鈥淚 grew up in Gaza, loved it 鈥� and complained about it for most of the time.鈥� From that honest starting point of resilience, writer Ghada Abdulfattah, a contributor to the Monitor since the start of the latest conflict in Gaza last October, has produced a remarkable series of stories from the conflict zone. Moving to stay ahead of airstrikes, she has brought to Monitor readers a rare and important perspective. In this writer鈥檚 read format episode, Ghada shares her observations about a war like no other she鈥檚 seen. Then she offers a full read of her recent story on how women, in particular, have been affected.
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.
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What does it take to weave a creative nonfiction tale that鈥檚 engaging and universal enough to draw readers all the way through? Owen Thomas, a longtime editor of essays for The Home Forum at the Monitor 鈥� and now a contributing essayist himself 鈥� joins host Clay Collins to talk about that question, and about how his work aligns with the Monitor鈥檚 mission to find and celebrate the humanity behind every story we tell.
Whether prepared or uttered on the fly, the campaign statements of former President Donald Trump often appear to be at least as fiery as his 2016 rhetoric. It鈥檚 impossible to ascribe intent. Some see unvarnished truth; others hear dog whistles that they fear will yield trouble. For this episode, guest host Gail Chaddock spoke with Linda Feldmann, a veteran White House reporter, on the challenge of sizing up Mr. Trump鈥檚 speech. How it鈥檚 interpreted by fervent fans 鈥� and by impassioned detractors 鈥撀爓ill help decide a critical U.S. election.
Pressure from the South on the U.S. southern border is real. But over the past decade, more and more people from Mexico and beyond 鈥� people who had initially pictured their futures in the United States 鈥� have by choice or circumstances ended up instead building successful lives in Mexico. 鈥淚 just finally felt wanted,鈥� one source told Mexico City-based writer Whitney Eulich, who describes her reporting, from Tijuana and Mexico City, at the top of this episode. Our special-format show also includes full-story audio, voiced by the writer.
A notoriously slow legal system, within a culture that has let auteurs become demigods, gave rise to what one French film star鈥檚 agent apologetically called 鈥渁 sacred monster.鈥� Paris-based writer Colette Davidson wrote about a slow shift in trust 鈥� from transgressors to accusers 鈥� that may finally bring some accountability in a nation wrestling with sexual abuse scandals involving some of its cinema icons. Hosted by Clay Collins.
Partisan side-taking is real. But it isn鈥檛 the whole story. When you get way beyond the Beltway and filter out the manufactured distrust that鈥檚 cultivated by those on the extremes, you can often find public thought moving in the same direction on important issues. And you can find data to support that movement. Marshall Ingwerson, a special contributor and former editor of the Monitor, explored a counternarrative. In this episode, he joins guest host Gail Chaddock to discuss.
When the Monitor began planning a series focused on trust, Texas-based writer Henry Gass immediately thought of 鈥渢he freeze.鈥� Three years after a winter storm devastated the state鈥檚 unique power grid, experts say the grid has become more reliable, more weatherized. There hasn鈥檛 been a repeat of the widespread outages. But 鈥渋t鈥檚 deep in the Texan psyche now to worry about the grid,鈥� a source told Henry. Rebuilding trust will take time and work. For this experimental, alternative-format episode of our weekly podcast, we go host-free 鈥� letting the writer set up the story he reported before reading the story in full.
Ahead of a major museum retrospective on the thriving Harlem of the 1920s and its often overlooked artists, the Monitor鈥檚 cultural commentator toured that upper Manhattan neighborhood to get a better sense of the Harlem of today. He found an neighborhood that venerates its historical heroes while nurturing new ones. He found pride and purpose. Ken Makin joins host Clay Collins to talk about the staggering power of being there 鈥� and about the many ways Harlem draws from its past to shape its future.
AI and education might appear destined to be in conflict. Generative chat and video set up as tempting cheats, ones that might be somewhat transparent for now but that are rapidly gaining in sophistication. Education writer Jackie Valley spoke with host Clay Collins about schools that are countering fear of misuse by incorporating forms of AI in responsible ways that also deepen learners鈥� engagement and joy.
News always answers the 鈥渨hat.鈥� That鈥檚 important. But a news organization built to elevate humanity also has a mandate to go much deeper, to look at what鈥檚 really driving the news. Monitor Editor Mark Sappenfield joins host Clay Collins to talk about a current Monitor focus on trust, and about how serially focusing on universal values that need attention 鈥� as well as on global news 鈥� can help make the Monitor an indispensable beacon on the media landscape.