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Reveal

201 EpisodesProduced by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRXWebsite

Reveal’s investigations will inspire, infuriate and inform you. Host Al Letson and an award-winning team of reporters deliver gripping stories about caregivers, advocates for the unhoused, immigrant families, warehouse workers and formerly incarcerated people, fighting to hold the powerful accountab… read more

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Farewell

February 22nd, 2024

0:39

An important message from RadioPublic

America Goes Psychedelic, Again

March 16th, 2024

50:58

Psychedelic drugs have been illegal for 50 years, but they’re trickling back into the mainstream because they show promise in helping treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health challenges.

We begin …

Blue State Barriers and the Messy Map of Abortion Access

March 9th, 2024

50:36

As blue states try to shore up access to abortion and reproductive care, some are facing a threat they didn’t see coming: Catholic health care …

The Suspect Detective

March 2nd, 2024

50:56

In 2010, Milique Wagner was arrested for a murder he says he had nothing to do with. The night of the shooting, Wagner was picked up for questioning …

Listening in on Russia’s War in Ukraine

February 24th, 2024

50:48

In this week’s episode, produced in collaboration with the Associated Press, reporters on the front lines take us inside Russia’s invasion of Ukraine …

The Plague in the Shadows

February 17th, 2024

50:47

HIV/AIDS changed the United States and the world. It has killed some 40 million people and continues to kill today. This week, reporters Kai Wright and Lizzy Ratner from the podcast Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows …

Alphabet Boys Revealed

February 10th, 2024

50:40

The summer of 2020 was a hinge point in American history. The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police inspired racial justice demonstrations …

The 13th Step

February 3rd, 2024

50:38

Lauren Chooljian from New Hampshire Public Radio reports on a widespread culture of sexual misconduct in the addiction treatment industry. Across the …

The Battle for Clean Energy in Coal Country

January 27th, 2024

50:31

Montana has a long history of making money by extracting and exporting its natural resources, namely coal. State politicians and Montana’s largest …

Black in the Sunshine State

January 20th, 2024

50:02

Last summer, Reveal host Al Letson returned home to Jacksonville, Florida, to find a changed state. The Republican Legislature had passed a slate of …

The Double Life of a Civil Rights Icon

January 13th, 2024

50:09

Some of the most enduring photos of the civil rights movement were taken by Ernest Withers. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Withers earned the trust of Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders. But as it …

Sunblocked: Resistance to Solar in Farm Country

January 6th, 2024

50:34

For the U.S. to meet its clean energy goals by 2050, the Department of Energy projects that the country needs more than 10 million acres of solar …

Fancy Galleries, Fake Art

December 30th, 2023

50:36

In the mid-’90s, two high-end New York art galleries began selling one fake painting after another – works in the style of Jackson Pollock, Andy …

It's Not Easy Going Green

December 23rd, 2023

49:59

When they were invented in the ’90s, renewable energy certificates were meant to stimulate the green energy market. Back then, building wind and …

Gaza: A War of Weapons and Words

December 16th, 2023

50:12

This episode focuses on the Israeli and Palestinian conflict and its ripples throughout the world. First, Reveal host Al Letson has a conversation with members of the Parents Circle, Israeli and Palestinian parents who …

Hidden Confessions of the Mormon Church

December 9th, 2023

49:27

In this week’s episode, produced in collaboration with The Associated Press, secret audio recordings expose a legal playbook used by The Church of …

Havana Syndrome

December 2nd, 2023

50:20

A sharp sound. Followed by body numbness. Difficulty speaking. Extreme head pain. Since 2016, U.S. officials across the world – in Cuba, China and …

Locked Up: The Prison Labor That Built Business Empires

November 25th, 2023

49:58

After the Civil War, a new form of slavery took hold in the U.S. and lasted more than 60 years. Associated Press reporters Margie Mason and Robin …

In Bondage to the Law

November 18th, 2023

50:39

On a summer night in 1995, a sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed in a hotel parking lot in Birmingham, Alabama. When investigators arrived at the scene, they found no eyewitnesses and almost no evidence pointing to the …

We Regret to Inform You

November 11th, 2023

49:53

Bruce Praet is a well-known name in law enforcement, especially across California. He co-founded a company called Lexipol that contracts with more …

The Welfare-to-Work Industrial Complex

November 4th, 2023

50:51

“Get a job!” That sums up our current cash welfare system in a nutshell. Ever since so-called welfare reform in the 1990s, the system has been based on the idea that welfare recipients must be doing some kind of work or …

America Goes Psychedelic, Again

October 28th, 2023

50:50

Psychedelic drugs have been illegal for 50 years, but they’re trickling back into the mainstream because they show promise in helping treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health challenges.

We begin …

Cashing in on Troubled Teens

October 21st, 2023

50:25

The first time Trina Edwards was locked in a psychiatric hospital for children, she was 12 years old. She was sure a foster parent would pick her up …

From Victim to Suspect

October 14th, 2023

50:49

Nicole Chase was a young mom with a daughter to support when she took a job at a local restaurant in Canton, Connecticut. She liked the work and was …

How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong

October 7th, 2023

50:24

Corinne Adams’ son Charlie came home from school with notes from his teacher saying he was doing great in reading. But during the pandemic, Adams had …

Alphabet Boys Revealed

September 30th, 2023

50:14

The summer of 2020 was a hinge point in American history. The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police inspired racial justice demonstrations …

The Spy Inside Your Smartphone

September 23rd, 2023

50:47

Around the globe, journalists, human rights activists, scholars and others are facing digital attacks from Pegasus, military-grade spyware originally …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 7: Reasonable Doubt

September 16th, 2023

53:42

The final episode of Mississippi Goddam shares new revelations that cast doubt on the official story that Billey Joe Johnson Jr. accidentally killed himself. 

