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 CSMonitor.com/whywewrotethis to learn more.

A Child’s ‘Best Interests’

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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.

Keeping It Fair

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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.

Rebooting Conscription

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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.

A Writer’s Long Run

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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.

News That Unites and Uplifts

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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.

Stories From Us, Stories of Humanity

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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.”

Introducing ‘Why We Wrote This’

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This new weekly podcast features conversations with Monitor reporters and editors that help explain how we approach the news – and how we find shared values such as respect, resilience, dignity, agency, and hope behind the headlines. Host Samantha Laine Perfas explains.

Monitor Backstory: A shift on a power source?

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Sides have long been staked out on nuclear power: It’s either a poisonous menace or a means of getting past dirty, extractive energy production. The Monitor’s Stephanie Hanes, who covers climate change and the environment, explores a rising middle ground. Hosted by Samatha Laine Perfas.

Monitor Backstory: Finding dignity in war

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Writer Martin Kuz remembers his father’s love for Ukraine. As Martin traveled the country reporting, including for a story on how Ukrainians find dignity and hope in honoring people they’ve lost in the ongoing war, he could see even more clearly the depth of Ukrainians’ resolve. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas.

Monitor Backstory: Mining for global progress

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What goes into writing a weekly survey of where in the world things are going right? A fair assessment of what credible “progress” actually is, and a determination to present a diversity of coverage. Staff writer Erika Page talks with editor Clay Collins about the Monitor’s long-running Points of Progress feature.