Hunter Biden: Back from the Brink

Hunter Biden: Back from the Brink

From When It Hits the Fan by BBC Radio 4

June 10, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Hunter Biden's attempts at reputational rehabilitation amidst media scrutiny and explores public relations strategies in the context of current events.

When you're routinely described as a crackhead and convicted felon who uses sex workers, it's fair to say your reputation can't get much worse. And so we turn to Hunter Biden. Often labelled the 'black sheep' of the Biden family and a man who's been torn apart in the media. And yet, he is now being lauded (by some) for his attempts at reputational rehabilitation - including a blistering foray on X, where he's taken on his trolls head on. David and Farzana discuss whether going into the lions den is a smart PR move - and why, when you own your mistakes, use humour and honesty, you leave your critics with very little ammo. On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, the multi-trillion dollar PR story being told right now. As Space X prepares to launch on the stock market (with Anthropic and OpenAI closely following behind), what moves are at play to try and get you to part with your cash? Plus, why sitting on the fence can be a really bad PR move. Just ask Elmo from Sesame Street. Famously from The Big Apple, he's infuriated fans of the New York Knicks basketball team for posting a message saying he hopes 'both teams have fun' in the NBA finals. As David and Farzana explain, he's guilty…

People in this episode

Hosts: David, Farzana

Topics covered

  • reputational rehabilitation
  • public relations
  • media criticism
  • sports commentary
  • political family dynamics
  • social media engagement

Keywords

  • Hunter Biden
  • public relations
  • media
  • NBA finals
  • World Cup
  • Elmo
  • Space X
  • reputation
  • social media

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Space X, Anthropic, OpenAI, Sesame Street

Places: New York

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