Our reporting brought up questions that the original …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 6: Mississippi Justice

September 9th, 2023

50:25

Black communities around Mississippi have long raised concerns about suspicious deaths of young Black men, especially when law enforcement is …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 5: Star Crossed

September 2nd, 2023

50:25

Billey Joe Johnson Jr. and Hannah Hollinghead met in their freshman year of high school. Hollinghead says Johnson was her first love, and in many …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 4: The Investigator

August 26th, 2023

50:25

Special Agent Joel Wallace of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was called in to investigate the death of Billey Joe Johnson Jr. He worked alongside two investigators from the George County district attorney’s …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 3: The Autopsy

August 19th, 2023

50:45

After Billey Joe Johnson Jr. died in 2008, the state of Mississippi outsourced his autopsy. Al Letson and Jonathan Jones travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to interview the doctor who conducted it. Her findings helped lead …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 2: The Aftermath

August 12th, 2023

50:33

On the morning of Billey Joe Johnson’s death, crime scene tape separates the Johnsons from their son’s body. Their shaky faith in the criminal justice system begins to buckle.

As Johnson’s family tries to get answers …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 1: The Promise

August 5th, 2023

50:27

Billey Joe Johnson Jr. was a high school football star headed for the big time. Then, early one morning in 2008, the Black teenager died during a …

The Great Arizona Water Grab

July 29th, 2023

50:27

A Saudi-owned farm in the middle of the Arizona desert has attracted national attention and criticism since Reveal’s Nate Halverson and Ike Sriskandarajah first broke this story eight years ago. The farm is using …

It's Not Easy Going Green

July 22nd, 2023

50:02

When they were invented in the ’90s, renewable energy certificates were meant to stimulate the green energy market. Back then, building wind and …

Guatemala’s War on Journalists

July 15th, 2023

50:38

Reveal revisits a story produced in collaboration with a Guatemalan journalist who is now in prison. José Rubén Zamora was jailed last summer after …

The Pentagon Papers: Secrets, Lies and Leaks

July 8th, 2023

50:31

Before Jeffrey Wigand blew the whistle on the tobacco industry and Edward Snowden showed the National Security Agency could spy on all of us, there …

They Followed Doctors’ Orders. The State Took Their Babies.

July 1st, 2023

51:13

Medications like Suboxone help pregnant women safely treat addiction. But in many states, taking them can trigger investigations by child welfare agencies that separate mothers from their newborns. This week, we tell …

The Culture War Goes to College

June 24th, 2023

51:00

From book bans to uproar over critical race theory, American classrooms have been on the front lines of the culture war. And there’s one state that’s …

The Welfare-to-Work Industrial Complex

June 17th, 2023

49:51

“Get a job!” That sums up our current cash welfare system in a nutshell. Ever since so-called welfare reform in the 1990s, the system has been based on the idea that welfare recipients must be doing some kind of work or …

The Post-Roe Health Care Crisis

June 10th, 2023

50:45

It’s been nearly one year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that protected abortion rights for half a century. …

The Battle for Clean Energy in Coal Country

June 3rd, 2023

50:19

Montana has a long history of making money by extracting and exporting its natural resources, namely coal. State politicians and Montana’s largest …

Weapons With Minds of Their Own

May 27th, 2023

50:31

The future of warfare is being shaped by computer algorithms that are assuming ever-greater control over battlefield technology. The war in Ukraine …

The Long Campaign to Turn Birth Control Into the New Abortion

May 20th, 2023

50:41

When the Supreme Court’s decision undoing Roe v. Wade came down in June, anti-abortion groups were jubilant – but far from satisfied. Many in the …

The Border Patrol’s Fearless 5%

May 13th, 2023

50:22

The Border Patrol is one of the largest federal law enforcement agencies in the U.S., with roughly 19,000 officers. It also has one of the largest …

No Retreat: The Dangers of Stand Your Ground

May 6th, 2023

50:49

The killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012 marked the beginning of a new chapter of the struggle for civil rights in America. A mostly White jury acquitted George Zimmerman of the teen’s murder, in part because Florida’s …

The COVID Tracking Project Part 3

April 29th, 2023

50:24

This is the third episode in our three-part series taking listeners inside the failed federal response to COVID-19. Series host Jessica Malaty Rivera and reporters Artis Curiskis and Kara Oehler bring us the conclusion …

The COVID Tracking Project Part 2

April 22nd, 2023

50:17

This is the second episode in our three-part series taking listeners inside the failed federal response to COVID-19. In episode two, series host Jessica Malaty Rivera, along with reporters Artis Curiskis and Kara …

The COVID Tracking Project Part 1

April 15th, 2023

50:35

The United States has 4% of the world’s population but 16% of COVID-19 deaths. This series investigates the failures by federal agencies that led to …

Havana Syndrome

April 8th, 2023

50:45

A sharp sound. Followed by body numbness. Difficulty speaking. Extreme head pain. Since 2016, U.S. officials across the world – in Cuba, China and …

The Suspect Detective

April 1st, 2023

50:35

In 2010, Milique Wagner was arrested for a murder he says he had nothing to do with. The night of the shooting, Wagner was picked up for questioning …

Buried Secrets: America’s Indian Boarding Schools Part 2

March 25th, 2023

50:30

In the second half of our two-part collaboration with ICT (formerly Indian Country Today), members of the Pine Ridge community put pressure on the …

Buried Secrets: America’s Indian Boarding Schools Part 1

March 18th, 2023

50:13

In a two-part collaboration with ICT (formerly Indian Country Today), we expose the painful legacy of boarding schools for Native children.

