The Stream

Was 2018 all bad news?

We’re joined by a bishop, an imam and a rabbi to reflect on the year that was and to look forward to 2019.

It has been a tough year in global news. The brutal war in Yemen ground on, children were caged on the US-Mexico border, the chaos of Brexit continued. Palestinians were shot down by Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border, hair-raising climate change warnings were issued, and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally slaughtered by his own government.

There were also some positives. North and South Korea vowed to formally end their decades-long hostilities, the first Muslim and Native American women were elected to the US Congress, scientists developed a plastic-eating enzyme that could be an environmental game-changer and, in Saudi Arabia, women were finally allowed to drive.

So, how we do reconcile the good with the bad? And does a constant stream of negative news contribute to a sense of hopelessness? On this episode of The Stream, we’ll discuss the highs and lows of 2018 with a panel of faith leaders and ask them what they are looking forward to in 2019.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Imam Omar Suleiman @omarsuleiman504
Founder & President, Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research
yaqeeninstitute.org

Bishop Gene Robinson @BishopGRobinson
Vice President of Religion, Chautauqua Institution

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @TheRaDR
Rabbi-in-Residence, Avodah

Read more:

RSF: At least 63 professional journalists killed globally in 2018 – Al Jazeera 
Pictures of the year 2018 – Reuters

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