Why We Wrote This
Who reports the news? People. And at 海角大神, we believe that it鈥檚 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鈥檚 headlines we find respect, resilience, dignity, agency, and hope. 鈥淲hy We Wrote This鈥� shows how. The Monitor is an award-winning, nonpartisan news organization with bureaus around the globe. Visit CSMonitor.com/whywewrotethis to learn more.
Redefining 鈥楥overage鈥�
Smart, contextual analysis. A high fiber news-diet supplement for a fast-info age. A unique, universal lens. All hallmarks of the Monitor approach. But how can a 鈥榮low news鈥� approach accommodate a go-go news cycle that whipsaws the world鈥檚 attention 鈥� and demands the Monitor鈥檚 too? Managing Editor Amelia Newcomb joins host Clay Collins.
A Journey Without Judgment
One community鈥檚 struggle to come to terms with enormous loss became a powerful story about forgiveness 鈥� including of people not quite ready yet to forgive. That made it the most universal of stories. Reporter Sara Miller Llana spoke with host Clay Collins about her process, and about producing the hardest story she鈥檇 ever done.
鈥楾he Envelope, Please鈥�
This year鈥檚 Oscar nominations delivered a nope for 鈥淣ope.鈥� And Viola Davis was overlooked. But there were five nods for 鈥淏lack Panther: Wakanda Forever.鈥� Commentator Ken Makin spoke with host Clay Collins for an update of this encore presentation of our Black Hollywood episode from December. It鈥檚 Ken鈥檚 take on what this year鈥檚 Academy Awards tell us about a slow path to progress and representation.
War Stories
Actively reporting from Ukraine, and with a foreign correspondent鈥檚 pedigree that includes stints from Rwanda to Kabul to Fallujah to Mogadishu, Scott Peterson has developed a deep skill set around covering conflicts with humility, respect, and sensitivity. He spoke with host Clay Collins about why Monitor war stories are different.
What鈥檚 a Teacher Worth?
Public-school teachers run on passion for their work and for the kids in their classrooms. That work is vital to a thriving society. But teachers also are widely regarded as being underpaid 鈥� often moonlighting to get by. A Monitor education writer looks at a push to create a higher baseline for compensation in a story that really extends to equality and fairness. Hosted by Clay Collins.
Does Mercy Have Limits?
The notion of assistance in dying as an act of mercy is ancient. Now it has become part of a global debate that鈥檚 taking a variety of forms, and that ultimately is about what a caring society truly looks like. How a team of Monitor writers parsed that, with care and compassion. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas.
The 鈥楢laska Way鈥�
Is there a credible counternarrative to the sense that industrial-grade partisan brinkmanship is all that鈥檚 on tap in U.S. politics? Francine Kiefer talks about reporting an Alaska story that shows how cooperation and respect might be a way forward. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas.
Real People, Real Voices
How does a political reporter go about gathering vox pop that鈥檚 meaningful 鈥� authentic personal perspectives that contribute value to stories, and don鈥檛 just parrot pre-cooked talking points? Story Hinckley speaks with host Clay Collins about the persistence, balance, and respect that the work requires.
Humanity in Focus
Every storyteller has a favorite medium. For the Monitor鈥檚 Jingnan Peng, it鈥檚 videography that carries that special power to humanize his reporting and drive stories home 鈥� especially stories that bring respect to underdogs and marginalized groups. Revealing their agency brings Jing joy. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas.
A Global Hunt for Good
Popular uprisings, and hints of more. Stories of struggles that seem to run in unending cycles. How does a news organization committed to finding evidence of shared human values keep a constructive framing? Peter Ford, the Monitor鈥檚 international news editor, spoke with host Clay Collins about the challenge.
