Podcast recommendations: News/Storytelling

Interviews with everyday objects that end up being sad, funny, and beautiful. In each episode a different thing tell us its life story--and everything it says is true. (Recommended by Adrian Acu and Heather Olson)

In every episode, host LeVar Burton (Roots, Reading Rainbow, Star Trek) invites you to take a break from your daily life, and dive into a great story. LeVar’s narration blends with gorgeous soundscapes to bring stories by Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, Octavia Butler, Ray Bradbury and more to life. (Recommended by Nelson Quezada)

Moth stories are true, as remembered by the storyteller and always told live. Nelson Quezada says, "a great storytelling podcast whose stories almost always make me laugh or cry."

Scene on Radio host and producer John Biewen takes a deep dive into the questions: Where did the notion of “whiteness” come from? What does it mean? What is whiteness for? Along with an array of leading scholars and regular guest Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika, he explores the ideas and history of whiteness in this 14-part series (Recommended by Nate Lundy)

Snap Judgment (Storytelling, with a BEAT) mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic, kick-ass radio. Snap’s raw, musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. (Recommended by Barbara Holler)

The original innovator in radio storytelling, This American Life is mostly journalism. As they say, it's "an entertaining kind of journalism that’s built around plot." People-centered, poignant, funny, and surprising. (Recommended by Gvantsa Apkhazava)

Join Shaun King as he unpacks the most important stories of injustice, racism and corruption, but also tells you who's fighting back and how you can support and join them with practical action steps. (Recommended by Nate Lundy)

Journalist Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway offer sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. They make bold predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker and banter like no other. (Recommended by Nelson Quezada)

NPR's Up First is the news you need to start your day. The three biggest stories of the day, with reporting and analysis from NPR News — in 10 minutes.

Morbid is a true crime, creepy history and all things spooky podcast hosted by an autopsy technician and a hairstylist. Includes a heavy dose of research with a dash of comedy thrown in for flavor. (Recommended by Emma Hartmann)

Discover real-life horror stories, from bizarre crimes to paranormal activity. These true stories are set inside the fictional world of Radio Rental, an 80’s video rental store run by an eccentric shopkeeper, Terry Carnation (Rainn Wilson). This imaginative, cult classic-inspired horror brand blurs the lines of reality, with cutting-edge documentary storytelling and a splash of comedy. (Recommended by Emma Hartmann)

A comedic fictional podcast, this homage to true crime storytelling plays with familiar styles, tones, and tropes of popular crime podcasts and Netflix documentaries. (Recommended by Jesse Berrett)

Bay Curious is a show about your questions – and the adventures you find when you go looking for the answers. Join host Olivia Allen-Price to explore all aspects of the Bay Area – from the debate over "Frisco", to the dinosaurs that once roamed California, to the causes of homelessness. (Recommended by Jenny Kline)

Produced and created by inmates at San Quentin, Ear Hustle examines the daily realities of life inside prison shared by those living it, and stories from the outside, post-incarceration. (Recommended by Barbara Holler)

"Still one of the better podcasts about the internet," says Adrian Acu. Reply All is back from a hiatus with a new host after a shake-up at Gimlet Media. Episode 158, The Case of the Missing Hit, was wildly popular and considered a "podcast masterpiece" by many.