PODCAST

Why We Wrote This

Who reports the news? People. And at The Christian Science Monitor, we believe that it’s 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’s headlines we find respect, resilience, dignity, agency, and hope. “Why We Wrote This” shows how. The Monitor is an award-winning, nonpartisan news organization with bureaus around the globe. Visit

news & politics

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Shared Anguish, Shared Hope

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/10/31

Taylor Luck, an Amman, Jordan-based writer for The Christian Science Monitor, recently joined Christa Case Bryant, the Monitor’s editor, on our Daily podcast to talk about his dynamic beat. This episode of “Why We Wrote This” begins with a reprise of that conversation, followed by a curation of excerpts from Taylor’s previous appearances on this show. Those include Taylor’s account of his career’s beginnings, more anecdotes from the field, and a discussion about his sense of a restive region’s

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Asking the ‘Why’ Questions

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/10/17

You can’t go home again. Except maybe you can, for an open-hearted second look that applies lessons in listening gained during years of immersion abroad. Scott Baldauf, a Monitor staff reporter who’s been operating at a distance for decades, talks about the early days of his new U.S.-based gig as America correspondent, about his philosophy and process, and about what makes Monitor journalism different. Hosted by Clay Collins.

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You Can’t Sneak Up on a Wolverine

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/09/19

We’re back from our hiatus! In this episode, we talk with Mark Sappenfield, the Monitor’s former top editor turned roaming Europe reporter and watcher of global trends. Find out what that shift has been like, and what went into the framing of his highly readable recent story on Finland’s grassroots defense strategy – a talker in the newsroom and beyond. Plus, Mark gets going on his favorite word (nuance) and his favorite riff: what’s special about Monitor journalism. Also, hear about a Finn so

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New Cities in an Old City’s Orbit

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/06/05

Nairobi is like many cities. It’s vibrant but chaotic. Well-functioning here, showing cracks in its infrastructure there. In this episode we go behind writer Erika Page’s reporting of a tale of two (satellite) cities outside of Kenya’s capital, part of a growing constellation of such centers of life and commerce. And we talk about how a reporter keeps finding stories about people trying, at least, to do things better. Hosted by Clay Collins.

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A Sustainable, High-Tech Life

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/05/15

A lot of technology, including some that ultimately makes us “greener,” calls for extractive practices and carries upfront costs. Its use slurps resources. But it also makes us productive and provides essential support for modern lives. Climate writer Stephanie Hanes joins host Clay Collins for a conversation about data centers and rare earths – and about being intentional and aware of the tradeoffs that modern life puts in front of us.

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To Russia, With Hope

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/04/03

How does a Saskatchewan farmer dreaming of a better life end up in rural Russia? In this episode, the Monitor’s Fred Weir, a Canadian journalist with 40 years in Russia, talks about how he found and profiled a new kind of invited Western expat: one who has warmed to some aspects of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, seems somewhat oblivious to others, and appears to be quite happy, so far, with the trade-offs. Hosted by Gail Russell Chaddock.

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‘The Work Is Mysterious and Important’

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/03/19

What does the hit Apple TV+ show that could be thought of as “Black Mirror” meets “Office Space” tell us about perceptions of workplace culture and Generation Z trends like “boreout”? About work with purpose and meaning? On the eve of the Season 2 finale of “Severance,” culture writer Stephen Humphries takes us inside the making of his report on a dark series that explores a kind of community resilience.

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‘The Work Is Mysterious and Important’

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/03/19

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U.S. Politics and Legal Tests

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/02/20

How does a justice reporter stay focused when nearly every politics story seems to have intricate – and sometimes massive – legal ramifications? Avoid loaded phrasing. Keep it clinical. And remember to breathe. Henry Gass joins guest host Gail Russell Chaddock to talk about his work at the intersection of law and American politics, the busiest corner of his much broader beat.

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U.S. Politics and Legal Tests

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/02/20

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How Crowd Control Evolves

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/02/06

What does good policing looks like when it comes to managing sometimes bristly human interactions at street protests or in rowdy sports stadiums? Writer Simon Montlake and photographer Alfredo Sosa learned in Columbus, Ohio, how police dialogue units can play a role. But is it sustainable, and transferable? How far might it extend in an era when violence and fear seem sometimes seem more prevalent than an openness to discourse? Hosted by Clay Collins.

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How Crowd Control Evolves

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/02/06

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What Faith Looks Like Now

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/01/24

Who’s in the pews these days? What about those in – or adjacent to – American political leadership who proclaim religiosity even while exhibiting behaviors that don’t necessarily comport with it? Beginning to decode some of those questions represented a politics writer’s early swings on the religion beat. Many more remain. Sophie Hills, the Monitor’s new faith and religion writer, joins guest host Gail Russell Chaddock on this episode to discuss.

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What Faith Looks Like Now

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/01/24

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A Kingdom of Empathy?

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/01/10

When it comes to humanity’s relationship to Earth’s other creatures, does “dominion” really mean “stewardship”? Monitor writer Stephanie Hanes joins host Clay Collins for a look behind the reporting of her recent deep dive into what new research suggests about the richness of animals’ inner lives – and what that might mean for humans’ relationship to them.

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A Kingdom of Empathy?

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/01/10

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A Mother’s Strength

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/01/03

A new writer’s local assignment on a gun violence memorial brought him face to face with a mother whose trying experience, and her telling of it, seemed to underscore an organization’s healing mission. It also showcased his source’s strength, resilience, and agency. In this episode, we break from the conversation format to make room for a writer’s annotation of a interview – used with permission of his source – that informed his reporting.

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A Mother’s Strength

Why We Wrote This ·

2025/01/03

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Reading America’s Shift: Part 2

Why We Wrote This ·

2024/12/13

Covering an incoming administration is about more than tracking the words and deeds of the new chief executive. Plates are shifting from the Cabinet to Congress. That warrants careful reporting, too. It means staying grounded in facts, not engaging in speculation, as a government emerges that is in some ways quite different from Trump 1.0. Washington writer Cameron Joseph, a frequent recent guest, joins guest host Gail Russell Chaddock to talk it through.

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Reading America’s Shift: Part 2

Why We Wrote This ·

2024/12/13

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