Best ProPublica Podcasts (2024)

1
Bonus Episode: Celilo Memories 13:33

4M ago13:33

13:33

We hear the voices of tribal elders who remember Celilo Falls before The Dalles Dam silenced this sacred fishing spot. Many of the voices you hear in this episode were shared, with permission, by Confluence. Confluence is a nonprofit focused on the Columbia River system. The organization has collected oral histories from Native people, many of whom…

1
Ep 6: The Future 33:38

5M ago33:38

33:38

Salmon hatcheries set up by the federal government prioritized ocean fishermen over river tribes and created genetically inferior fish. In this final episode, we visit a tribal hatchery to see how they’re doing things differently. And we’ll hear from 11-year-old Aiyana about how she thinks about carrying on her family’s legacy.…

1
Ep 5: The Crime 37:16

5M ago37:16

37:16

Salmon have been on the decline for more than 100 years. The federal government knows why. It knows who killed the salmon. And how. But for decades it’s been telling a tale of progress, and obscuring the ugliest truth. We’re going to uncover it.

1
Ep 4: The Salmon’s Struggle 23:59

5M ago23:59

23:59

Salmon used to be plentiful and they’ve been a staple of tribal diets for centuries. Since the early 1900s, salmon populations in the Columbia River have steadily declined thanks to overfishing, dams, habitat loss and warming waters. Hatcheries are one way the U.S. government has tried to make up for the loss of wild salmon. But it hasn’t worked. I…

1
Bonus Episode: LiaDonna Lopez Whitefoot 15:27

5M ago15:27

15:27

You heard from Randy Settler’s cousin, LiaDonna Lopez Whitefoot, in the most recent episode of Salmon Wars. She’s the one who was fearless in the face of a blockade of boats trying to block Native people from accessing fishing sites. She worked closely with Randy’s mom in the family fishing business. In this bonus episode, we’re bringing you more o…

1
Ep 3: The Court Battles 31:43

5M ago31:43

31:43

Federal officials took away a way of life that had sustained Pacific Northwest tribes for centuries. So some tribal members became outlaws. During the 1960s and beyond, Native activists fought back against state and federal restrictions on their fishing rights – a period known as the “fish wars”. They held “fish ins” and fought for their rights in …

1
Ep 2: The Treaties 33:59

6M ago33:59

33:59

To understand the war over salmon, we have to go back to 1855. That’s when chiefs from the Yakama Nation and other Pacific Northwest tribes signed treaties that are still used as the basis for laws and policies around salmon fishing. Some tribal members believe the Yakama signed a treaty under duress. In some ways, this document represents the firs…

1
Ep 1: The Family 23:06

6M ago23:06

23:06

Host Tony Schick introduces us to Randy Settler and his family. The Settlers, members of the Yakama Nation, have been deeply affected by the Northwest’s salmon policies for generations. They lost their home, their primary food source, their ancestral fishing grounds. Randy and his parents went to jail for exercising their fishing rights. And they w…

1
Season 2: Salmon Wars ... coming soon 3:27

6M ago3:27

3:27

“Salmon Wars” tells the story of salmon in the Northwest in a way you haven’t heard before – through the voices of one Yakama Nation family who have been fighting for salmon for generations. We dig in to uncover who is to blame for the salmon vanishing, what can be done before it’s too late and why their disappearance impacts all of us ... coming s…

1
Episode 4: Dedicated Public Servants 38:41

10M ago38:41

38:41

The lawyers settle with the county, which agrees to pay the kids who were wrongfully arrested and illegally jailed; the hard part is actually getting the kids paid. From Serial Productions and The New York Times in partnership with ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio, “The Kids of Rutherford County” is reported and hosted by Meribah Knight, a Pea…

1
Episode 3: Would You Like to Sue the Government? 47:54

10M ago47:54

47:54

Wes Clark reads a telling line in a police report about how Rutherford County’s juvenile justice system really works. He and his law partner Mark Downton realize they have a massive class action on their hands. From Serial Productions and The New York Times in partnership with ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio, “The Kids of Rutherford County” i…

