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.
Say That Again: Hey Ma, I鈥檓 On TV!
Diversity in media isn鈥檛 just about the way characters look; it鈥檚 also about how they sound. The creators of 鈥淢olly of Denali鈥� knew that when they started producing the animated kids鈥� show about the adventures of an Alaska Native girl. We talk to producers about what it takes to meaningfully portray Indigenous peoples on screen. And we meet a family in Fairbanks, Alaska, who share with us what it鈥檚 like to finally see their own experiences 鈥� and hear their people鈥檚 voices 鈥� represented in ways that make them proud.
Say That Again: You Are How You Sound
After years of trying to blend in as a Los Angeles transplant, Cynthia Santos DeCure realized she had all but lost her Puerto Rican accent. So she set out to reclaim it. Across the country, Amy Mihyang Ginther struggled to find her voice as a young girl living in one world 鈥� the mostly white community she grew up in 鈥� while yearning for another 鈥� the Korean family who gave her up for adoption. Each woman鈥檚 story is a journey to discover what our voices say about who we are and who we could be.
Introducing: "Say That Again?"
What do our voices say about us? 鈥淪ay That Again?鈥� is a new podcast series about how our identities and experiences shape how we sound 鈥� and how the way we speak can be a source of pride, resilience, and shared understanding. New episodes weekly beginning Feb. 25.
Holiday Episode No. 5: Joy
Home Forum contributors Murr Brewster and Robert Klose were the top-of-mind answers to Monitor editors鈥� question: 鈥淲ho should we bring to the table this holiday season to discuss joy?鈥� Listen as the two writers talk about how, for them, joy requires that you be your authentic self. And that you keep moving, and looking.
Holiday Episode No. 4: Hope
In August, the United States left Afghanistan after 20 years. The Taliban poured in. Monitor writers Scott Peterson and Ann Scott Tyson spoke about how Ann managed to find light in this dark situation 鈥� in the brave work of PARSA鈥檚 Afghan National Scouts. She knew one the organization鈥檚 leaders, Marnie Gustavson, and got in touch. 鈥淚t became apparent,鈥� Ann says, 鈥渢hat this story was important to tell.鈥�
Holiday Episode No. 3: Love
Francine Kiefer and her editor, Ali Martin, discuss how the work of two inmates addressing mental health issues in the Los Angeles County Jail reflects brotherly love. 鈥淐raigen and Adrian not only work with these men, they live with them,鈥� Francine says. 鈥淭hey are incarcerated right alongside them. They get to know them. And as peers, they earn their trust.鈥�
Holiday Episode No. 2: Gratitude
Howard LaFranchi鈥檚 encounter with a subway quartet of classically trained musicians in Argentina 鈥� Venezuelan refugees who had joined together 鈥� opens into a look at genuine appreciation of their musical gift. This quality of gratitude is one that Howard has seen not only in Argentina, but also in other countries where refugees fleeing war or economic crisis seek to use their talents to tangibly say 鈥渢hank you鈥� to their hosts.
Holiday Episode No. 1: Faith
鈥淭he places where we learn about God鈥檚 love,鈥� says writer Maisie Sparks, 鈥渟hould also be the places where we 鈥� learn to accept and respect and worship with each other. She speaks with the Monitor鈥檚 Trudy Palmer about a respect that crosses religious and cultural lines, and about the healing work of The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco.
Okere City: A Ugandan hub of progress
In a little more than two years, Ojok Okello has helped transform a small Ugandan village into a model of rural development, adding a preschool, a boxing club, a shea butter co-op, and an adult literacy program. It鈥檚 a vision of progress in the heart of Africa. Hosted by Dave Scott.
LavaMaeX: Hot showers and radical hospitality
Kris Kepler leads LavaMaeX, a California organization that provides mobile showers for those who are unhoused, and creates Pop-Up Care Villages, providing everything from haircuts to job interviews. A story of hope, empathy, and innovation. Hosted by Dave Scott.
