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meet the hosts

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June 17, 2024
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5
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Meet Debbie Cox Bultan from An Honorable Profession

We caught up with one of our hosts Debbie Cox Bultan about An Honorable Profession's backstory and how it elevates the voices of leaders working to strengthen democracy.

Jessie Nguyen
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June 12, 2024
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5
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Meet Jenna Spinelle from Democracy Works and When The People Decide

We caught up with one of our hosts and The Democracy Group Founder Jenna Spinelle about the podcasts Democracy Works and When The People Decide, the story behind The Democracy Group podcast network and instilling hope in uncertain times.

Jessie Nguyen
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June 5, 2024
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5
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Meet Maren Machles from Bad Watchdog

We caught up with one of our hosts Maren Machles about Bad Watchdog, misconduct and a failure of leadership in the Office of Inspector General and the criminal justice system.

Jessie Nguyen
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May 22, 2024
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5
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Meet Michael Baranowski from The Politics Guys

We caught up with one of our hosts Michael Baranowski about The Politics Guys, bridging differences across the political spectrum and the importance of meaningful conversations.

Jessie Nguyen
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May 17, 2024
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5
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Meet Kelly Sechrist from RCV Clips

We caught up with one of our hosts/producers Kelly Sechrist about the RCV Clips podcast, election administration, and all things ranked choice voting!

Jessie Nguyen
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April 19, 2024
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5
min read

Meet Mila Atmos from Future Hindsight

We caught up with one of our hosts Mila Atmos about the Future Hindsight podcast, what Mila envisioned when she started the podcast, and an important conversation on the show!

Jessie Nguyen
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April 15, 2024
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5
min read

Meet Liz Joyner from The Village Square

We caught up with one of our hosts Liz Joyner from The Village Square about the Village SquareCast podcast and how it has grown since it first started 18 years ago!

Jessie Nguyen
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April 1, 2024
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5
min read

Meet Corey Nathan from Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other

We caught up with one of our hosts Corey Nathan from Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other about the idea behind the podcast and navigating heated debates!

Jessie Nguyen
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February 21, 2024
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5
min read

Meet Simone Leeper from Democracy Decoded

We caught up with one of our hosts Simone Leeper from Democracy Decoded about the podcast, changes being made as well as the upcoming season 4.

Jessie Nguyen
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February 6, 2024
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5
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Meet Carah Ong Whaley from Politics Is Everything

We caught up with one of our hosts Carah Ong Whaley from Politics is Everything about the podcast, challenges as well as tips for young voices looking to enter politics and the podcasting sphere.

Jessie Nguyen
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Latest Posts

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December 9, 2024
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5
min read

Wrap up 2024 with The Democracy Group’s post-election recaps and analyses

With this year coming to an end and the 2024 election winding down, we want to bring you a collection of podcast episodes from our network that touch on the far-reaching impact of this unprecedented cycle.

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November 25, 2024
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5
min read

Freedom in the World 2024: Armed conflict, election manipulation drive global freedom decline

We caught up with Freedom House Senior Research Analyst and co-author of the "Freedom in the World 2024" report Cathryn Grothe.

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November 23, 2024
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5
min read

A Democracy Experiment at Chicago Public Schools

This year, Chicago elected part of its school board in a historic election, filling 10 of the 21 seats in a traditionally appointed board. 

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November 11, 2024
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5
min read

Election certification: What happens between now and Inauguration Day

Former President Donald Trump successfully secured a second presidential term with a victory that swept all seven battleground states on Tuesday, winning both the popular and electoral votes.

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October 29, 2024
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5
min read

Democracy Discourse: Interactive curriculum addresses democratic erosion, inspires civic action

The Democracy Group and the McCourtney Institute for Democracy are thrilled to announce the release of Democracy Discourse, an interactive online course designed to delve into democracy, why it’s in decline and how you can help save it.

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October 13, 2024
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5
min read

Revitalizing civic education through experiential learning

Faced with an increasing number of young Americans who are losing faith in U.S. democracy, a Democracy Journal article advocates for an innovative way to approach one of the pillars of a democratic society — civic education.

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September 30, 2024
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5
min read

Introducing our Fall 2024 Podcast Fellowship Cohort

We welcome five students from around the country who are all about storytelling, civic engagement, and, most importantly, creating their own podcasts! These Gen Z leaders are ready to get to work!

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September 16, 2024
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5
min read

Tracking confidence in democracy this election season

The States United Democracy Center, recipients of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy's Brown Democracy Medal, recently surveyed nearly 8,000 Americans to gauge their attitudes about elections, voting and political violence.

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September 3, 2024
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5
min read

Issue One's Democracy Fix tackles 'toxic information ecosystem,' lies surrounding 2024 election

We're excited to welcome the newest addition to The Democracy Group: Democracy Fix — a new podcast by Issue One that highlights how organizations and individuals across the country are working to fix our political system.

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August 19, 2024
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5
min read

Youth-led journalism drives election coverage, tackles social issues

We caught up with On Our Minds: Election 2024 student reporters and special correspondents Maggie LeBeau, Simran Gupta, Grace Go and Carlos Guo.