These …

From Victim to Suspect

March 11th, 2023

50:49

Nicole Chase was a young mom with a daughter to support when she took a job at a local restaurant in Canton, Connecticut. She liked the work and was …

Baseball Strikes Out

March 4th, 2023

50:39

In the early 2000s, rampant steroid use across Major League Baseball became the biggest scandal in the sport’s history. But fans didn’t want to hear …

Listening in on Russia’s War in Ukraine

February 25th, 2023

50:49

In this week’s episode, produced in collaboration with the Associated Press, reporters on the front lines take us inside Russia’s invasion of Ukraine …

How a 7-Year Prison Sentence Turns Into Over 100

February 18th, 2023

50:34

WBEZ reporter Shannon Heffernan brings us the story of Anthony Gay, who was sentenced to seven years in prison on a parole violation but ended up …

How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong

February 11th, 2023

50:42

Corinne Adams’ son Charlie came home from school  with notes from his teacher saying he was doing great in reading. He seemed to be able to read the …

Inside the Global Fight for White Power

February 4th, 2023

50:51

From Russia to Sweden and the United States, there’s a growing network of White nationalist groups that stretches around the world. The reporting team at Verified: The Next Threat investigates how these militant groups …

A Miracle Cure for AIDS or Snake Oil?

January 28th, 2023

49:27

Dr. Gary Davis, an Ivy League-trained Black physician from Tulsa, Oklahoma, had a literal dream that the cure for AIDS would come from a goat. In the …

Locked Up: The Prison Labor That Built Business Empires

January 21st, 2023

50:35

After the Civil War, a new form of slavery took hold in the US and lasted more than 60 years. Associated Press reporters Margie Mason and Robin …

The Double Life of a Civil Rights Icon

January 14th, 2023

50:30

Some of the most enduring photos of the civil rights movement were taken by Ernest Withers. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Withers earned the trust of Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders. But as it …

Drilling Down on Fossil Fuels and Climate Change

January 7th, 2023

50:40

The United States has pledged to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, but Russia’s war in Ukraine set off a bonanza for liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Today, we look at how energy companies and the Biden administration …

‘Traitors Get Shot’

December 31st, 2022

50:50

The bipartisan Congressional committee investigating the January 6th insurrection recommended that former president Donald Trump face criminal charges for sparking the attempted coup. We look back at the case of Guy …

A Young Doctor Reflects on COVID

December 24th, 2022

50:01

The pandemic isn’t past tense. While COVID-19 vaccines have made it possible to gather with friends and hug loved ones again, the world is still living with the virus – and too many people are still dying because of it. …

The Suspect Detective

December 17th, 2022

50:35

In 2010, Milique Wagner was arrested for a murder he says he had nothing to do with. The night of the shooting, Wagner was picked up for questioning …

No Retreat: The Dangers of Stand Your Ground

December 10th, 2022

50:24

The killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012 marked the beginning of a new chapter of the struggle for civil rights in America. A mostly White jury acquitted George Zimmerman of the teen’s murder, in part because Florida’s …

The Bitter Work Behind Sugar

December 3rd, 2022

50:45

Sugar is a big part of Americans’ daily diet, but we rarely ask where that sweet cane comes from.  

In November, the United States announced that it will block all imports of raw sugar from one of those sources: the …

A Reckoning at Amazon

November 26th, 2022

50:36

After years of growth, Amazon is now laying off thousands of employees. But with the holiday season underway, the company’s warehouse workers still …

How Democracy Survived the Midterm Elections

November 19th, 2022

50:36

Reveal host Al Letson talks with leading academics and journalists to take the temperature of American democracy: What did we expect from the midterms, what did we get, and what does that mean for 2024?

Reveal’s Ese …

The City (Revealed)

November 12th, 2022

50:28

Robin Amer of USA Today’s investigative podcast The City shares the story behind a massive illegal dump that appeared in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood in the ’90s. Local kids remember playing on the 21-acre, …

Climate Makers and Takers

November 5th, 2022

50:42

Sea levels are rising – and the United States has a lot to learn from countries that are already adapting. Reporter Shola Lawal of the podcast

The Ballot Boogeymen

October 29th, 2022

50:28

In August 2020, Guillermina Fuentes was trying to get out the vote in her small Arizona community. Outside a polling place, she handed a few absentee …

Buried Secrets: America’s Indian Boarding Schools Part 2

October 22nd, 2022

50:30

In the second half of our two-part collaboration with ICT (formerly Indian Country Today), members of the Pine Ridge community put pressure on the …

Buried Secrets: America’s Indian Boarding Schools Part 1

October 15th, 2022

50:16

In a two-part collaboration with ICT (formerly Indian Country Today), we expose the painful legacy of boarding schools for Native children.  

