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781: Watching the Watchers

781: Watching the Watchers

People taking it upon themselves to keep an eye on those in charge.
Time: 1:00:22
People taking it upon themselves to keep an eye on those in charge.
Episode ID: 1000582089558
GUID: 45169 at https://www.thisamericanlife.org
Release Date: 09/10/2022, 23:00:00

Description

This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.

Apple Podcasts: Customer Reviews

My type of show

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f4iryList3ner
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2022-06-06
My new life goal is to be on this immersive , exciting and lighthearted podcast. The stories are jaw dropping and hilarious. I await every episode with anticipation and I love the latest episode with referencing to ‘Leprechaun’

Look forward to this podcast every week

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HeidiReiki
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2022-02-18
Thank you Ira and the team for your podcasts, I always really enjoy them and I’ve told some many people about them, hoping I’m helping with your great success! Heidi Lerner Rearden Chicagoan living in Bath, UK

Very interesting

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Nejafeja
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2022-02-14
I don’t listen too often but all the spades I have listened to so far were very informative and brilliantly put together.

Fantastic

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Dizdazdoz91214
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2022-01-03
I don’t know how it’s still so good. Love these, thank you!

Wonderful

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witwisdom
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2021-12-28
So much heart and life. I look forward to every episode xx

Simply the best podcast available

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Bellynore
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2021-12-27
Extremely high quality journalism, expertly curated by a fantastic team. Every week I look forward to beautiful, enlightening stories set around different themes. From hard-hitting on the ground storied from migrants in some of the most challenging situation through to the hilarious nuances of every day life.

This American Life

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itsgeywindy
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2021-10-20
Has become essential listening to me over the last four years. I live in a wee seaside town in Scotland, far away from most of your settings. What I find I hear is that we are all normal, weird, wondering beings. People and stories it’s what we have. I love this programme, thank you. Martine

Thought provoking & diverse topics

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Shammy28
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2021-10-08
I came across This American Life having listened to series 2 of Serial, & TAL swiftly became my favourite podcast- despite the fact that I’m English! With a diverse range of topics & several acts or stories in each episode, I love the concept and the content- a window into American culture. I loved the 24 streaming on the internet & was sad when it stopped. Keep those episodes coming!

Always brilliant

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Spongebob68
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2021-09-17
Absolutely love this series. Always gripping.

One of the best

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Oubis
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2021-08-20
Listened to This American Life for 10+ years now - one of the best, nearly always excellent, sometimes brilliant, and a fascinating mix of real life stories

This American Life Podcast

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#1 emma watson fan
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2021-07-08
Loved this podcast from a young age and has given me so much insight into so many different things.

Listened for years

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loulou660
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2021-05-19
This is the one podcast I’ve really stuck with for years. It’s always interesting and I guess because it’s from the US, it manages to cast my mind off to far and distant places. I just love the dispatches from everyday folk on the ordinary and the mundane. It’s heartwarming and familiar. Just love it.

Quality has declined from when it started.

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ListeningLR
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2021-05-18
Sometimes, often the times when the podcast isn’t focused on the political, it can be fascinating, thought-provoking, and emotional. However, when it focuses on the political, sometimes it can be really good, focusing particularly well on some of the individuals affected - sometimes however, the political feels like white noise News just droning on and can get tiring unfortunately. The shows absolute best moments tend to come about when there’s no political element, when it’s just telling a powerful, interesting story about people. That’s slowed down as of late however, but generally this podcast is great. I’d highly recommend finding the great ones if you can.

No longer must listen

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U8Mate
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2021-05-17
The show’s peak seems a long way away.

British

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sesiroglu
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2021-05-03
I’m not even American and I love it x

Mostly repeats

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Andrei Vironov
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2021-03-29
Sadly, although this is a great podcast, if you’ve listened for a few years, as I have, you find yourself listening to the same podcasts over and over again. Doesn’t NPR have enough new material to create a new show each week?
Great journalists and great stories but so often (eg: this week) I’m left thinking ‘Oh, this story again’.
I would give them five stars, but for this annoyance.

The best

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Sonalih
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2021-03-26
Individual episodes or stories from this podcast stay with me in a way that not many others do. Consistently brilliant.

Such an amazing podcast

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jshdhwu
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2021-03-13
The topics are so emotive and in these times where sadly minority’s and women’s rights are still a topic that we need to discuss and fight for, this podcast never fails to remind me that there are some people that want to be on the right side of history.
I live in London and feel so connected to what so many people are going through at home and around the world. Things will change for the better, I am sure of it.
I commend the hard work that you all put in to produce such a fantastic podcast and keep going, we are all behind you. I’m sure I share the same view as so many of your listeners.
Thank you again for producing such a great show, which I look forward every week!

Always enjoyable

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citruspale
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2021-02-23
As above

The masters

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HélèneAC
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2021-02-06
Wonderful, quirky, sincere this podcast is amongst the best. One small point: missing some of the original voices.

Couldn’t be better

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Misspeaks.
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2021-02-06
This has been the highlight of my lockdown life. Thank you for such consistently excellent journalism.

My favourite podcast ever

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Ad)00
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2021-01-29
The podcast that got me into podcasts.
Should have rated years ago. Favourite podcast EVER

I ❤️ TAL

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Gr4emeL
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2020-12-28
My go too podcast and love heading to work on a Monday with a new one to listen too. Thanks so much for such a great variety of subject ls covered, always super interesting and immersive

Excellent and consistent

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Lahr Bert
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2020-12-02
Ira Glass fronts these high quality podcasts, ranging from hilarious to heart breaking. The podcast has a solid following here in Scotland (even when we are mistakenly referred to as England).

