Sweden is, of course, more complex than the Utopian collective that some have long considered it to be. That鈥檚 not to say that its societal emphasis on better living doesn鈥檛 persist. Writer Erika Page reported from around Sweden on the aspirational concept of 鈥渓agom鈥� 鈥� essentially, a life kept in balance. She tells host Clay Collins about the reporting, and what it showed about a Scandinavian concept that reflects a universal yearning.
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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American politics tends to meet with broad-brush depictions. That has colored perceptions of Evangelical 海角大神s as always being in lock step with right-wing Republican views. But while there are clear overlaps, that鈥檚 not the whole story. Harry Bruinius, a religion and culture writer for the Monitor, joins guest host Gail Chaddock to talk about his recent piece on post-Evangelicals 鈥� including MAGA followers鈥� relationship to the movement and what that could bode for 2024 and beyond.
What鈥檚 work life like at the center of conflict coverage? It鈥檚 highly collaborative, by necessity. It calls for attention to more than the reportable news points that map a war鈥檚 course. It means keeping humanity at the center of the story. Ken Kaplan, the Monitor鈥檚 Mideast and diplomacy editor 鈥� and a close observer of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for nearly four decades 鈥� talks with host Clay Collins about life with little sleep, about logistics, and about helping to enforce 鈥渢he Monitor difference鈥� on stories that have every news outlet鈥檚 attention.
What goes into writing about a handful of candidates鈥� monthslong presidential runs? Working tactically to gain the up-close access that brings insights into not only the nuances of the behavior and messaging, but also the public response. That鈥檚 the heart of the story. Guest host Gail Chaddock, a veteran of the game, chats with a Monitor rising star, politics writer Story Hinckley, just ahead of primary season 2024.
Call it the Climate Generation. Its members born since 1989, it鈥檚 the demographic cohort with the most to gain from climate action and the most to lose from inaction. The Monitor sent a team to four continents to report for the better part of a year. In this 鈥渕aking of鈥� episode, guest host Clara Germani, the project鈥檚 leader, speaks with staff writers Sara Miller Llana and Stephanie Hanes about the just-finished series鈥� motivations, its shaping (and reshaping), and its careful, often complicated execution.
Monitor readers love books. That adds to both the joy and the difficulty of serving as the publication鈥檚 books editor 鈥� and upholding a legacy of smart coverage. April Austin joins host Clay Collins to talk about what it鈥檚 like to be a literary gatekeeper, how reviewers get matched to books, and what job a Monitor review should aim to do for a busy reader.
Grammy-winner Taylor Swift has inspired a record amount of Spotify streaming, notched Billboard firsts, inspired a Harvard course, and 鈥� oh, yeah 鈥� been named Time鈥檚 person of the year. But she鈥檚 more than a pop culture and economic juggernaut. She's also the de facto president of a pro-girlhood community that, in its best and most inclusive applications, empowers people to connect. Writer Isa Meyers spoke to host Clay Collins about seeing both stories at once.
Mass shootings enter and exit the U.S. news cycle with an almost numbing regularity. How can a reporter cover gun violence, one of the hottest hot-button issues in the nation, with fairness and respect? Can any hope be found amid the eruptions that dissolve into a cycle of thoughts and prayers, of debates over rights, restrictions, and root causes? Correspondent Patrik Jonsson spoke to host Clay Collins about reporting in the wake of the Lewiston, Maine, shooting 鈥� and about the notion of a right to public peace.
In this re-topped encore episode, writer Harry Bruinius reflects on his exploration last Thanksgiving of the effects that letters of gratitude can have on senders and recipients alike. For this Thanksgiving, he speaks with host Clay Collins about how he has been thinking about that story and its subject since 鈥� and about tapping into the enduring power of gratitude, even in especially troubling times.
The recent elevation to U.S. House speaker of a relative unknown set off a wave of declarative side-taking. Some pointed to hopes for civility and responsible government. Others to controversial stands on social issues and the division they can sow. For our senior congressional writer, the news meant sifting factual accounts of Mike Johnson鈥檚 words and actions, and not getting caught in the efforts to shape any particular narrative. Gail Chaddock guest hosts this episode.