1
Episode 2: What the Hell Are You People Doing? 32:50

10M ago32:50

32:50

A young lawyer named Wes Clark can’t get the Rutherford County juvenile court to let his clients out of detention — even when the law says they shouldn’t have been held in the first place. He’s frustrated and demoralized, until he makes a friend. From Serial Productions and The New York Times in partnership with ProPublica and Nashville Public Radi…

1
Episode 1: The Egregious Video 27:52

10M ago27:52

27:52

A police officer in Rutherford County, Tenn., sees a video of little kids fighting, and decides to investigate. This leads to the arrest of 11 kids for watching the fight. The arrests do not go smoothly. From Serial Productions and The New York Times in partnership with ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio, “The Kids of Rutherford County” is repor…

1
Trailer 2:31

11M ago2:31

2:31

For over a decade, one Tennessee county arrested and illegally jailed hundreds, maybe thousands, of children. A four-part narrative series reveals how this came to be, the adults responsible for it, and the two lawyers, former juvenile delinquents themselves, who try to do something about it. From Serial Productions and The New York Times in partne…

1
We Don't Talk About Leonard: Episode 3 51:58

11M ago51:58

51:58

State Supreme Court elections across the country are getting ever more expensive and more partisan. In the third episode of “We Don’t Talk About Leonard,” ProPublica reporters Andrea Bernstein, Andy Kroll, and Ilya Marritz drill even further into the fight to gain influence over state courts, and reveal what Leo and his allies are planning for the …

1
We Don't Talk About Leonard: Episode 2 51:58

11M ago51:58

51:58

Leonard Leo realized that in order to generate conservative rulings, the Supreme Court needs the right kind of cases. In the second episode of We Don't Talk About Leonard, ProPublica reporters Andrea Bernstein, Andy Kroll, and Ilya Marritz investigate the machine that Leonard Leo built across the country to bring cases to the Supreme Court and fill…

1
Introducing We Don't Talk About Leonard 52:10

11M ago52:10

52:10

In this first episode of We Don't Talk About Leonard, a new miniseries created in partnership with On the Media and ProPublica, ProPublica reporters Andrea Bernstein, Andy Kroll, and Ilya Marritz investigate the background of the man who has played a critical role in the conservative takeover of America's courts — Leonard Leo. From his humble roots…

1
The Work of Editing a Magazine: A Discussion with Chris Lehmann 50:28

1y ago50:28

50:28

In this episode, we are talking to writer and editor Chris Lehmann, an editor of The Baffler, a former managing editor of The New Republic and a former editor of In These Times. He was described by the TNR’s owner as someone, who “who was able to restore stability of The New Republic after a decade of incessant turmoil.” Chris is an author of polit…

1
ProPublica: Her Attacker Was Stopped in the Act and Arrested, but This Assault Was Only the Beginning of Her Trauma 7:38

1+ y ago7:38

7:38

An audio version (with permission) of Michelle Theriault Boots' June 2020 story for Anchorage Daily News in partnership with independent, nonprofit newsroom, Pro Publica. Learn more or make a donation at Propublica.org Read by Audrey Gavagan. "Everything Mary Savage did in the hours after the attack was dissected on the witness stand, an experience…

1
Andrea Bernstein introduces Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery 5:08

2+ y ago5:08

5:08

Andrea Bernstein introduces WNYC colleague Nancy Solomon's new podcast: Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery. New Jersey politics is not for the faint of heart. But the brutal killing of John and Joyce Sheridan, a prominent couple with personal ties to three governors, shocks even the most cynical operatives. The mystery surrounding the …

1
Introducing Will Be Wild 3:42

2+ y ago3:42

3:42

Andrea Bernstein introduces Will Be Wild, a new 8-part series about the forces that led to the January 6th insurrection and what comes next. Through in-depth stories from a wide range of characters – from people who tried to stop the attack to those who took part – hosts Andrea Bernstein and Ilya Marritz explore the ongoing effort to bring autocrac…

