Structure

       

My podcast episode entitled, “Freedom Lost: What Price Must We Pay For Security?” follows the ‘All Things Considered’ (ATC) structure. In the opening scene of my podcast, I implement a song by the band 'Rare Earth' entitled, “Hey Big Brother.” I chose this song in particular, as it is consistent with the themes of my podcast, which are: security, surveillance, and privacy. After the song fades out, I begin speaking and introduce the podcast episode and address the listeners. Subsequent to that, I bring in a caller who then poses a question to myself (the reporter/host). Following that initial discussion, we engage in a brief conversation about her question. All of this comprises the straight-line portion of the ATC structure.

            After the preliminary remarks are made, I begin to answer and analyze the caller’s question. This can be considered ‘the trough’ segment of the podcast, wherein I consult with secondary sources such as newspaper and academic articles, as well as an interview from one of my political science professors (to get an academic’s opinion on the issue). During ‘the trough’, I may include an anecdote where I personally felt like my privacy rights were being violated. In this section, I will discuss why such surveillance methods are deemed necessary and justifiable? What gives the government the right to spy on citizens for no apparent reason? In ‘the trough’ section, I report which sources I interviewed on the subject of my podcast.

            The structure of my podcast is quite similar to the Freakonomics episode entitled, What’s the “Best Exercise?”  In the Freakonomics podcast episode, they introduce a caller named Jasmine, and she poses a question related to fitness. Dubner responds by referencing an expert in the field, David Meltzer (a doctor and an economist). At the end of the Freakonomics podcast episode, they return to Jasmine and she thanks them for their assistance and insight into the subject matter. Similarly, at the conclusion of my podcast, I return to my caller and express to her that I hope I was helpful in my analysis of the subject. The part where I return to my caller and address her would constitute as the ‘final line.’  

In terms of the number of citations in the podcast episode 102 "Icon for Access" of 99% Invisible, I counted 21.