3 (additional!) things to know in podcasting today: Tuesday, January 7
Doug Evans, a big important library, an obscure data fight, and a tweet from Lynn Levy
A quick note from Alex
I know I’m flooding your inbox — this is the second email I sent today about stuff to know in podcasting — but I’m experimenting with doing this in the afternoons/evenings. (Remember: this is all an experiment!)
Alright, newsletter below.
Evans quits the case
Via In the Dark:
Doug Evans, the Mississippi district attorney who has tried Curtis Flowers six times for the same crime, has asked to be removed from the case…. The recusal doesn't end the prosecution of Flowers for the 1996 murders of four people at a Winona, Mississippi, furniture store. But if Loper grants Evans' request, as he likely will, it does mean that Flowers' fate is no longer in the hands of a staunch courtroom adversary who's fought for more than two decades to have Flowers executed.
~ My hot take ~
The impact of In the Dark continues. The second season of the show, released in mid-2018, does top-tier investigative reportage around the (multiple) trial(s) of Curtis Flowers and just how much he was screwed over by the legal system. In the past few months, the Supreme Court ruled that Evans violated the Constitution in Flowers’ most recent trial, the conviction was overturned, and Flowers was granted bail.
For more impactful reportage, you can check out Season 1 of In the Dark, Reveal, or Change Intolerance, winner of the 2019 Third Coast Competition Radio Impact Award.
US Library of Congress starts archiving podcasts
Via Podnews:
Podcasts are here forever: the US Library of Congress is adding podcasts to its archive “as part of its mission to collect and preserve sound recordings”. It is currently writing to selected podcasters to ask permission to add their show to Library collections, preserve it, and provide public access to it, including online. The British Library’s Sound Archive is doing similar.
~ My hot take ~
This is lovely. If you don’t want to wait for the Library of Congress to reach out to you, Preserve This Podcast can teach you all about how to do it yourself. And at the very minimum, back up your files!
Podcasters Are Having A Very Public Privacy Fight
It all started with a Facebook post from Blubrry CEO Todd Cochrane: “Is your podcast measurement service sharing your listener IP data without your permission and monetizing your listeners? …
It appears the question is whether podcasters are responsible for putting their listeners are risk by using a service that shares their personal information. There is a contingent who believe this is a made up issue. And, others, such as long-time podcasters Todd Cochrane, Rob Walch and Rob Greenlee who believe it’s a serious problem.
One thing is clear – it’s complicated.
~ My hot take ~
My hot take is that if you like hot takes about obscure podcast data knowledge, you should read this Facebook thread.
A bonus tweet from @LynnRLevy ↓
OK I need to listen to some podcasts that will break my brain. What have you heard recently that's doing something genuinely new, original, unexpected with narrative structure or sound design?
(Twitter)
3 things to know in podcasting today is a daily newsletter from Alex Kapelman. Follow me on Twitter, subscribe to my *original* Podcast Love newsletter, or hire me to consult for you.