My favourite by far

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Natta 9
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2020-11-25
I love this podcast. Ira Glass is a hero of mine. The production is also superb. It may sound odd but just hearing ‘it’s WBEZ, I’m Ira Glass’ is comforting to me
Also, just to let you know that in the U.K. it comes across as ‘W.. Be easy’ and it confused me for years.

Trying too hard to be woke

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Unbiased Reviewer UK
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2020-11-06
Used to be good, but now all the stories are biased, lefty leaning garbage.

Pls stop cutting old stories into ‘new’ episodes

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ScarletWoman
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2020-10-26
I love TAL and look forward each week to a new episode. I don’t mind when they replay an old show, but increasingly they are cutting old stories into ‘new’ episodes which is really frustrating because it’s not often until part way through a segment that you realise you’ve heard it before. They don’t even introduce the old segments by explaining that they’re from older episodes. Also there has been so much focus on electrical American politics for the past couple of years — it’s very Resistance FM. Party politics is not the only way to be political: stick with the grassroots stories and you will necessarily produce political work.

Podcast

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72ssan72
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2020-10-12
Really great podcast but it would be nice if they could stop bringing back old episodes. Come on guys let’s have some new stuff

Amazing stories

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Cinnañom
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2020-09-30
I find myself looking forward to this every week, the stories are always so engaging and moving

Favourite podcast, but occasional vocal fry

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Digitalista
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2020-08-28
I love this podcast but occasionally I can’t listen to a story because of the vocal fry. Why does it annoy me so much?!

First rate journalism delivered once a week witho

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Pluscars1
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2020-08-03
Dear all thanks so much for producing such a diverse, informed, intelligent content.

Too woke.

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Ironrob73
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2020-08-03
It used to be balanced but now it’s just virtual signalling BS.

Excellent

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JstevenF
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2020-08-03
Always has been, even with the occasional repeat.
Truly insightful, sometimes heartbreaking, more often uplifting, but always, without failure ... excellent.

Please stop the vocal fry.

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Rosa bug
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2020-07-20
As above. Perhaps I’m over sensitive but on podcasts the quality of voice is crucial. On this podcast and also The Moth I have noticed an increase in female (younger?) presenters. Okay, maybe needed, but many are just not up to it. I think it’s harder to find a quality female voice. I listen to a lot of podcasts. And that, sadly, is my conclusion. Worse - a hint of lazy vocal ‘fry’ and I’m done. Btw. I’m female.

Cars

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Kat aka themondayclub
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2020-07-16
One of my favourites remember it the first time round was really good to hear how the show room is getting on now at the end of the pod

Cars!

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uncle samosa
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2020-07-11
I already knew this is a quality podcast but the episode about the car dealership - amazing! I felt the pressure and the excitement as if I were part of the team. And then Bob’s ending! This story is gold. It makes me wonder about all the things we don’t know about other people. Life is so interesting.

Thanku 4 making This American Life

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hmmmm..............
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2020-05-18
Really amazingly told, researched stories. often very moving, look forward to listening to it

Congratulations

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Solvi Qorda
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2020-05-18
So well deserved - constantly fascinating, insightful and first class journalism into so very many corners of our society that need airing

I love this podcast! Interesting, funny and eye opening stories

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PorridgeRobot
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2020-05-03
I love it

They do storytelling really well

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Dani M T
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2020-03-19
Overall, I love this podcast since storytelling shows are my favourites and they do this really well. One star off as I’m not really keen on the fact that they include fictional stories in some of their acts, but that’s fine for me I just usually skip them. I do like that each week’s stories are based around one particular theme. There are episodes that are less compelling for me than others, but hey we can’t all like every topic. I can always skip.

Just love this podcast

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Tapalina
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2020-03-15
Always such a variety of stories. I’m hooked.

Great storytelling!

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Tom_1357
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2020-03-07
Brilliant storytelling which I go back to again and again. So influential on other podcasts that it's almost sounds like a cliche sometimes.

Life changing

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EllieRugen
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2020-02-24
Thankyou for constantly embracing topics that don’t get a lot of attention. I think the reason I love this podcast is because it constantly presents me with the human experience and I think we all need to be reminded we are all just human, experiencing everything life has to offer. I am forever grateful for this show.

Uplifting and enjoyable

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ekdonaldson
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2020-02-20
I just discovered this show and the stories are my favourite was to start my morning. Restarted my love for public radio

Fantastic storytelling

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Just an Ape
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2020-02-10
Wonderful narrators and tales. As a person who is no particular allegiance to the USA these tales clearly show we are all of the same species doing the best we can on this spinning globe in space.

Amazing stories

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rmacle
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2020-01-24
I love the stories, entertaining, moving and informative.

A pillar

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Soooz1209
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2020-01-14
I love listening to TAL so much that I actually don’t remember how my life was structured before it. TAL is now a central pillar.

Nite nite

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@ Bill
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2020-01-03
I find listening to The American Life as I get into bed as a good friend as I try to sleep, I listen to their podcast & relax into a short sleep. I like to listen to some over & over, a great friend to have
The reviews are on the mark & the team make us feel they are in front of us with their take on life through the stories that have been seen over & over again.
Well done
William Simpson (mr)

King of podcasts

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Eiriksson-Moerk
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2019-10-16
I love this show. Even though I'm not american and I don't live in the USA, the themes they address are so human and they do it so, so well.

Nothing beats this!

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Jannikina
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2019-08-26
I wait eagerly for Monday’s when a new episode of This American Life is released! No podcast is better than this!