Long Time No See

Today, June 4th, is the 100th anniversary of Congress's passage of the 19th Amendment. Despite this historic landmark, the 19th amendment doesn't go beyond voting rights. That's where the Equal Rights Amendment comes in. The ERA is a yet-to-be-ratified amendment to the constitution that would codify full rights and legal equality for women.

In LTNS's 5th episode, Michael interviews Toni Van Pelt, president of the National Organization for Women, the leading advocacy organization behind the ERA. Toni provides insight into the battle for ERA ratification in state legislatures across the country, as well as court challenges to the timeline for ratification set by Congress. Then, we hear from Caroline Corbett, deputy editor for MediaFile, who talks about the need for media reporting to reflect the vast implications of the passage of the ERA for women.

The music in this pod was created by Greenss. If you like this episode of Long Time, No See, leave a rating, subscribe to the show, and keep listening. If you have recommendations for future topics or guests, you can email the host at [email protected]. If you would like to donate to MediaFile, the student journalists who power this pod, go to mediafiledc.com/donate. 

When we think about the people most afflicted by the American opioid epidemic, we often think of white, rural communities. But new evidence suggests that most of the reporting and discussion around opioids is overlooking communities of color that are struggling with addiction.

In the first of two episodes investigating the contours of the opioid epidemic, Michael interviews Dr. Edwin Chapman, an expert on addiction treatment who has been helping patients here in Washington, D.C. for 20 years. Dr. Chapman offers insight into the African-American communities that are at the heart of the crisis, as well as insight into how we can successfully help those at the heart of the epidemic.

The music in this pod was created by Greenss. If you like this episode of Long Time, No See, leave a rating, subscribe to the show, and keep listening. If you have recommendations for future topics or guests, you can email the host at [email protected]. If you would like to donate to MediaFile, the student journalists who power this pod, go to mediafiledc.com/donate. 

It's been eight years since the start of the civil war in Syria. Since then, we've seen the rise and fall of ISIS, proxy struggles between world powers, and history's largest refugee crisis.

In this episode, Michael sits down with Chris Boian, spokesperson for the United Nations Refugee Agency here in Washington, who reflects on the past eight years of conflict with a focus on media coverage. Boian also speaks about the future of Syria, and the monumental task of resettling refugees back into their home country. Michael is joined later by MediaFile International Editor Shayna Greene, who talks about using media and on the ground journalism to change perceptions about Syria here in the US. 

The music in this pod was provided by Greenss. If you like this episode of Long Time, No See, leave a rating, subscribe to the show, and keep listening. If you have recommendations for future topics or guests, you can email the host at [email protected]. If you would like to donate to MediaFile, the student journalists who power this pod, go to mediafiledc.com/donate. 

Does anyone else remember when the President announced he was creating a 6th wing of the military, which he proudly dubbed the “Space Force?” This episode features an interview with Jacqueline Klimas, a National Defense reporter at Politico, who breaks down what Trump actually accomplished after he announced his intent to create a military force dedicated to space operations. It turns out that the Space Force is already taking shape under the Department of Defense, and there aren’t any space marines or laser beams involved. Klimas explains why a Space Force is surprisingly necessary while discussing and debunking popular expectations of a Star Wars-esque division of astronaut troopers. 

An interview with MediaFile Editor in Chief Rob Cline follows up on Klimas’ take on Space Force and how it’s a part of the race for next-gen tech like 5-G and AI. 

If you like this episode of Long Time, No See, leave a rating, subscribe to the show, and keep listening. If you have recommendations for future topics or guests, you can email the host at [email protected]. If you would like to donate to MediaFile, the student journalists who power this pod, go to mediafiledc.com/donate. 

Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and international journalist, was murdered last year - allegedly at the direction of the leader of Saudi Arabia. Many months later, Saudi Arabia has shifted accountability and avoided repercussions. In the first episode of Long Time, No See, Michael Kohler interviews Adam Coogle, a Middle East researcher at the Human Rights Watch and an ally to Jamal Khashoggi. Less than six months after Jamal Khashoggi’s death, the news media has all but moved on from the story, and Congress’ discussions of holding Saudi Arabia accountable have diminished. Coogle gives us insight into the future of Saudi Arabia’s global standing and the potential for accountability in the wake of the murder.

Coogle is an expert in Saudi Arabia and human rights violations across the Middle East, and he and his team worked directly with Khashoggi. Later in the episode, Michael sits down with Celine Castronuovo, the MediaFile International Section co-editor, to discuss the media implications of the story.

If you like this episode of Long Time, No See, leave a rating, subscribe to the show, and keep listening. If you have recommendations for future topics or guests, you can email the host at [email protected]. If you would like to donate to MediaFile, the student journalists who power this pod, go to mediafiledc.com/donate. 

In this world of 24-hour news cycles and constantly refreshing Twitter feeds, it is easy for important stories to become lost, to fall off our radar. In MediaFile’s newest podcast, Long Time, No See, we bring “re-breaking” news coverage to these stories, many of which still have significant impacts on people’s live. While other news outlets move from headline to headline, trying to stay on top of the next big, sensational story, we at MediaFile are taking a step back. We want to dive deep into stories that we’ve all heard of but might’ve forgotten about.  With this podcast, we’re challenging the notion that news has to be new. 

In each episode, we’ll be asking important questions like “Has anyone actually been held accountable for the death of Jamal Khashoggi?” or “Whatever happened to the Space Force?” We’re exploring these stories, uncovering what happens when an issue leaves the media’s spotlight. We’ll be interviewing interesting people; journalists, politicians, policy wonks, survivors, scientists, many of whom were on the front lines when the story originally broke or are even still on the lead, trying to bring attention to these issues. Our goal with this show is to challenge people’s perception of the news. We want to prove that news stories are more than just the clips and sound bites that you hear and see on TV. Even after the camera crews pack up and leave and our Twitter feeds fall silent on the issue, these stories continue to develop.

Host/Director: Michael Kohler
Producer: Amalia Mobley 
Multimedia Editor: Caroline Corbett
Music: Rob Cline