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.
How to Farm a Hotter Planet
Farming is among the most basic, and essential, relationships that humans can have with our planet. And it’s evolving to keep pace with changing climate conditions. In this episode, Whitney Eulich, the Monitor’s Mexico City-based Latin America editor and writer, talks with host Clay Collins about the roots of a Monitor story on global innovation in small-scale agriculture.
Rethinking the Workweek
Will the four-day workweek take hold, at least in sectors where qualified workers remain scarce? Veteran reporter Laurent Belsie took a close look at a long-running labor reform idea that is again sparking the popular imagination. He talks with host Samantha Laine Perfas about finding a Monitor angle on a workplace dynamics story that’s getting a lot of coverage.
A Child’s ‘Best Interests’
Native adoption and child welfare have reached the U.S. Supreme Court. There’s no simple answer to the question of whether the Indian Child Welfare Act works. The Monitor’s justice writer, Henry Gass, talks about presenting different, nuanced perspectives compellingly and without judgment, with dignity and respect. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas.
A Win-Win on Housing?
How did a story on solutions to Toronto’s deepening housing crisis become a story about empathy and compassion? Staff writer Sara Miller Llana tracked down those working to shift intergenerational tension toward a focus on mutual goals, resulting in potential win-win solutions. She spoke with host Samantha Laine Perfas.
The Power of Giving Thanks
What is the role of gratitude in our lives? To answer that question, staff writer Harry Bruinius gathered written expressions of thanks from people who had sent or received them, and then conducted interviews about their impact. He spoke to the Monitor’s Samantha Laine Perfas about what he learned.
Keeping It Fair
Fairness should be a given in political journalism. But today even the media can struggle to stay neutral, or there’s a creeping “both-sides-ism” that creates false equivalencies. That fuels distrust. How does the Monitor navigate this? The Monitor’s politics editor, Liz Marlantes, speaks with host Samantha Laine Perfas.
Rebooting Conscription
Lenora Chu turned a story on the nuances of new conscription policies in Northern Europe into a look at balance and responsibility – at governments working to deliver what their societies need, and at the right time. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas.
A Writer’s Long Run
John Gould, a regular presence in the Monitor’s essay section, The Home Forum, left a lasting impression on the Monitor and on his longtime editor Owen Thomas, who is using the 80th anniversary of Mr. Gould’s first published essay to highlight the late writer’s work for a new generation. Hosted by Clay Collins.
News That Unites and Uplifts
What happens when a storied journalism brand moves to sharpen its long-standing approach to news? For our second episode, we spoke to Monitor Editor Mark Sappenfield about the Monitor’s renewed commitment to focusing on what’s universal – and uniting – about the human experience. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas.
Stories From Us, Stories of Humanity
Why float a new podcast into the sea of podcasts? At the Monitor, we see the world in a different way, with an eye to progress and credible hope, yes, but also to the common values that undergird the shared human experience. In this new podcast, we share the stories behind our stories. Host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with editor Clayton Collins and producer Jingnan Peng about the launch of “Why We Wrote This.”