What does authenticity sound like? Audio is a medium that promises intimacy, real voices, unvarnished honesty. But it’s an illusion: hours of editing and sleight-of-hand often go into even straightforward-sounding stories, as producers manipulate interviews to construct a simple, sellable narrative from the strands of someone else’s life.
In this week’s newsletter: A new podcast tries to get to the bottom of one of Hollywood’s greatest lunch-based mysteries. Plus: five of the best podcasts about the occult
Jake Shears’s deep dive into LGBTQ+ anthems hits all the right notes; a documentary-maker turns the spotlight on her own craft; and a lovable radio double act find their internet feet
In a new podcast series Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative, producer and host Jess Shane gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at documentary production. She uses a Craigslist listing to cast interview subjects and embarks on a project to rewrite the unwritten rules of non-fiction storytelling, exploring the ethics and power dynamics of documentary storytelling.