We fell short of our Fall Fundraiser goal of 2,500 donations. Help us catch up ⏩ Give Now

The origins — and moral conundrums — of modern reality TV

Jun 25, 2024
Critic Emily Nussbaum explores the costs and radio roots of reality TV in her latest book, "Cue the Sun!"
Reality TV shows like "Big Brother" often become popularized during periods of labor unrest among actors and writers. Above, "Big Brother" host Julie Chen in 2008.
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

How to act as a responsible foodie

Diners have a responsibility to learn about the history of restaurants and the people behind them, says professor and author Pascale Joassart-Marcelli.
"I think that foodies have a responsibility ... to educate themselves and to reflect on the impacts of the consumption," said professor Pascale Joassart-Marcelli.
Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images

James Beard Award win spotlights Native cuisine for second year in a row

Jun 6, 2023
Best Chef: Northeast winner Sherry Pocknett, a Mashpee Wampanoag tribal citizen, is part of a wave of Native chefs and restaurateurs proving there’s a market for Indigenous cuisines.
Sherry Pocknett, owner of Sly Fox Den restaurant in Rhode Island, won the Best Chef: Northeast at Monday's James Beard Awards ceremony.
Jeff Schear/Getty Images for The James Beard Foundation

British museums weigh the cost of repatriating exhibits

Apr 11, 2023
Demands are growing for the return of artifacts looted or otherwise acquired during the period of the British Empire.
Museum-goers walk around the Parthenon Galleries at the British Museum. The "Elgin Marbles" may soon be returned to Greece to settle a dispute over the artifacts.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Ukrainian artists look abroad for help as they defend their culture against Russian invasion

Feb 24, 2023
Actors, dancers, singers and theater producers in Ukraine say they are determined to protect their national identity from Russian aggression.
Musicians perform during a candlelight concert in Kyiv on Dec. 1. Despite the Russian onslaught, Ukrainian artists are doing what they can to keep their culture alive.
Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images

USDA looks at ways to help restore Indigenous foodways

Nov 25, 2021
The agency is partnering with groups aiming to add more buffalo to tribal diets and to create an heirloom seed repository, among others.
"It’s very important to get buffalo back into our diet and back into the plates of our community members," said Jason Baldes of the InterTribal Buffalo Council. Above, an American bison, sometimes called buffalo, circa 1930.
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

New to Make Me Smart? Here's where to start

Jan 17, 2019
Make Me Smart is back with our first new episode of 2024! We’re the Marketplace podcast where Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams talk all things business, economy and culture with expert guests and, of course, all of you. Our motto is “None of us is as smart as all of us,” and we’d love you […]
Kimberly Adams and Kai Ryssdal on stage at Make Me Smart's live show in Seattle on June 9, 2023.
Juan Pablo Chiquiza, KUOW

For public good, not for profit.

Elvis impersonators become seaside town's salvation

Oct 8, 2018
An annual festival for Elvis impersonators is a moneymaker for Porthcawl, Wales.
Ordained minister and Elvis Tribute Artist Reverend Wyn Roberts  officiating and performing on the roof of the Porthcawl Grand Pavilion.
Courtesy of Mimisse Beard

Pittsburgh's influential but brief role in the Black Renaissance

Jan 30, 2018
Mark Whitaker's new book, "Smoketown," examines the sometimes overlooked role that the city played.
In the Hill District of the 1940s, Herron Avenue marked the boundary between the upper-class "Sugartop" neighborhood and the working-class "Middle Hill."
Getty Images/Teenie Harris Archive/Carnegie Museum of Art

Ronald D. Moore on writing sci-fi amidst cultural "turmoil"

Sep 8, 2017
The genre allows him to discuss controversial topics in a non-threatening way, he says.
Writer-producer Ronald D. Moore's latest stint is with the time-traveling "Outlander." His earlier work includes "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and the reboot of "Battlestar Galactica." Above, Moore speaks at a 2015 Comic-Con panel in San Diego, California.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images