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

All Episodes

Humanity in Focus

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/12/01

Every storyteller has a favorite medium. For the Monitor’s Jingnan Peng, it’s videography that carries that special power to humanize his reporting and drive stories home – especially stories that bring respect to underdogs and marginalized groups. Revealing their agency brings Jing joy. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas.

en-us

A Global Hunt for Good

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/12/01

Popular uprisings, and hints of more. Stories of struggles that seem to run in unending cycles. How does a news organization committed to finding evidence of shared human values keep a constructive framing? Peter Ford, the Monitor’s international news editor, spoke with host Clay Collins about the challenge.

en-us

Black Films Break Through

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/12/01

Hollywood might not have had a “tipping point” year when it comes to diversity. But Monitor columnist Ken Makin acknowledges that the year reflected a continuum of progress for representation. In this episode, he speaks with host Samantha Laine Perfas about how some of the year's top hits – including “Wakanda Forever,” “Till,” and “Star Wars” – expanded the genre of Black storytelling.

en-us

How to Farm a Hotter Planet

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/11/30

Farming is among the most basic, and essential, relationships that humans can have with our planet. And it’s evolving to keep pace with changing climate conditions. In this episode, Whitney Eulich, the Monitor’s Mexico City-based Latin America editor and writer, talks with host Clay Collins about the roots of a Monitor story on global innovation in small-scale agriculture.

en-us

The Power of Giving Thanks

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/11/25

What is the role of gratitude in our lives? To answer that question, staff writer Harry Bruinius gathered written expressions of thanks from people who had sent or received them, and then conducted interviews about their impact. He spoke to the Monitor’s Samantha Laine Perfas about what he learned.

en-us

A Child’s ‘Best Interests’

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/11/18

Native adoption and child welfare have reached the U.S. Supreme Court. There’s no simple answer to the question of whether the Indian Child Welfare Act works. The Monitor’s justice writer, Henry Gass, talks about presenting different, nuanced perspectives compellingly and without judgment, with dignity and respect. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas.

en-us

Rethinking the Workweek

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/11/14

Will the four-day workweek take hold, at least in sectors where qualified workers remain scarce? Veteran reporter Laurent Belsie took a close look at a long-running labor reform idea that is again sparking the popular imagination. He talks with host Samantha Laine Perfas about finding a Monitor angle on a workplace dynamics story that’s getting a lot of coverage.

en-us

A Child’s ‘Best Interests’

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/11/09

en-us

Keeping It Fair

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/11/04

Fairness should be a given in political journalism. But today even the media can struggle to stay neutral, or there’s a creeping “both-sides-ism” that creates false equivalencies. That fuels distrust. How does the Monitor navigate this? The Monitor’s politics editor, Liz Marlantes, speaks with host Samantha Laine Perfas.

en-us

A Win-Win on Housing?

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/11/03

How did a story on solutions to Toronto’s deepening housing crisis become a story about empathy and compassion? Staff writer Sara Miller Llana tracked down those working to shift intergenerational tension toward a focus on mutual goals, resulting in potential win-win solutions. She spoke with host Samantha Laine Perfas.

en-us

The Power of Giving Thanks

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/10/31

en-us

Rebooting Conscription

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/10/28

Lenora Chu turned a story on the nuances of new conscription policies in Northern Europe into a look at balance and responsibility – at governments working to deliver what their societies need, and at the right time. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas.

en-us

A Writer’s Long Run

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/10/21

John Gould, a regular presence in the Monitor’s essay section, The Home Forum, left a lasting impression on the Monitor and on his longtime editor Owen Thomas, who is using the 80th anniversary of Mr. Gould’s first published essay to highlight the late writer’s work for a new generation. Hosted by Clay Collins.

en-us

Keeping It Fair

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/10/19

en-us

News That Unites and Uplifts

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/10/14

What happens when a storied journalism brand moves to sharpen its long-standing approach to news? For our second episode, we spoke to Monitor Editor Mark Sappenfield about the Monitor’s renewed commitment to focusing on what’s universal – and uniting – about the human experience. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas.

en-us

Stories From Us, Stories of Humanity

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/10/07

Why float a new podcast into the sea of podcasts? At the Monitor, we see the world in a different way, with an eye to progress and credible hope, yes, but also to the common values that undergird the shared human experience. In this new podcast, we share the stories behind our stories. Host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with editor Clayton Collins and producer Jingnan Peng about the launch of “Why We Wrote This.”

en-us

Rebooting Conscription

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/10/05

en-us

A Writer’s Long Run

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/10/03

en-us

News That Unites and Uplifts

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/10/03

en-us

Stories From Us, Stories of Humanity

Why We Wrote This ·

2022/10/03

en-us

342 results

Why We Wrote This

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Boletines RNE

RNE

BBC News

BBC World Service

برامج

مونت كارلو الدولية / MCD

Journal Afrique

RFI

要闻解说

RFI - 法国国际广播电台