These …

The Long Campaign to Turn Birth Control Into the New Abortion

October 8th, 2022

50:59

When the Supreme Court’s decision undoing Roe v. Wade came down in June, anti-abortion groups were jubilant – but far from satisfied. Many in the …

Minor League Pay

October 1st, 2022

50:34

From the Frisco RoughRiders to the Dayton Dragons, minor league baseball teams are a classic American tradition. But their players are not covered by some classic American laws: Players can earn less than the equivalent …

After Ayotzinapa: Arrests and Intrigue

September 24th, 2022

50:58

Eight months after Reveal’s three-part series about the disappearance of 43 Mexican college students in 2014, the government’s investigation is in …

Locked Up: The Prison Labor That Built Business Empires

September 17th, 2022

50:41

After the Civil War, a new form of slavery took hold in the US and lasted more than 60 years. Associated Press reporters Margie Mason and Robin …

The Big Grift Behind the Big Lie

September 10th, 2022

50:18

This episode explores two stories of fights over the right to vote. 

Texas-based nonprofit True the Vote claims to have evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election—an idea Trump loudly echoes as part of …

American Rehab: Shadow Workforce

September 3rd, 2022

50:22

Picture stepping into a drug rehab. You’re looking for treatment, but instead, you get hard work for no pay. For decades, this type of rehab has quietly spread across the country. How are rehabs allowed to do this? 

American Rehab: A Venomous Snake

August 27th, 2022

50:45

By the end of the 1960s, Synanon was a widely respected drug rehab with a celebrated treatment program. It had intake centers and commune-style rehabs all over the country. 

It subsisted by turning members into unpaid …

American Rehab: A Desperate Call

August 20th, 2022

50:38

Reporter Shoshana Walter gets a message from a stranger: Penny Rawlings has just read one of Walter’s stories about Cenikor, a drug rehab with a facility in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Rawlings is desperate to learn more …

Afghanistan's Recognition Problem

August 13th, 2022

50:02

There isn’t a single country in the world that recognizes the Taliban as a legitimate government. And neither do many Afghans. One year after the …

My Neighbor, the Suspected War Criminal

August 6th, 2022

50:47

In July, a popular uprising in Sri Lanka forced the country’s president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to step down and flee the country. Rajapaksa is accused …

No Retreat: The Dangers of Stand Your Ground

July 30th, 2022

50:32

The killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012 marked the beginning of a new chapter of the struggle for civil rights in America. A mostly White jury acquitted George Zimmerman of the teen’s murder, in part because Florida’s …

Inside the Global Fight for White Power

July 23rd, 2022

50:18

From Russia to Sweden and the United States, there’s a growing network of White nationalist groups that stretches around the world. The reporting team at Verified: The Next Threat investigates how these militant groups …

All the President’s Pardons

July 16th, 2022

50:50

When he was president, Donald Trump used the pardon power to help friends and political allies. Now we’ve learned from the Jan. 6 committee hearings …

Can Our Climate Survive Bitcoin?

July 9th, 2022

51:09

Bitcoin is a novel form of currency that bypasses banks, credit card companies and governments. But as Elizabeth Shogren reports, the process of creating bitcoin is extremely energy intensive, and it’s setting back …

Lost in Transplantation

July 2nd, 2022

50:21

Quickly delivering donated organs to patients waiting for a transplant is a matter of life and death. Yet transportation errors are leading to delays in surgeries, putting patients in danger and making some organs …

The Religious Right Mobilized to End Roe. Now What?

June 25th, 2022

51:23

Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that gave women in the U.S. the legal right to an abortion, has now been officially overturned. The Supreme Court …

Abortion in the Crosshairs

June 18th, 2022

50:27

Dr. Barnett Slepian was a conservative doctor and family man with strong religious beliefs. But he didn’t think doctors should pick and choose which …

Baseball Strikes Out

June 11th, 2022

50:38

In the early 2000s, rampant steroid use across Major League Baseball became the biggest scandal in the sport’s history. But fans didn’t want to hear …

Fighting Fire with Fire

June 4th, 2022

50:39

Year after year, wildfires have swept through Northern California’s wine and dairy country, threatening the region’s famed agricultural businesses. . …

Shooting in the Dark: Why Gun Reform Keeps Failing

May 28th, 2022

51:55

As the nation reels from the recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, we look at why efforts to enact comprehensive laws to …

‘Traitors Get Shot’

May 21st, 2022

50:34

On Jan. 6, 2021, Jackson Reffitt watched the Capitol riot play out on TV from his family home in Texas. His father, Guy, had a much closer view. He …

A Reckoning at Amazon

May 14th, 2022

50:47

The past few years have brought profits and growth to Amazon, but it’s come at a cost to many workers. Amazon warehouse employees are injured on the job at a higher rate than at other companies, even as the company has …

Crossing the Line: The Fight Over Roe

May 7th, 2022

50:35

As the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, Florida is a case study in what can happen in states where abortion is easy to access. 

