rose Jalang'o: Head of the National Vaccines and Immunization Program, Kenya
Alanta Colley: Public health worker & science communicator
A Shot At History was produced by Fix The News. Series & Story Producer, Amy Davoren-Rose, Fix The News. Associate Producer & Audio Director, Anthony Badolato, Hear That? Research Producer, Marcus Costello and AudioCraft.
If you want to know more about this series or are interested in sharing it with your networks, send us an email: amy@fixthenews.com
Over a year ago, we decided that we wanted to tell the storyof the malaria vaccine; one of the most important yet hidden stories of progress in the world right now. We knew that this would be a massive undertaking, but it turned out to be more epic that we could have possibly imagined. Over three episodes, we’re going to show you what it takes to develop and roll out a new vaccine, why this one matters so much and how it could change the trajectory of human history. First episode drops Friday 5th September.
If you want to find out more about our work, go to fixthenews.com
What do KPop Demon Hunters and Bluey have to do with stories of progress? Well, you’ll hear the answer in this ‘Ask Us Anything’ episode. From controversial opinions on the climate crisis, to our very first News Fix bulletin, Gus and Amy dive into a range of topics and answer some big, burning questions from subscribers. Other topics discussed: Why solar energy is such big news, the role of solutions journalism in Gaza, good humans everywhere, individual action versus systemic change, the question of scale and the launch of our audio documentary about the malaria vaccine, A Shot At History.
What did you think of our News Fix? If you want to send us a question, feedback or nominate a potential guest for the podcast, go to our website or email amy@fixthenews.com
This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.
Meet Rutger Bregman, a Dutch historian, bestselling author andour first repeat guest on the podcast! In this episode we chat with Rutger about his new book Moral Ambition and why it’s time for people to stop wasting their talent and start making a difference. From his early midlife crisis to what we can learn from the abolitionists and why the world needs to redefinesuccess, this is a conversation for our times. Topics discussed: Why the biggest waste of time is the misallocation of talent, the ‘mother of all movements,’ what it takes to build a wildly better world, on taking the long view, the problem with online activism, money is not a dirty word in creating social movements and why the School for Moral Ambition is paying people to quit their jobs.
Find out more:
https://www.givingwhatwecan.org
Don’t forget to ‘Ask Us Anything’ – email yourquestion to amy@fixthenews.com or leaveus a voice note here. You have until 9am Wednesday 27th September AEST.
This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News and sound design by Anthony Badolato from Ai3 - Audio & Voice.
Meet Paulie Stewart, an Australian punk rocker who teamed up with a group of nuns to help disabled kids in Timor Leste. From walking on the wild side, to almost crossing over to the other side – Paulie’s story is about full circles, second chances, and the one of the most unlikely and inspiring partnerships. Topics discussed: the deathbed encounter that changed Paulie’s life, why the Alma Nuns are more punk than Billy Idol, the impact of Paulie’s work in Timor, the power of faith and the unexpected twists that have defined his extraordinary life journey.
If you want to support the Alma nuns, you can donate through their funding platform, Myriad Australia.
This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from Fix The News. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.