Hi, Mother Jones fans. It’s Al Letson here. I’m the host of the radio show and podcast Reveal.
Each week, we present an unflinching investigation. Take our recent series that explored how land was given to 1,250 formerly enslaved Black Americans after emancipation—only to have it returned to their enslavers. (That one just scored a duPont Award, one of journalism’s top prizes.)
Avid listeners will know that at the end of every show, just as I’m wrapping it up, I remind people of something that has become Reveal’s official tagline and unofficial MO: “There’s always more to the story.”
Today, I’m thrilled to introduce our brand new weekly podcast—appropriately named More To The Story.
Why are we releasing a new show now? The No. 1 thing that drives me as a journalist is my curiosity. And I think we’re living in a time that is more challenging than ever. So together, we’re going to hear from all sorts of people who can help make sense of what’s happening around us—filling in the blanks and providing the deeper context that your news feeds often miss.
My interview style is personal. If someone gives a little bit of themselves, I give a little bit of myself. I listen intently and try to get under and around the things they’re talking about—to understand not just what they’re saying, but why they're saying it.
Take, for example, the premiere episode of More To The Story—out now!—featuring my interview with Tim Heaphy. Tim was the chief investigative counsel for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, and he has arguably done more than anyone to piece together the events of that day. Before that, he oversaw the independent investigation into the violence at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. Tim says the violence at both events was sparked by pent-up frustration with government institutions.
I talk with Tim about the missed warning signs leading up to both clashes, what should be done to prevent future episodes of political violence, and how he felt when he heard that President Donald Trump was pardoning 1,500 people convicted of offenses related to the insurrection at the Capitol.
“I spent my whole career as a lawyer believing in and actually contributing to the rule of law,” Tim told me. “I've always believed that accountability is essential to democracy, that when people violate community standards, violate laws, laws like you can't interfere with an official proceeding, you can't assault police officers, that there are consequences.”
For Tim, Trump’s pardons came as a personal shock. He never expected to be “getting questions about a mass pardon of those defendants and an attempt to change the narrative about January 6th.”
Here’s what I’m hoping you get out of this new podcast: At the end of the day, I believe journalism is an exercise in hope. Even though we will tell difficult stories and do tough, necessary interviews, my goal is that, out of this work, a better world is made. Maybe I can frame things in a way that makes you want to make your own world better—whatever that looks like for you.
So I hope you’ll check out this episode and join us each week for More To The Story. Find us in the Reveal feed on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.
—Al Letson
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