Florida is an unexpected safe haven for people seeking abortions in the …

How a 7-Year Prison Sentence Turns Into Over 100

April 30th, 2022

52:03

WBEZ reporter Shannon Heffernan brings us the story of Anthony Gay, who was sentenced to seven years in prison on a parole violation but ended up …

My Neighbor, the Suspected War Criminal

April 23rd, 2022

51:08

This month, atrocities in Ukraine have triggered new allegations of war crimes. While people around the world call for accountability, we look into why those who are suspected of committing war crimes in the past often …

Handcuffed and Unhoused

April 16th, 2022

50:45

Up and down the West Coast, cities are struggling with homelessness. Here's a hidden side: arrests. In Portland, Oregon, unhoused people made up at …

Losing Ground

April 9th, 2022

50:23

In 2021, the Biden administration approved $4 billion in loan forgiveness for Black farmers and other farmers of color, as part of the $1.9 trillion …

Campaigning on the Big Lie

April 2nd, 2022

48:59

More than a year after the 2020 election, roughly a third of Americans continue to believe, without evidence, that the results of the election were …

Can Our Climate Survive Bitcoin?

March 26th, 2022

50:56

Bitcoin is a novel form of currency that bypasses banks, credit card companies and governments. But as Reveal’s Elizabeth Shogren reports, the process of creating bitcoin is extremely energy intensive, and it’s setting …

A Racial Reckoning at Doctors Without Borders

March 19th, 2022

51:03

For decades, Doctors Without Borders has been admired for bringing desperately needed medical care to crises around the globe and pioneering modern-day humanitarian aid. It’s an organization with radical roots, …

‘To Shoot and Fight for My Home’

March 12th, 2022

50:50

The war in Ukraine is not new. Ukrainians have been living through “the long war” of a threatened – and brutally real – Russian invasion for decades. …

Behind the Blue Wall

March 5th, 2022

50:33

A nanny in Nashville was having a picnic on a bike path with the kids she was caring for when a man emerged from his house and started cursing at …

The Bitter Work Behind Sugar

February 26th, 2022

50:55

Sugar is a big part of Americans’ daily diet. But who harvests some of that sweet cane? 

Reporters Sandy Tolan and Euclides Cordero Nuel visit …

Who Has Power and How Do They Wield It?

February 19th, 2022

50:11

Washington, D.C.: The Difficulties of Firing Police Officers

A group of hackers attacked the Metropolitan Police Department in 2021, leaking 250 …

A Strike at the Heart of Roe

February 12th, 2022

50:21

To see what the future of abortion could be in the United States, look to Texas. Across the country, conservative foes of abortion rights have pushed …

Emission Control

February 5th, 2022

50:18

If we want to quickly combat climate change, we need to deal with “the other” greenhouse gas: methane. Methane leaks are heating up the planet and harming people who live where gas drilling takes place. 

Reporter …

After Ayotzinapa Chapter 3: All Souls

January 29th, 2022

50:32

The final chapter of our three-part investigation into the abduction

of 43 Mexican students in 2014 looks at how an unexpected turn in Mexico’s …

After Ayotzinapa Chapter 2: The Cover-Up

January 22nd, 2022

50:28

The second chapter of our three-part investigation into the abduction of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College in 2014 digs into …

After Ayotzinapa Chapter 1: The Missing 43

January 15th, 2022

50:33

It has been over seven years since 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College in Guerrero, Mexico, were taken by armed men in the middle …

Take No Prisoners

January 8th, 2022

51:01

In December 1944, Frank Hartzell was a young soldier pressed into fierce fighting during the Battle of the Bulge. He was there battling Nazi soldiers …

Viral Lies

January 1st, 2022

50:48

From anti-vaxxers to QAnon, we look at how misinformation spreads online – and the lives it disrupts. 

Reporter Stan Alcorn digs into the origins of “Stop the Steal.” In 2016, it was the name of a right-wing activist …

When Lighting the Voids

December 25th, 2021

51:00

Donate now to support Reveal’s journalism.

•••

An audio drama inspired by Reveal’s 2017 investigation into a deadly explosion at a Mississippi shipyard, produced by our partners at documentary theater company …

Handcuffed and Unhoused

December 18th, 2021

51:06

Donate now to support Reveal’s nonprofit journalism. 

In Portland, Oregon, unhoused people make up at most 2% of the population, but they account …

Fancy Galleries, Fake Art

December 11th, 2021

51:10

Donate now to support Reveal’s journalism.

•••
In the mid-’90s, two high-end New York art galleries began selling one fake painting after another – …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 7: Reasonable Doubt

December 4th, 2021

54:02

Donate now to support Reveal’s journalism.

•••

The final episode of Mississippi Goddam shares new revelations that cast doubt on the official story that Billey Joe Johnson accidentally killed himself.

This week marks …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 6: Mississippi Justice

November 27th, 2021

50:24

Donate now to support Reveal’s journalism.

•••

Black communities around Mississippi have long raised concerns about the suspicious deaths of young …

Amazon Leaks

November 20th, 2021

51:25

Donate now to support Reveal’s journalism.

•••

Amazon gathers a lot of information about its customers, from what they read and watch to what they search for and buy. And the company says customers trust it to keep …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 5: Star Crossed

November 13th, 2021

50:24

Donate now to support Reveal’s journalism.

•••

Billey Joe Johnson Jr. and Hannah Hollinghead met in their freshman year of high school. Hollinghead …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 4: The Investigator

November 6th, 2021

50:44

Donate now to support Reveal’s journalism.

•••

Special Agent Joel Wallace of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was called in to investigate the death of Billey Joe Johnson. He worked alongside two investigators …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 3: The Autopsy

October 30th, 2021

50:41

Donate now to support Reveal’s journalism.

•••

After Billey Joe Johnson Jr. died in 2008, the state of Mississippi outsourced his autopsy. Al Letson and Jonathan Jones travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to interview the …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 2: The Aftermath

October 23rd, 2021

50:35

Donate now to support Reveal’s journalism.

