If you’re a public radio lover, you probably do a lot of listening. You might flip the dial between your favorite stations, land on something that piques your interest and then stay for a while. There are those familiar voices that bring you in and back again, and sometimes, something may capture your attention, keeping you engrossed for a literal, or proverbial, “driveway moment.”
There’s just something special about audio storytelling. There’s an intimacy to it. Whether personal narratives like StoryCorps or The Moth, or hard-hitting journalism like The Daily and Your Call, or even those in-between radio magazines, like Crosscurrents. In audio, you hear the timbre, intonation, and emotion in the voices of the people on the other side of the mic.
All of that is why public radio was my way into journalism. When I was younger, I was often turned off by journalists. I’m Egyptian-American and, growing up mostly in Cairo, I was disappointed by how mainstream English-language outlets covered what was happening there. Those outside perspectives seemed to distill everything into terms too simplistic and sensationalized. And so much of the reporting was driven by big media personalities that my idealistic teenage self couldn’t relate to.
Like so many, it was This American Life that captivated me — those human-centered stories made the news feel relevant. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was also drawn in by the magic of scene-rich audio storytelling. And that’s what led me to KALW — I wanted to learn how to make those kinds of stories. What I actually learned was so much more than that!
When I joined the Audio Academy in 2015 (KALW’s renowned audio training program), I learned more about the Bay Area in nine months than in the three years I had lived here prior. Each day started with a conversation about news from around the Bay. It was driven by us — total newbies — and not the many experienced journalists working in the newsroom. We brought our perspectives and lived experiences to the discussion, sharing what we paid attention to and how we made sense of what was happening here.
In some ways, this small reversal of roles is one of the most radical things KALW does to listen and uplift new voices in our journalism. The question I hear most often about editorial bias is not whether journalists are telling a story factually, but which stories are being covered and why. Who is at the center of the story? Those are choices that reporters and editors have to make every day, sometimes with a great deal of thought and intention, and sometimes without realizing it. It’s hard to hold all the nuance while also offering something easy to follow, clear, and straightforward.
So, how do we interrogate that? At KALW, we build on the foundations of journalism, while being unafraid to try new things – always asking, why? When we shift our practices slightly, like we do with our morning call, we create space for new ideas and new questions that help us challenge our assumptions about what we do.
In the ten years I’ve worked in public media, I have learned that it takes hard work to expand and strengthen connections when people don’t feel well-represented. We have to build new pathways and structures. One way that KALW has done that is by investing in training; in-house, in high schools, and in three prisons across the state — so far. But our efforts to be more inclusive and accessible go beyond audio journalism training. We host live events, partner with local community organizations, and we simply ask. We ask you what you care most about so that we can shape what we do in a way that reflects the multifaceted history and culture of our region.
At KALW, I found a community of people who care deeply about the world around them, starting with the place they call home. Journalists and artists who approach their work with genuine curiosity and compassion. It is here that I learned that the most important thing about being a good reporter is to be a good listener.
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This piece was brought to you by KALW Speaks, a monthly series of essays from KALW staff and contributors, exploring the ideas that drive our work. Each of these essays reflect our commitment to innovation and invites you into a deeper conversation about the future of public media.
Learn more: From A Whisper To A Roar.
