The Democracy Group is a network of podcasts 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.
Podcasts in this network 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 podcasts to collaborate with one another and provides listeners with a one-stop shop for podcasts about democracy, civic engagement, and civil discourse. Our podcasts 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 in partnership with WPSU, central Pennsylvania’s NPR station.
Jenna Spinelle is the Founder of The Democracy Group and Communications Specialist for the McCourtney Institute for Democracy. She is responsible for shaping all of the institute’s external communication, including website content, social media, multimedia, and media outreach. She holds a B.A. in journalism from Penn State and is an instructor in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. Prior to joining the McCourtney Institute, Spinelle helped market Penn State to prospective students and families in the University’s Undergraduate Admissions Office.
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.
Jessie Nguyen is a Marketing Communication Specialist for The Democracy Group and a Digital News Producer at ABC 8News in Richmond, Va. She produces the network’s bi-weekly newsletter on Substack focusing on civic topics, social issues, political current affairs and podcasting, and oversees social media strategies and execution for The Democracy Group’s social platforms. Jessie holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University and a master’s degree from Northwestern University, both in Journalism.
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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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