ProPublica announced Friday a new podcast, “ProPublica Narrated,” which will feature narration of its most important journalism, both new and from the archives. The feed is available on podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify and will ensure that audiences who prefer to listen can engage with ProPublica’s investigative reporting.
The podcast launches Sunday with a special reading of “Sick in a Hospital Town,” a five-part investigation into the question: Why does the United States, with the most expensive and sophisticated health care system in the world, have a population that’s so sick?
Reporter and Managing Editor Ginger Thompson spent the last five years reporting on Albany, Georgia, a place she calls a “hospital town.” Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital dominates the city’s economy and politics, yet residents of Albany have some of the highest rates of treatable diseases. The story explores why — and in doing so reveals the mechanics of the U.S. health care system’s dysfunction as a whole.
To tell this story in audio, ProPublica collaborated with Theater of War Productions, a social impact theater company that presents performances of seminal texts, from Greek tragedies to long-form journalism, to provide a framework for engaging communities in powerful discussions of pressing social issues. Director Bryan Doerries and actors Eric Berryman, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Dael Orlandersmith, Amy Ryan, David Strathairn and Frankie Faison recorded the text in a studio, bringing the story to life. “Sick in a Hospital Town” features an original score by Teese Gohl, is mixed by David Herman, and produced by Marjolaine Goldsmith. This project builds on Theater of War Productions and ProPublica’s collaboration earlier this year, where actors performed live readings of ProPublica stories as part of a series at WNYC’s The Greene Space.
“Audio is an increasingly important way that audiences consume journalism and storytelling, especially at length,” said ProPublica’s executive producer of audio, Katherine Wells. “We are excited to build out our audio offerings for listeners who want to hear urgent reporting and quality storytelling.”
“Great performers have a powerful role to play in helping us engage with long-form journalism,” said Doerries, artistic director of Theater of War Productions. “A committed reading of an article by talented actors can attune listeners to the emotional and moral stakes of a story, while deepening their relationship with its subject. It has been thrilling to partner with ProPublica to amplify its crucial and deeply necessary reporting in this way.”
To hear more audio versions of ProPublica stories in the future, listeners can follow “ProPublica Narrated” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever they get their podcasts. “ProPublica Narrated” is the first project from ProPublica’s growing in-house audio team. Next year, the team will launch an original weekly podcast hosted by Jessica Lussenhop and featuring reporters discussing their investigations.
