The Democracy Group is a network of content creators united around the goal of helping listeners understand what’s broken in our democracy, and how people are working together to fix it. We see the network as a public service dedicated to creating a more informed, civically engaged electorate. Content comes in the form of podcasts, videos, newsletters, social media posts, and more.
Our network’s creators model a form of dialogue and inquiry that is civil and well-informed and a commitment to fostering civic engagement. You’ll hear from scholars, policy experts, journalists, organizers, and everyday people who are exercising the rights and responsibilities as democratic citizens.
The network allows individual creators to collaborate with one another and provides listeners with a one-stop shop for content about democracy, civic engagement, and civil discourse. Our content move beyond the partisan horserace to examine larger-scale issues of politics, government, and civil society.
The Democracy Group is organized and funded by The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, which produces the Democracy Works podcast.
Jenna Spinelle is a writer and podcaster who tells stories that inspire hope and change in trying times. She hosts the podcasts Democracy Works When the People Decide, both productions of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. She is currently writing a book about the democracy reform movement and how more people can get involved in the work to strengthen American democracy. Spinelle teaches courses on news writing, podcasting, and content creators at Penn State’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. Her writing has appeared in outlets including Time magazine, Inside Higher Ed and Current, a trade publication covering public media.
Brandon Stover is the Network Manager for The Democracy Group and a Digital Content Specialist at the McCourtney Institute for Democracy. He leads partnerships and collaborations across the podcast network, oversees educational content strategy, and produces written, audio, and video content while managing the network's digital marketing efforts. Before joining the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, Brandon founded and led a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating free educational content on global issues. He holds a master's degree in Architecture from Washington State University.
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Thanks for your interest! We want to provide our listeners a place to encounter diverse perspectives, trustworthy content, with each show approaching democracy in a unique way for people we are not already currently reaching. If you feel like you are a good fit, then please apply.
Our shows are always happy to have exciting guests on. If you'd like to pitch your author, expert, or leader to be on our shows, please send your pitch here.
We love to work with leaders, brands and organizations to create content that attracts, empowers and activates audiences. Are you interested in creating a podcast episode, engaging new audiences, or some other collaboration? Let’s chat.
Check out our partnership page for more info about why sponsoring The Democracy Group yields big results, or email us to learn more.
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