Research the News: Recent Episodes
Ray Abel
Our goal is to have healthy dialogue with people of all backgrounds, promoting open discussions between people of differing viewpoints to search for truths.
Over the past few years we have become frustrated by the lack of objective news coverage - so we decided to launch a podcast where we take a look at news from all sides of the political spectrum and try to sort through the fluff to see what is actual news and what is bias. We have guests with viewpoints from all over the political spectrum.
This is where we challenge you to research the things you see...in the news.
Episode NotesToday we’re exploring the foster care system. Now, this system does have noble intentions and the goal is to protect children from abuse, provide temporary homes, and keep kids with their families when possible (and that last point has become a point of contention between some advocates, and we'll talk about that here). But the stats are staggering; currently, there are over 400,000 children in foster care in the US, and kids ages 1 to 5 make up about 30% - which the largest share. In this episode we investigate some of the stories of these families and discuss how this system can be improved.
Our guests today are:
- Dr. Jennifer Jacobs who has served in the Army, is a West Point graduate, and is a former White House Fellow. She studied physics and nuclear engineering, and then decided to use knowledge she gained there to launch a family connection software tool to help change the way foster children find a home.
- Renee Williams who is the Executive Director of the National Center for Victims of Crime. She stepped into the role after serving as the Director of the National Crime Victim Bar Association and she mentors through Big Brothers Big Sisters, and advocates for children as a court-appointed special advocate.
Check out the full episode list at researchthenews.com
Episode NotesWhy are only 34% of fourth-grade public school students performing at a proficient level in reading? This week we're talking with Kareem Weaver, the Co-Founder of FULCRUM - an organization whose goal is to ensure that every child is an 'on-time' reader with full literacy. Kareem previously led a leader development organization that supports teachers, and was an award-winning teacher and administrator in Oakland, California, and Columbia, South Carolina.
We discuss phonics, balanced literacy, whole language learning, and more. Plus, as a bonus we decide who has the greatest arm in baseball.
Check out the full episode list at researchthenews.com
Episode Notes This week, we talked with Gonzalo Veloz about what it was like to grow up in Venezuela, and what he thinks about the state of affairs in the country. Gonzalo came to the US in 2015 as a political asylum seeker, and since there have been many differing opinions on Venezuela’s economic rise and fall, we wanted to talk with someone who has first hand knowledge.
Episode Notes In this Episode Ray and Caitlin talked with Michael Gungor - a Grammy nominated Christian musician and founder of The Liturgists podcast who left the Christian church a few years ago. Recently, U.S. church membership fell below the majority for the first time ever so we figured this would be a great time for us to talk about why this is. Caitlin is a pastor in the Presbyterian Church who grew up in a Christian household, and Ray didn't go to church as a child but became involved as an adult so we have a few perspectives covered.
Episode Notes This week, Ray gives a monologue on why journalism is broken and how we're witnessing the fall of the fourth estate. Then, Gretchen joins in to talk about what it means to 'research the news' and why everyone should be digging deep into the headlines.
Episode Notes This week we talked with Jessica Scott about transgender athletes. Jessica is Associate Professor of Gender Studies at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Dr. Scott holds degrees from the University of Illinois and from the University of Cape Town (South Africa). She is widely published in peer reviewed journals dealing with issues of sexuality and gender, and she is working on the publication of her first monograph.
Episode Notes This week, Ray and Gretchen will talk with Hannah Broadway (Licensed Professional Counselor) about how people can disagree without hating each other. This seems like a lost art sometimes, but we hope to give some perspective on how we can interact in a healthy way.
Episode Notes This week we'll be talking with Andrew about some of the issues he's faced as an Asian American, and how he feels about the media coverage regarding the issues.
Episode Notes In this episode, we will be talking with Caitlin Werth about prison reform. Caitlin was the director of the HOPE Pre-Release Program at Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh, PA. HOPE is an inter-faith, rehabilitative, re-entry program for incarcerated men and women. We'll be looking at the issues from both liberal and conservative viewpoints, with the goal of understanding ways that we can improve the prison system.
Episode Notes This week, we're talking about how we judge political candidates and public figures. We'll also take a look at how much weight apologies hold, and what forgiveness looks like.
Episode Notes This week, we talked with Peace Ike about cancel culture and virtue signaling. (And yes, we do talk very briefly about Mr. Potato Head and Dr. Seuss)
Episode Notes Welcome to the relaunch of Research the News! We recorded a discussion with Sidni Standard about what's been happening with Critical Race Theory in colleges, and a few other topics. Ray Abel is hosting, and Gretchen Hurd has come aboard as co-host for the show. Thanks for listening!