Expanding Minds

Civics 101: Spreading the Word About Democracy

The podcast Civics 101 continues to enjoy a strong base of adult listeners, while remaining true to its mission of providing history and civics teachers with a free educational resource. The team added more than 50 additional episodes to its library in FY23, including timely episodes such as Propaganda; a crossover episode with Outside/In, Who Owns The Sky; and a three-part series on Reconstruction. Many of the episodes were inspired by feedback from teachers, and all are designed to not only be educational, but also entertaining in order to engage students. As of December 2023, the podcast had been downloaded almost 23 million times, averaging 180,000 monthly unique listeners, across the country and around the world. The Civics 101 team also maintains connections with iCivics, Harvard University’s Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, Educating for American Democracy’s Roadmap and other organizations focused on addressing US students’ lack of knowledge about civics and our democracy. In fiscal year 2023, the team also partnered with Periodic Presidents to produce educational infographics for teachers. Hosts Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice served as moderators at the National Archives in Washington D.C. during the in-person opening forum of Civics Learning Week.

Bear Brook Season 2: A True Crime Story

Bear Brook Season 2: A True Crime Story was released in February 2023 and followed the case of Jason Carroll, who was convicted of murdering a pregnant woman, Sharon Johnson, 30 years ago. Host Jason Moon and the Document team dig into Carroll’s taped confession, extracted by a veteran detective, and whether he could be innocent. In so doing, they explore the science behind false confessions and raise questions about whether justice has been served. As of December 2023, the all-time podcast downloads for both seasons was approaching 29 million and it was voted Best Podcast by NH Magazine readers. NHPR and the Document team was especially gratified by a comment from Author Stephen King, who called “Bear Brook, Seasons 1 and 2: The best true crime podcasts I’ve ever heard. Brilliant, involving, hypnotic.” Jason Moon and the rest of the Document team have been invited to multiple speaking engagements around the region to talk about a topic that is difficult for many to imagine – why someone would confess to a crime they didn’t commit.

Abenaki Ancestry: Based in Truth or Myth?

On May 2, 2023, reporter and All Things Considered host Julia Furukawa reported on public claims of Abenaki heritage by several local leaders lacking any solid genealogical, contemporary or historical evidence. In addition to questioning the claims of the individuals involved, the story called attention to a long-standing controversy – individuals claiming to be Indigenous based on “family lore” rather than tangible connections to Indigenous communities. For years, leaders of Odanak First Nation, an Abenaki nation based in Canada with historic ties to Northern New England, have spoken out about groups in New Hampshire claiming to represent Indigenous peoples. Odanak First Nation asserts many members and leaders of those groups have no Abenaki ancestors. This prompted Furukawa to investigate the veracity of those claims.

It also resulted in a follow-up story, in collaboration with Vermont Public, further exploring this issue. The story was picked up by a number of other news sources, receiving national attention from scholars and journalists.  

In reporting this piece, NHPR independently fact-checked claims of Indigenous ancestry using professional genealogies; sought verification from the tribal nation; and asked sources to share what evidence they have to support their claims of Indigenous ancestry. NHPR also consulted with members of the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) and multiple experts on Indigenous identity, including an NAJA training on “Understanding Indigenous Claims and Connections.”

Furukawa’s reporting also led NHPR to adopt a new approach to reporting on Indigenous communities.

“NHPR acknowledges that our newsroom has not sought to verify claims of Indigenous ancestry before, relying on sources to self-identify. We now understand that verifying such claims – especially when it comes to people who claim leadership or speak on behalf of an Indigenous community and are not members of a federally recognized tribal nation – is part of our basic responsibility as journalists. Going forward, we pledge to take steps to better ensure the accuracy of our coverage of Indigenous communities and issues.”

Banner photo: The team of NHPR's Bear Brook Season Two: A True Crime Story got together for a night of conversation on the impact of true crime media on the criminal justice system. (Photo by Jessica Arnold for NHPR)