Picks of the week
To The Woman
From Tuesday, Audible
June Sarpong is your host for Audible’s returning podcast full of letters written and read by an impressive bunch of women. Bonnie Greer talks about ageing and taking inspiration from her elders, while Munroe Bergdorf celebrates women who are labelled difficult: “The kind of women who won’t take it lying down, who don’t let up and can’t be deterred.” It also sees Rose McGowan at her most powerful and vulnerable, asking why her mother didn’t love her: “Is it that I’m a walking trigger or that I’m not enough?” Hannah Verdier
Conviction: American Panic
The first series of this excellent US podcast followed the story of Pedro Hernandez, a 16-year-old from the Bronx accused of murder, and the canny private investigator Manny Gomez, determined to uncover the truth by immersing himself in street life. Its second series is equally gripping, centring on the huge rise in cases of alleged satanic ritual abuse in the 1980s. Were families really making their children perform horrific cult rituals and sexually abusing them? Or was there more to this phenomenon?
Hannah J Davies
Producer pick: The Daily (A Criminal Underworld of Child Abuse)
Chosen by Max Sanderson
It’s not an easy listen but this recent two-parter from The New York Times podcast The Daily about their investigation into child sexual abuse imagery is hugely powerful. And, like so many of their episodes, it encapsulates why ‘narrative news’ and audio are such a powerful combination.
The first part follows the reporter and editor responsible for this months-long investigation, and tells this difficult story their point of view. With just the right amount of music and incredibly powerful archive, the painstaking process of their reporting is masterfully interweaved with the very real impact the investigation had on them. I found it impossible not to be moved and shocked in equal measure.
Part two widens the picture to take at the tech companies who, despite pleas from the families affected, seem to be doing little about the problem of abuse imagery on their platforms. Concluding with an unexpected twist, this is a show you’re sure to recommend to your friends, and discuss long after it ends.
Guardian Pick: The Gene Gap: Common Threads, episode two
In episode two of our new podcast series about the future of gene editing, we focus on power. Are we well informed enough about the process of altering our DNA? Who holds the power to inform us? And who has the authority to speak for our species and to make decisions?
Talking points
Vulture reports on the latest use for podcasts: as a tool for promoting your music, from Pixies to Dolly Parton.
Why not try: Star Guitar | Small Town Dicks | The Last Degree of Kevin Bacon
