Best Podcasts: September 2016 – Reveal

I’m always subscribing to any podcast that looks like it may be worth a listen. Often they’re not! I have to admit the original episode I listened to of Reveal ended up with me putting the podcast to one side.  However, you sometimes stumble upon gold and yesterday I decided to dip in again. This time things were different!

 

Firstly, a bit of background on the podcast. It’s from The Center for Investigative Reporting. Their goal is “to engage and empower the public through investigative journalism and groundbreaking storytelling in order to spark action, improve lives and protect our democracy.” – a pretty noble effort!

 

These are guys definitely worth giving your support and I’m going to try and do my own little bit by sharing their great podcast with you! They cover a range of topics so you’re bound to find a story that interests you.

 

The episode which piqued my interest is titled ‘The man inside: Four months as a prison guard’. We follow the story of journalist Shane Bauer who puts himself forward for service as a prison guard in one of America’s privately operated prison facilities; Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana.

 

Despite a past which may raise red flags, he is hired almost immediately, and enters the prison with the aim of chronicling his experiences, without being too certain what those experiences may be.

 

One thing he does know is he’s putting himself in harms way, there’s no doubt about it.

Without spoiling anything further, Shane gives an amazing insight into his service there.  The episode is very well paced, clear and the story really gripped me throughout.

 

He’s not afraid to put his true feelings out there either which I think is important as it allows you to have your own emotional attachment to the story.

 

The case highlighted some questions which clearly need to be asked about privately operated prisons and their handling of both staff and inmates, and I can only hope the situation does improve in the future.

 

Quality is so important when it comes to choosing a good podcast and this episode definitely lived up to my expectations. I can happily recommend it and I’ll definitely be checking out more episodes of Reveal soon!

 

You can find the website for Reveal here. You can also subscribe to the podcast on Pocket Casts or iTunes.