Year: 2023

Union writers in Hollywood have put down their pens and reached for picket signs, after the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to reach an agreement on a new contract.

Some television shows and movies with finished scripts can continue filming, but other productions, like late-night talk shows, may soon be in reruns.

NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly speaks with TV writer and WGA captain Jeane Phan Wong about what union members want and what’s getting in the way.

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Eastwind Books in Berkeley, California, has closed its doors. It was one of the oldest Asian-American bookstores in the country.
For decades, the store functioned as a cultural hub, not only for the Asian-American community, but for a variety of marginalized groups.
NPR’s Ailsa Chang spoke with co-owner Harvey Dong about the bookstore’s history and legacy.
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Lots of colleges and universities have announced tuition hikes for the upcoming school year, just as inflation is taking a bite out of many families’ budgets.

Still, NPR’s Elissa Nadworny explains that the real cost of college for most students has actually been falling for the past few years, after decades of growth.

But college is still very expensive, and it can feel out of reach for some students. Two Washington, D.C. high school students explain how they’re trying to make the math work.

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Earlier this week, nobody was surprised when President Joe Biden officially announced he is running for re-election. Framing it as a battle for the soul of the country, Biden did not mention Republican frontrunner Donald Trump by name but he took aim at “MAGA extremists”.

At 80, Biden is already the oldest president in US history, and even among Democrats it’s become an issue. And while some hoped a younger candidate might emerge – and maybe that person would be Vice President Kamala Harris, she has faced doubts from within the party as well.

Host Sarah McCammon talks with NPR’s White House correspondent Scott Detrow about the potential hurdles facing Biden and Harris on the road to reelection. And Boston Globe columnist Renée Graham weighs in on why some people will criticize Kamala Harris no matter what she does.

Several U.S. states have passed bills restricting or banning gender-affirming care for trans youth, while other states have enacted measures to protect access to that care. What does that say about the future of trans rights in America?

NPR’s Melissa Block speaks with three trans Americans about the progress that’s been made in regards to trans rights, and how those same rights are currently under attack.

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The idea that social media use has helped fuel an increase in anxiety, depression and loneliness among teenagers was once controversial. But a series of studies are helping researchers understand how much of a correlation exists between the two.

NPR’s Michaeleen Doucleff tells us about Jean Twenge, a researcher who first raised the alarm in 2017, and about other researchers who have recently released studies on this topic.

And NPR’s Allison Aubrey shares some advice from another study looking into ways to minimize social media’s impact.

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Fox’s statement announcing the departure of Tucker Carlson, it’s most watched primetime host, was a terse four sentences. “FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways,” it read.

Carlson’s brand of divisive and conspiracy theory-laden rhetoric helped fuel Fox’s audience numbers. So what happens now that he is gone? And where will Carlson go?

Mary Louise Kelly discusses all of the above with correspondents Shannon Bond and David Folkenflik, who cover misinformation and media matters for NPR.

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President Biden has officially ended the national emergency that was declared during the COVID-19 pandemic. But so far
there’s been no official commission to look into how the country could be better prepared for the next pandemic.

Now, the non-partisan Covid Crisis Group has issued a report titled “Lessons from the Covid War.” NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly speaks with the group’s director, Philip Zelikow, about the report’s findings.

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Even amid mass layoffs in tech and other sectors, the economy is still adding jobs. Even tech jobs.

NPR’s Andrea Hsu reports on a program that recruits and trains workers to enter the tech pipeline.

And NPR’s Juana Summers speaks with Dana Peterson, chief economist with the Conference Board, about some of the broader trends in the labor market and what they could mean for job seekers.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community.

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Newspapers and intrepid reporters are at the heart of hundreds of movies – think Citizen Kane, All The President’s Men -and have always been a big part of American culture.

But in recent decades, the rise of digital news has led to the steady decline of print. And while big papers like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post still distribute print editions – small, local papers have been disappearing at an alarming rate.

Add to that the consolidation of news outlets by big companies like Gannett and Alden Global Capital. Both companies have been buying regional newspapers, only to reduce the reporting staff, or completely dismantle an operation, focusing on turning a profit.

Research has shown that when local newspapers are lost affected communities experience lower voter turnout, decreased civic engagement, and increased polarization.

Host Adrian Florido speaks with Joshua Benton of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University on the increasing number of news deserts.

And we hear from journalist Ashley White about the difficulties of providing a Louisiana community with news and information at a newspaper undergoing drastic reductions.