•••

On the morning of Billey Joe Johnson’s death, crime scene tape separates the Johnsons from their son’s body. Their shaky faith in the criminal justice system begins to …

Mississippi Goddam Chapter 1: The Promise

October 16th, 2021

50:36

Billey Joe Johnson Jr. was a high school football star headed for the big time. Then, early one morning in 2008, the Black teenager died during a …

When Abusers Keep Their Guns

October 9th, 2021

51:16

Reveal’s Jennifer Gollan leads an investigation that exposes the consequences of passing gun laws with no teeth. For the first time, Reveal tallies …

Preview Mississippi Goddam: The Ballad of Billey Joe

October 7th, 2021

4:24

Sometimes one story can tell you everything about race and justice in America. Reveal’s new series, “Mississippi Goddam: the Ballad of Billey Joe” is that story. With a title inspired by Nina Simone’s civil rights …

Preview Mississippi Goddam: The Ballad of Billey Joe

October 7th, 2021

4:24

Sometimes one story can tell you everything about race and justice in America. Reveal’s new series, “Mississippi Goddam: the Ballad of Billey Joe” is that story. With a title inspired by Nina Simone’s civil rights …

Weapons with minds of their own

October 2nd, 2021

50:26

The future of warfare is being shaped by computer algorithms that are assuming ever greater control over battlefield technology. Will this give …

A Racial Reckoning at Doctors Without Borders

September 25th, 2021

50:47

For decades, Doctors Without Borders has been admired for bringing desperately needed medical care to crises around the globe and pioneering modern-day humanitarian aid. It’s an organization with radical roots, …

The Bitter Work Behind Sugar

September 18th, 2021

51:14

Sugar is a big part of Americans’ daily diet. But who harvests some of that sweet cane?  

Reporters Sandy Tolan and Euclides Cordero Nuel visit …

Forever Wars

September 11th, 2021

51:41

Since 9/11, the power of the U.S. military has been felt around the world in the name of rooting out terrorism. But at what cost? From Fallujah in Iraq to tiny villages in Afghanistan and Yemen, Reveal reporter Anjali …

Fighting Fire with Fire

September 4th, 2021

50:37

Year after year, wildfires have swept through Northern California’s wine and dairy country, threatening the region’s famed agricultural businesses. . …

The Jail Tapes in the Dumpster

August 28th, 2021

50:14

Sixteen-year-old Myon Burrell was sent to prison for life after a stray bullet killed an 11-year-old girl in Minneapolis in 2002. Amy Klobuchar, who …

For 20 years, I saw no peace

August 21st, 2021

51:11

We open with a story from Aysha, a Kabul resident in her mid-twenties, who we’ve been checking in with over the past few months. Aysha was born in …

Minor violations

August 14th, 2021

49:47

Shelter staff have called 911 on migrant kids for minor offenses. In some cases, police have arrested, jailed and even tased those kids. 

When …

Juvenile (In)justice

August 7th, 2021

50:46

Larissa Salazar grew up in Wyoming, and when she was in eighth grade, she got in a fight on a school bus. That snowballed into her spending 16 months …

The teen reporter, the evictions and the church

July 31st, 2021

50:20

Three stories from local reporters who uncovered injustice and inequality in their hometowns, from an eviction crisis in Ohio to a Hitler-quoting …

Into the COVID ICU

July 24th, 2021

50:43

Dr. Paloma Marin-Nevarez graduated from medical school during the pandemic. We follow the rookie doctor for her first months working at a hospital in …

Baseball Strikes Out

July 17th, 2021

50:12

In the early 2000s, rampant steroid use across Major League Baseball became the biggest scandal in the sport’s history. But fans didn’t want to hear …

Timber Wars

July 10th, 2021

50:16

Thirty years ago, activists and scientists turned a fight over the spotted owl and ancient trees into one of the biggest environmental conflicts of the century. The process transformed the way we see – and fight over – …

The Ticket Trap

July 3rd, 2021

50:08

Sports, theater and concert fans are excited venues are opening up again. So are clever ticket sellers who’ve figured out ways to cash in on unsuspecting customers shopping online. 

Reveal’s Byard Duncan starts with an …

Weapons with minds of their own

June 26th, 2021

50:10

The future of warfare is being shaped by computer algorithms that are assuming ever greater control over battlefield technology.  Will this give …

Monumental Lies

June 19th, 2021

50:24

The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police officer last year sparked a wave of social justice protests, including ones targeting monuments …

Emission control

June 12th, 2021

50:35

If we want to quickly combat climate change, we need to deal with “the other” greenhouse gas: methane. Methane leaks are heating up the planet and harming people who live where gas drilling takes place. 

Reporter …

Viral Lies

June 5th, 2021

50:47

From anti-vaxxers to QAnon, we look at how misinformation spreads online – and the lives it disrupts. 

There are lots of reasons people give for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine – lack of access, personal choice or …

The Mystery of Mountain Jane Doe

May 29th, 2021

50:08

In the summer of 1969, a young woman was found dead off a remote mountain trail in Harlan, Kentucky. She’d been stabbed multiple times. Her identity …

The Pentagon Papers: Secrets, Lies and Leaks

May 22nd, 2021

49:52

In 1971, a 22-year-old named Robert Rosenthal got a call from his boss at The New York Times. He was told to go to Room 1111 of the Hilton Hotel, …

The Bad Place

May 15th, 2021

50:09

The graffiti says it all: “This is a bad place.” Why do states send children to facilities run by Sequel, after dozens of cases of abuse?

