Why We Wrote This
Who reports the news? People. And at The Christian Science Monitor, we believe that it’s our job to report each story with a sense of shared humanity. Through conversations with our reporters and editors, we explain the qualities behind our reporting that affect how we approach the news. Behind today’s headlines we find respect, resilience, dignity, agency, and hope. “Why We Wrote This” shows how. The Monitor is an award-winning, nonpartisan news organization with bureaus around the globe. Visit CSMonitor.com/whywewrotethis to learn more.
Trusting Our Elections: What Makes Our Elections Secure?
Ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, Americans remain divided over the integrity of the election. This is despite Congress having certified the results, and officials assuring the public that the 2020 election was perhaps “the most secure in American history.” But what does it mean to have secure elections? And why do conspiracy theories around our elections continue to thrive? In this episode, we look at what truly makes elections fair, free, and secure. Part 1 of 2. Hosted by Jessica Mendoza and Samantha Laine Perfas.
Lenora Chu on the Power of Cultural Influences
Lenora Chu, the Monitor’s special correspondent for Europe, is a keen observer of culture and politics. She draws part of that from her background as the U.S.-born grandchild of migrants who fled China during the 1949 Communist revolution. But over 18 years of reporting, she’s also found that her personal connections inform her coverage of unfolding events. Ann Scott Tyson, the Monitor’s Beijing bureau chief, talks to Lenora about her experience writing for the Monitor and how own history enriches her reporting. In this four-part holiday series, we hear from Monitor reporters about how they find the humanity and compassion behind today's headlines.
Francine Kiefer on How One Beat Informs Another
The Monitor’s Francine Kiefer is nothing if not passionate. For 30 years, she’s brought energy and intensity to her reporting, whether it’s about the fall of the Berlin Wall, 9/11, or the tumultuous politics of the past decade. Multimedia reporter Jessica Mendoza talks to Francine, now serving as West Coast bureau chief, about how her experience gives her an edge – and why she still responds to every reader email she gets. In this four-part holiday series, we hear from Monitor reporters about how they find the humanity and compassion behind today's headlines.
Sara Miller Llana on Finding What Matters
After 15 years and three international posts at the Monitor, Sara Miller Llana has all the qualities of a veteran journalist: curiosity, energy, persistence. But Sara’s stories also radiate with compassion – and a commitment to listening to and understanding her sources. Managing editor Amelia Newcomb talks to Sara about her appreciation for the people she interviews, her love for getting to know what matters to them, and her effort to convey that to readers. In this four-part holiday series, we hear from Monitor reporters about how they find the humanity and compassion behind today's headlines.
Ken Makin on Race, Justice, and Hope
Columnist Ken Makin just started writing for the Monitor this year. But he’s already brought incredible insight into issues like racial justice and the Black experience in America. Noelle Swan, editor of the Monitor Weekly, talks to Ken about why he thinks the past matters in news coverage, and where he turns when he’s looking for hope. In this four-part holiday series, we hear from Monitor reporters about how they find the humanity and compassion behind today's headlines.
Black Wall Street: ‘Everything is Us’
Tulsa’s efforts to commemorate the centennial of the 1921 race massacre seem to be moving the city toward racial reconciliation. But reconciliation means different things to different people, including within the Black community. This episode looks at how a new generation of Tulsans is finding ways to process, and to own, the story of the massacre and Black Wall Street. What can we, as a country, learn from their efforts? Part 3 of 3, hosted by Jessica Mendoza.
Black Wall Street: ‘The Illusion of Inclusion’
The idea that “the Black vote” is a monolith suggests that Black Americans are politically unified. But in Tulsa – and across the country – the reality is much more complicated. Though both Democrats and Republicans promise benefits to Black voters, both parties have also systematically failed them for generations. What gives Black voters in Tulsa hope in our political system? Part 2 of 3, hosted by Jessica Mendoza.
Black Wall Street: ‘Their Blood Still Speaks’
The legacy of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre – its horrific violence and the subsequent silence – is still front of mind for many of its Black residents. How has this history shaped the politics of the city? This episode shows listeners Tulsa as it is and as it was – and paints a picture of a city reckoning with racism both past and present. Part 1 of 3, hosted by Jessica Mendoza.
Introducing: Rethinking the News
Today’s news cycle can leave us feeling uncertain – about what’s true, about whom to believe, and about what’s really important to us. We want to bring you something different. Welcome to “Rethinking the News,” a new podcast by The Christian Science Monitor.