Jessie Nguyen
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August 5, 2024
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5
min read

Navigating campus unrest: Strategies for civility with Constructive Dialogue Institute

We caught up with Constructive Dialogue Institute UX Researcher and co-author of the "Maintaining Campus Community During the 2024 Election" guidebook Mary Aviles.

Jessie Nguyen
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June 27, 2024
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5
min read

The Democracy Group’s 2024 summer reading list

Grab a drink and find a cozy spot because we’re bringing you a list of books you should read this summer!

Jessie Nguyen
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June 19, 2024
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Celebrate Juneteenth with episodes on racial justice, political activism through Black history

Juneteenth signifies the end of a painful chapter of American history and reaffirms the nation’s commitment to racial justice and equality.

Jessie Nguyen
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June 17, 2024
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5
min read

An Honorable Profession restores faith in government, brings conversations beyond policy to The Democracy Group

An award-winning podcast by the NewDEAL, An Honorable Profession features rising stars in politics and some of the most influential thinkers in government and public policy.

Jessie Nguyen
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June 10, 2024
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5
min read

The first episodes from our 2024 Podcast Fellows ✨

We are extremely thrilled and proud to announce the release of the fellows' podcasts and their inaugural episodes. Hear their perspectives on criminal justice, international relations, gerrymandering, and more.

Jessie Nguyen
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June 3, 2024
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5
min read

Elections and dialogue on college campuses

Student affairs staff and campus administrators were unprepared when election polarization and toxicity took campuses by surprise in 2016.

Jessie Nguyen
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May 21, 2024
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5
min read

MitzVote drives student voter turnout, campus engagement with Jewish teachings

Empowering young Jewish voters. Join us this Thursday to celebrate our podcast fellows!

Jessie Nguyen
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May 6, 2024
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5
min read

How business leaders are strengthening democracy

A playlist on protest and peacebuilding and episode 3 of Democracy's Good News.

Jessie Nguyen
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May 5, 2024
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5
min read

Democracy Good News: The Role of Business in Democracy

The third episode of our Democracy’s Good News series takes us to New York City where we talk with American venture capitalist and author Patrick McGinnis.

Jessie Nguyen
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May 3, 2024
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5
min read

Strategies for Protest and Peacebuilding on College Campuses and Beyond

Waves of student protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza swept American campuses last week and along with them the debate of free speech and the freedom to peaceably assemble on campus grounds.

Jessie Nguyen
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April 22, 2024
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5
min read

Meet the newest members of The Democracy Group

We're super excited to officially welcome three amazing shows to our network of incredible organizations and podcasts: Bad Watchdog, The Politics Guys, and RCV Clips!

Jessie Nguyen
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April 8, 2024
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5
min read

Democracy's Good News: When faith and civics meet to strengthen democracy

In the second episode of the Democracy's Good News series, we talk with religious organizations across the United States, namely the Habonim Dror Camp Galil, the Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom, and the Mormon Women for Ethical Government.

Jessie Nguyen
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March 25, 2024
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5
min read

Spy-themed video game tackles misinformation

A video game is helping Gen Z combat misinformation. Plus, we welcome a new show to The Democracy Group!

Jessie Nguyen
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March 18, 2024
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5
min read

Meta won’t recommend political content to users. Here’s what it means for politics

Meta announced in February it would stop proactively recommending political content on Instagram and Threads as journalists, voters, and political content creators gear up for this election season.

Jessie Nguyen
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March 12, 2024
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5
min read

Meet our spring 2024 podcast fellows

Join us in extending the warmest welcome to the newest cohort of fellows from The Democracy Group Podcast Fellowship!

Jessie Nguyen
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March 5, 2024
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5
min read

Democracy's Good News: How teachers are creating future citizens

Host Jenna Spinelle highlights the positive efforts of individuals and organizations working to build a healthier democracy in the first episode of our short series, Democracy's Good News.

Jenna Spinelle
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February 27, 2024
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5
min read

Democracy's Good News to highlight the everyday people shaping democracy

A common narrative about the 2024 election is that “democracy is on the ballot” and that American democracy could be in very dire shape if the election doesn’t go a particular way. At The Democracy Group, we understand those risks and take them seriously. But we also know that many other media outlets will be covering the election through this lens.

Jessie Nguyen
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February 15, 2024
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5
min read

A cross-partisan podcast tells Gen Z's stories

The Round Table, a part of Next Generation Politics, is a “by GenZ, for GenZ” podcast that provides a platform for conversation and engagement by challenging norms and representing all kinds of diversity, especially of perspective and ideas.

Jessie Nguyen
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January 30, 2024
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6
min read

PBS podcast shines a light on Gen Z's biggest issues

Teen podcast builds empathy, bridges generational divides

Jessie Nguyen
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January 22, 2024
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5
min read

📢 New Podcasts Alert: Episodes from our 2023 Podcast Fellows

A new year means new episodes!

Jessie Nguyen
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January 22, 2024
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5
min read

Celebrate with some of our best episodes from The Democracy Group!

Welcome to the Best of 2023!