The vacant building that once housed the Riverside Academy in Wichita, Kansas, …

Why Police Reform Fails

May 8th, 2021

50:23

Six years after Ferguson, St. Louis hasn’t seen a single substantive police reform. A group of young Black leaders have instead set their sights …

Banking on Inequity

May 1st, 2021

50:59

Congress spent hundreds of billions of dollars to rescue small businesses hurt by the pandemic. But Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) money …

The Rise and Fall of Madoff's Ponzi Scheme

April 24th, 2021

49:32

After Bernie Madoff’s death, we dig into how he pulled off one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in history. Reporter Steve Fishman explores what lessons …

The Jail Tapes in the Dumpster

April 17th, 2021

50:37

Sixteen-year-old Myon Burrell was sent to prison for life after a stray bullet killed an 11-year-old girl in Minneapolis in 2002. Amy Klobuchar, who …

The Robert Mueller of Latin America

April 10th, 2021

51:32

Guatemala sends more migrants to the U.S. than anywhere in Central America. What is driving so many people to leave?

Crusading prosecutor Iván Velásquez has been called the Robert Mueller of Latin America. He’s known …

Sick on the Inside

April 3rd, 2021

50:34

For decades, the United States has operated a system of private “shadow prisons” to house noncitizens convicted of federal crimes. Now, President Joe Biden has ordered these contracts to be wound down.

We revisit an …

Minor League Pay

March 27th, 2021

51:13

From the Frisco RoughRiders to the Dayton Dragons, minor league baseball teams are a classic American tradition. But their players are not covered by some classic American laws: Players can earn less than the equivalent …

Juvenile (In)justice

March 20th, 2021

50:24

Larissa Salazar grew up in Wyoming, and when she was in eighth grade, she got in a fight on a school bus. That snowballed into her spending 16 months …

Protecting Kids from Abuse

March 13th, 2021

38:33

For years, the Pentagon mishandled sexual assault cases involving kids living on military bases, until an Associated Press investigation jolted …

The Unpaid Cost of Elder Care

March 6th, 2021

51:03

Residential care homes seem like the perfect place for Mom or Grandpa to live out their golden years, but their home-like facades are hiding rampant …

Remember Me This Way

March 3rd, 2021

12:07

In this special episode of the podcast, we hear the story of one of more than 500,000 Americans who’ve died from COVID-19. David León was a father of six; a small-business owner in Fresno, California; and a leader in …

Into the COVID ICU

February 27th, 2021

50:58

Dr. Paloma Marin-Nevarez graduated from medical school during the pandemic. We follow the rookie doctor for her first months working at a hospital in …

An American Murder in Istanbul: Justice for Halla

February 20th, 2021

51:18

An American journalist and her mom are found murdered in Istanbul. Police say they caught the killer. Friends and family say the investigation was …

Timber Wars

February 13th, 2021

50:30

Thirty years ago, activists and scientists turned a fight over the spotted owl and ancient trees into one of the biggest environmental conflicts of the century. The process transformed the way we see – and fight over – …

The Ticket Trap

February 6th, 2021

50:27

Sports, theater and concert fans are itching for events to start happening again. So are clever ticket sellers who’ve figured out ways to cash in on unsuspecting customers shopping online.

Don’t miss out on the next …

How the Pandemic Changed Us

January 30th, 2021

50:00

Racial justice, police accountability, mutual aid, climate activism and warp-speed vaccines – we examine the ways our COVID-19 year changed American …

A Transfer of Power

January 23rd, 2021

49:27

Rage, chaos and conspiracies defined Donald Trump’s last days as president. As the nation swears in Joe Biden, we look at the long shadow cast by the White supremacist and anti-immigrant forces that brought Trump to …

The Evolution of All-American Terrorism (rebroadcast)

January 16th, 2021

50:26

Long before the attempted coup by his supporters, Trump fanned the flames of white supremacy & domestic terrorism. This week on Reveal, we track the increase in right-wing domestic terrorist attacks since 2016—and …

Democracy Under Siege

January 9th, 2021

48:56

A mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, aiming to block the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. How did we get here? We …

Take No Prisoners (Rebroadcast)

January 2nd, 2021

50:32

This episode originally was broadcast July 28, 2018

In December 1944, Frank Hartzell was a young soldier pressed into fierce fighting during the …

When Lighting the Voids (Rebroadcast)

December 26th, 2020

50:51

This week, we present a special episode of Reveal produced by our partners at StoryWorks, a documentary theater company. “When Lighting The Voids” is an audio drama inspired by Reveal’s investigation into a deadly …

Policing Pregnancy

December 19th, 2020

50:34

If the Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade, states could set their own rules about abortion.  Some states have already closed clinics, and for those …

All the President’s Pardons (Update)

December 12th, 2020

51:00

President Donald Trump has granted clemency to several controversial people, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Trump’s …

Reproducing Racism (Rebroadcast)

December 5th, 2020

50:32

As racial disparities in health come into the spotlight amid COVID-19, we explore how the legacy of racism affects maternal health in the U.S. Plus, we hear from doctors working hard to turn things around.

