Episode description

This week Farai Chideya talks with journalists who are changing the world around them. First, veteran journalist Maria Hinojosa on creating a more inclusive newsroom as one of the pioneering Latinas in public radio. Then journalist Wendi Thomas on why she built a newsroom by and for locals in Memphis; and Jenni Monet on decolonizing our news feeds. The New York Times’ Somini Segupta talks about covering the climate crisis. And Lisa Lucas explains how a Twitter hashtag changed her career path, and her goals as a new publisher. Plus, the women behind the Guild of Future Architects join Farai for the second part of their conversation on envisioning our collective future.

Episode Rundown

1:22 Veteran journalist Maria Hinojosa talks about the ups and the downs of her career in public radio and what she’s learned in the process.

5:12 Hinojosa talks about having to defend herself in the newsroom, even as colleagues accused her of having a “Latino agenda.”

6:55 Hinojosa talks about creating the newsroom she wished she had as a young journalist, in Futuro Media Group.

13:05 Tennessee journalist Wendi Thomas on why she started her media outlet, MLK 50, and how she was able to get the funding to make it all happen.

15:40 Thomas recently won an award for her investigative piece about a local hospital suing patients, “whose only mistake was being sick and poor at the same time.”

17:05 Thomas talks about why local journalism is so important in creating change.

18:30 Our weekly Covid update looks into how the pandemic has wreaked havoc on those who were already experiencing hardships before Covid. 

20:39 Investigative reporter Jenni Monet talks about her newsletter, called Indigenously: Decolonizing Your News Feed.

24:04 Chideya and Monet reflect on their time at Standing Rock and whether or not people should expect their government to make change.

27:42 Somini Sengupta shares what she’s learned covering climate change for The New York TImes, “I've learned that climate change is not a future risk. It is a now risk.”

32:03 Lisa Lucas, the Executive Director of the National Book Foundation, talks about rising up in the literary world.

35:57 Lucas talks about the tweet that landed her a publishing job.

34:40 Lucas never imagined herself to be a publisher, but has big goals for the position.

38:39 Journalist Sarah Smarsh talks about her piece “Poor Teeth,” which explores the accessibility of dental care in America and how it is an indicator of socioeconomic status.

40:39 Smarsh talks about The Poor People’s Campaign and how it is carrying out the legacy of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

42:42 Why Dolly Parton is an important role model for feminist, working class women.

44:28 Guild of Future Architects founder Sharon Chang explores the importance of imagination in studying history.

46:36 Farai shares a listener voicemail and discusses paths to equitable and accessible care systems with the Guild of Future Architects leaders.