Jessie Nguyen
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January 22, 2024
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5
min read

New survey explores free speech on college campuses

"College classes are a place for students to feel uncomfortable and grapple with difficult concepts in the world. Students need the opportunity to correct one another and have hard and sometimes offensive conversations with one another."

Jessie Nguyen
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January 22, 2024
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5
min read

A Thanksgiving tradition disrupted

We hope you got to spend a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and friends.

Jessie Nguyen
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January 22, 2024
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5
min read

🗳️ A 2023 election recap

States and counties across the nation held key elections in early November 2023 where abortion access took center stage.

Jessie Nguyen
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January 17, 2024
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7
min read

Amplifying young voices in politics

Community manager Jessie Nguyen caught up with New Voters Founder & President Jahnavi Rao and Executive Director Nivea Krishnan. New Voters is dedicated to expanding youth engagement in politics and making sure young voices are heard.

Jessie Nguyen
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January 17, 2024
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7
min read

Meet our 2023 student podcast fellows

The Democracy Group's podcast fellowship program is in full swing! Here’s a glimpse at what our 2023 fellows were working on during their fellowship.

Jessie Nguyen
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January 14, 2024
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8
min read

Shining a spotlight on the states

For the latest in our series on organizations that inspire us to take action to build a stronger democracy, Democracy Group community manager Jessie Nguyen caught up with Bree Grossi Wilde, executive director of the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Jessie Nguyen
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January 14, 2024
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5
min read

What a female president means for Mexico

In what many deem a patriarchal country, two women are on track to make history as they are both presidential nominees in Mexico’s leading parties. Polls showed the two female candidates are currently front runners and the most likely to be elected presidents in the general election on June 2, 2024.

Jessie Nguyen
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September 7, 2023
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5
min read

Meet the hosts of Vital Signs of Democracy

We're excited to share a new podcast in the democracy space — Vital Signs of Democracy. Community Manager Megan Goldstein talked with hosts Debilyn Molineaux and David Riordan to learn more

Megan Goldstein
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August 23, 2023
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5
min read

An inside look at Issue 1 in Ohio

A surprisingly large number of Ohioans flocked to the polls in August to cast their vote on Issue 1, where 57% voted "no" to defeat the measure.

Megan Goldstein
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August 15, 2023
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5
min read

Meet the Common Ground Committee

Community manager Megan Goldstein caught up with Bruce Bond and Erik Olsen, co-founders of the Common Ground Committee

Megan Goldstein
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August 2, 2023
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5
min read

What does Gen Z look for in podcasts?

Over 400 million people worldwide listen to podcasts!

Megan Goldstein
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July 18, 2023
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5
min read

The End of Affirmative Action

On June 29th, the supreme court ruled to make affirmative action unlawful in The Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina.

Megan Goldstein
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July 18, 2023
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5
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The Democracy Group's Summer Reading List

Looking for a new book to read this summer? Here are 10 recommendations from our network's hosts and producers.

Megan Goldstein
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June 18, 2023
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5
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Podcasts and Political Engagement

In 2022, the number of podcasts increased by 20%. This is a staggering number that no doubt indicates the future of an ever growing industry.

Megan Goldstein
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May 31, 2023
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5
min read

Q&A with Citizen Connect

This week, Community Manager Megan Goldstein interviewed Morris Effron, co-founder of Citizen Connect. Read on to learn more about the organization and how you can get involved!

Megan Goldstein
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May 17, 2023
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5
min read

The future of AI and democracy

AI is rapidly evolving and has the potential to transform many aspects of our lives, including democracy.

Megan Goldstein
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May 3, 2023
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5
min read

Why Americans deserve better news

News, news, news. Right news, left news, fake news, and more. America's news landscape is a hot topic of conversation.

Megan Goldstein
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April 18, 2023
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A new perspective on democratic backsliding

In order to understand how to strengthen democracy, we must understand how this erosion happens.

Megan Goldstein
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April 7, 2023
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5
min read

Join us for National Week of Conversation!

National Week of Conversation (NWoC) will take place April 17-23. The event was created to solve one of the biggest problems facing Americans - toxic polarization.

Megan Goldstein
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March 24, 2023
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5
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How healthy is democracy around the world?

Recently, several organizations issued their annual reports on democracy's rise and fall around the world.

Megan Goldstein
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March 8, 2023
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5
min read

Welcome, TPNR!

Welcome, TPNR! We are excited to announce a new show in our network: Talkin' Politics and Religion Without Killin' Each Other, or TPNR for short.

Megan Goldstein
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February 24, 2023
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5
min read

Civic Learning Week

Civic education is critical to a healthy democracy, which is why we're excited to be part of national Civic Learning Week!

Megan Goldstein
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February 2, 2023
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4
min read

Dinner Table Discourse

"Love thy Neighbor" until they think differently from you, vote differently than you, and have different beliefs than you. Is this what the United States has come to?

Megan Goldstein
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January 19, 2023
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5
min read

New Year, New Democracy?

Everybody has new year's resolutions - floss more, exercise daily, and the list goes on and on. Is it possible for the country as a whole to have a resolution to improve our democracy in the new year? 

Megan Goldstein
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