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544 DaysAuthor: Gimlet / Crooked Media / A24
For 544 days, Jason Rezaian was held hostage in Irans notorious Evin prison. Interrogated. Sealed off from the outside world. He was accused of being an American spy, though his formal title was Washington Post Tehran Correspondent. This is a story about government and family and journalism, and what it took to free an innocent man all while navigating the high-stakes world of nuclear diplomacy. 544 Days is a Spotify Original podcast, produced by Gimlet, Crooked Media and A24. Language: en Genres: Government, News, Politics Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Inside America’s most difficult hostage negotiations
Wednesday, 21 October, 2026
A special episode from Jason’s new podcast at The Washington Post, “The Freedom Desk.” Roger Carstens spent nearly five years leading hostage negotiations for the United States. He joins Jason to discuss the high-stakes work of bringing wrongfully detained Americans home—negotiating, at times, with people he fought against during his prior service in U.S. special operations. Carstens explains the role humor, humility and empathy play in negotiations and why authoritarian governments increasingly use detained journalists as political leverage. The conversation turns personal as Jason reflects on his own experiences after being released from captivity in Iran and how they have affected his understanding of freedom. Today’s show was produced by Josh Carroll and Layli Nazarova. It was edited by Ted Muldoon and Reena Flores. Subscribe to The Washington Post here. And watch us on YouTube here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
