#95: Local Hero Phil Williams

“So a kid did scribble on a sidewalk. Is that technically vandalism? Sure. But is the best way to handle it really for the officer to arrest that kid?“ As the new school year begins, a new On Assignment episode explores how schools across the country are disciplining students...by arresting them.

31 Aug 201829min

ABC15’s Dave Biscobing on his 2018 duPont-winning, relentless series that stopped a self-described “advocacy” group from exploiting the Americans with Disabilities Act for millions of dollars.

27 Juli 201829min

“Our stories in the end are (less) about sports - they're about power or culture or you know triumph over adversity or human rights. It is almost like a Trojan horse to get inside and then ask the human rights questions.”

29 Juni 201837min

“Going into Syria itself at the point where we started shooting was basically a suicide mission. Not so much the risks of combat, but the risk of being kidnapped, sold to ISIS and having your head cut off. So we were making a film about the Syrian civil war and we couldn't shoot in the Syrian civil war.”

1 Juni 201833min

Zoe Chace of This American Life and Michael Barbaro of The Daily speak about the rewards and challenges of making stories for audio, the "tyranny of the good talker," and the sense of intimacy that comes from the voice alone.

27 Apr 201848min

An open conversation with Natalia Antelava about her radio documentary “Russia’s New Scapegoat.” The 2018 duPont-Columbia Award winning radio documentary exposes the Russia’s growing anti-LGBT crisis.

30 Mars 201826min

A candid conversation with director James Bluemel and his fearless subject Hassan Akkad about their film Exodus. The 2018 duPont-Columbia Award winning documentary captures the extraordinary journeys of refugees fleeing to Europe, using their first hand stories and footage.

23 Feb 201838min

Zoe Chace has no problem walking up to strangers with headphones on and mike poised. It’s how she captured her duPont-Columbia winning story, “Ep 600 Will I Know Anyone at This Party?” which gives a firsthand account of the immigration push back taking place in America today. Chace is a producer at the radio program and podcast, This American Life. She reveals her tips for getting into the Republican convention without credentials, persuading people to talk when they don’t want to, and managing fears of getting fired. Check out the “Deploraball” episode referenced in this week’s podcast. And see Chace and our other winners accept their batons at the 2018 duPont-Columbia ceremony.

26 Jan 201828min