Don’t miss …

Fancy Galleries, Fake Art (Rebroadcast)

November 28th, 2020

50:44

The story of how two well-respected New York art galleries sold more than $80 million in fake art, and why almost no one ever was punished by …

The Bad Place

November 21st, 2020

50:57

The vacant building that once housed the Riverside Academy in Wichita, Kansas, was covered in haunting graffiti: “Burn this place.” “Youth were abused here … systematically.” “This is a bad place.” The facility, run by …

Trump’s Global Echoes

November 18th, 2020

8:37

The United States has traditionally been a leader of democracy internationally, taking a big role in establishing institutions such as the United …

United, We’re Not

November 14th, 2020

51:23

Where does America go from here? 

We talk with an asylum-seeking family, a Georgia woman on abortion access, and West Virginians on the impact of Black Lives Matter.


Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the …

The American Divide

November 7th, 2020

50:59

Unborn babies' hearts are at risk as EPA caves to chemical companies’ 20-year effort to whitewash the science on the risks of an extremely dangerous and prevalent chemical, TCE. 

Don’t miss out on the next big story. …

Stopping a Movement

October 31st, 2020

50:16

In what may be the largest protest movement in the nation’s history, millions of Americans have taken to the streets this year to protest racism and …

Remembering a White Supremacist Coup

October 24th, 2020

50:42

On the eve of a contentious election, Reveal looks back to the nearly forgotten election of 1898 in Wilmington, North Carolina. A coup d’etat gave …

An Adolescence, Seized

October 17th, 2020

50:06

A 10-year-old Honduran girl came to the United States seeking asylum. Instead, she was detained – away from her family – for nearly seven years. …

An American Murder in Istanbul: Justice for Halla

October 10th, 2020

51:48

An American journalist and her mom are found murdered in Istanbul. Police say they caught the killer. Friends and family say the investigation was …

Whose Vote Will Count?

October 3rd, 2020

50:46

From problems with vote-by-mail systems to voter suppression, we travel to Wisconsin and Florida to examine the potential for chaos in the 2020 elections. Then we hear from postal workers about handling the huge number …

Catching Amazon in a Lie

September 26th, 2020

50:44

Amazon says its warehouses are safe for workers, but we’ve obtained numbers that show they’re getting hurt much more often than the company claims.


Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal …

COVID-19 in Confinement

September 19th, 2020

50:36

At a time when self-isolation is the best way to avoid the pandemic, we examine two places where people have no choice but to live with strangers: …

America's Ring of Fire (Rebroadcast)

September 12th, 2020

50:05

Wildfires are getting bigger, more expensive to fight and closer than ever to where people live. The consequences can be deadly. We examine how wildfires got so dangerous – and how some are fighting back.

Parts of this …

The Robert Mueller of Latin America

September 5th, 2020

51:14

Crusading prosecutor Iván Velásquez has been called the Robert Mueller of Latin America. He’s known for jailing presidents and paramilitaries.

But Velásquez met his match when he went after Jimmy Morales, a television …

The Refuge Revealed (Rebroadcast)

August 29th, 2020

50:56

The 40-year fight over drilling for oil in one of the world’s wildest places, Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, is coming to a head. The Department of the Interior has just removed the final hurdle to allow oil …

Lost in Transplantation (Rebroadcast)

August 22nd, 2020

50:39

Quickly delivering donated organs to patients waiting for a transplant is a matter of life and death. Yet transportation errors are leading to delays in surgeries, putting patients in danger and making some organs …

Monumental Lies (Update)

August 15th, 2020

51:55

The Civil War ended more than 150 years ago, but the Confederacy didn't completely die with it. Monuments, shrines and museums are found throughout the South. We teamed up with Type Investigations to visit dozens of …

American Rehab Chapter 8: Shadow Workforce

August 8th, 2020

52:56

For decades, work-based rehabs have spread across the country. No one knows how many are out there, so we counted them ourselves.

Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.

American Rehab Chapter 7: The Work Cure

August 1st, 2020

50:28

One man’s journey into Cenikor leads to almost two years of backbreaking labor. The program will change him. But can it help Chris Koon with his addiction?


Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal …

American Rehab Chapter 6: The White Vans

July 29th, 2020

23:39

Before sunrise, a line of passenger vans heads to job sites across Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Cenikor didn't want to show us where they were sending …

American Rehab Chapter 5: Reagan with the Snap

July 25th, 2020

34:03

Cenikor rises from the ashes, thanks to the inventor of NFL football pads, the war on drugs and the endorsement of an American president.

Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.

American Rehab Chapter 4: Cowboy Conman

July 18th, 2020

51:06

He’s a liar, a killer and a wannabe country music singer. Luke Austin finds Synanon in prison and borrows from its philosophy to create Cenikor. But …

American Rehab Chapter 3: A Venomous Snake

July 11th, 2020

1:00:12

After amassing a small fortune, Synanon’s megalomaniac leader turns the revolutionary rehab into a violent cult, with mass sterilization, a …

American Rehab Chapter 2: Miracle on the Beach

July 4th, 2020

54:22

Cenikor’s bizarre form of rehab has its roots in Synanon: a revolutionary rehab that started in the 1950s on a California beach. Its charismatic …

American Rehab Chapter 1: A Desperate Call

July 4th, 2020

22:37

Penny Rawlings is relieved to finally get her brother into rehab at a place called Cenikor. She doesn’t realize that getting him out of treatment is going to be the bigger problem. 

This is the first chapter in …

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