1
Part 5: File Not Found 15:36

2+ y ago15:36

15:36

The problem of ransomware has many causes but no clear solution. What's coming next? This is part five. We Meet: Fabian Wosar, CTO, Emsisoft Jake Johnson, North Carolina State Representative Abishur Prakash, Geopolitical Futurist Paul Rosenberg, Mayor, Village of Rye Brook, New York Kimberly W. LaGrue, CIO, City of New Orleans, Louisiana Allan Lisk…

1
Part 4: The Extortion Industry 18:05

2+ y ago18:05

18:05

We look at the reasons ransomware is so hard to solve and ask hard questions about who is really helping the victims. This is part four. We Meet: Fabian Wosar, CTO, Emsisoft. Bob Wice, Head of Underwriting Management. Cyber and Tech, Beazley. Bill Siegel, CEO and cofounder, Coveware. Sounds From: Video: CDOT employees dealing with yet another SamSa…

1
Part 1: The Problem 21:18

2+ y ago21:18

21:18

A new-age iteration of the old-age extortion problem. A ransomware vigilante, a piracy (as in actual boats) expert, a school administrator, and a kidnapping victim share their experiences. This is part one. We Meet: Fabian Wosar, CTO, Emsisoft Doug Russell, Director of Technology, Haverhill Public Schools Lisa Forte, Co-founder, Red Goat Cyber Secu…

1
Part 3: All Cats, No Mice 18:55

2+ y ago18:55

18:55

After the Colonial Pipeline payment, the FBI followed the money and cybersecurity researchers followed the ransomware group. We followed both. This is part three. We Meet: Fabian Wosar, CTO, Emsisoft Elvis Chan, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, FBI San Francisco Credits: This series is hosted by Meg Marco and produced by Emma Cillekens, Tate Ryan…

1
Part 2: The Bad Actors 22:16

2+ y ago22:16

22:16

In an absurd contract, look into the criminal world where the stakes are high, but the methods are increasingly business-like and meet the people who interact with the ransomware hackers. This is part two. We Meet: Chester Wisniewski, Principal Research Scientist, Sophos Allan Liska, Principal Research Scientist, Recorded Future Fabian Wosar, CTO, …

1
Welcome to The Extortion Economy 2:00

3y ago2:00

2:00

A five part series about the money, technology and people behind the ransomware epidemic from MIT Technology Review and ProPublica.By MIT Technology Review & ProPublica

1
Covering Donald Trump: A Conversation with Allen Salkin 1:00:01

3y ago1:00:01

1:00:01

What's it like to cover Donald Trump? In this episode, veteran American journalist Allen Salkin explains. For over three decades, Salkin has written about many things for many high-profile publications, including The New York Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic and others. He is also the author of a number of well-received…

1
Local Long-Form Journalism: An Interview with David Schmalz 43:45

3y ago43:45

43:45

David Schmalz is a staff writer at the Monterey County Weekly, where his longform pieces have won numerous awards from the California News Publishers Association, including a first place for enterprise reporting in 2014 for an expose he wrote about a local church's attempt to evict residents from 98 federally subsidized apartments from a property i…

1
Covering New York Politics: A Conversation with David Freedlander 42:49

3y ago42:49

42:49

David Freedlander is a veteran New York City-based journalist. He writes long-form features about politics and the arts, people and ideas, and has appeared in New York Magazine, Bloomberg, Rolling Stone, ArtNews, The Daily Beast, Newsweek and a host of other publications. In this episode, we are talking about his coverage of New York Politics – the…

1
Sarah Hepola on Drinking in a "Dry" Texas County 44:02

3y ago44:02

44:02

Welcome to Cover Story, a podcast by New Books Network devoted to long form journalism. Today, we are talking to Texas-based writer Sarah Hepola. Hepola is most known from her brave writing about drinking and the 2015 bestselling memoir Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget. She's appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air and published in The New Yo…

1
Knitting and Politics in the Age of Trump: A Discussion with Carrie Battan 37:43

3y ago37:43

37:43

Today we are talking to a New Yorker staff writer Carrie Battan about her piece from March of this year "How Politics Tested Ravelry and the Crafting Community" – about how a quote unquote “nice website about yarn” got involved in radical politics. Battan began contributing to The New Yorker in 2015 and became a staff writer in 2018. She has contri…

1
What Can Wittgenstein Teach Us About Raising Our Kids?: A Discussion with Ryan Ruby 1:06:59

3y ago1:06:59

1:06:59

Ryan Ruby is a writer and translator from Los Angeles, California. His fiction and criticism have appeared in The New York Review of Books, The Paris Review Daily, Conjunctions, n+1, The Baffler, and elsewhere. The piece we are discussing here is Child’s Play. What can Wittgenstein teach us about raising kids published in June 2021 in The Believer.…

1
No Choice: Why Is It So Hard to Get an Abortion in the South? 25:28

3y ago25:28

25:28

Today we are talking with Becca Andrews, a journalist at Mother Jones, where she writes about reproductive rights and gender. The story we discuss is “When Choice is 221 Miles Away: The Nightmare of Getting an Abortion in the South” and its follow up. Becca’s debut work of nonfiction, No Choice, based on her Mother Jones cover story about the past,…

1
Matthew Karp on Writing Engaged History 51:42

3y ago51:42

51:42

Matthew Karp is a historian of the U.S. Civil War era and its relationship to the nineteenth-century world. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011 and joined the Princeton faculty in 2013. The piece we are talking about is The Politics of a Second Gilded Age, published in February 2021 in The Jacobin. His first…

1
Free Tax Prep That's Never Free: A Discussion with ProPublica's Justin Elliott 40:43

3y ago40:43

40:43

In this episode, we are talking to ProPublica investigative journalist Justin Elliott. Justin has been with ProPublica since 2012 and writes about business and economics, as well as money and influence in politics. He has produced stories for the New York Times and NPR. His work on TurboTax maker Intuit – a story we are discussing today -- won a Ge…

1
N+1: "Like Partisan Review, but Not Dead" 1:03:36

3+ y ago1:03:36

1:03:36

In this episode, we are talking to Mark Krotov, the publisher and co-editor of n + 1, a magazine of politics, essays and fiction described once: “like Partisan Review, but not dead” (Keith Gessen, co-founder). Mark was born in Moscow and left Russia for Atlanta at the age of six. He graduated from Columbia in 2008. Before joining n + 1, he was an a…

1
Can we Disagree Online Respectfully?: A Discussion with Ian Leslie 55:36

3+ y ago55:36

55:36

In this episode, we are talking to a British writer Ian Leslie, a journalist and author of acclaimed books on human behavior. His latest book, Conflicted: How Productive Disagreements Lead to Better Outcomes (Harper Business, 2021), is about how to disagree better. Ian regularly publishes in The Guardian, The New Statesman and The Economist. He co-…

1
Bonus Ep: Suzanne Simard and the Social World of Trees 1:00:08

3+ y ago1:00:08

1:00:08

What if, instead of competing with each other, trees work together? What if they even communicate? Renowned forest ecologist Suzanne Simard has spent her life digging into the "wood wide web"—the mycorrhizal network of fungi and roots through which trees share resources and information. Her work has transformed the way we understand forests and ins…

1
Can Journalism Be Saved?: A Discussion with Nicholas Lemann 45:38

3+ y ago45:38

45:38

There is no better person to start this journey than with journalist Nicholas Lemann, who has been observing the industry, also long-form journalism, for almost 50 years. Lemann started at the age of 17 in an alternative weekly in New Orleans, and since then he has been a staff writer for a number of magazines, including The New Yorker – since 1999…

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