The Washington Post today announced the launch of “American Stories,” a podcast-style audio series available only to subscribers. In audio form, this series of reporting creates a snapshot of America’s complex characters and communities and the issues that unite and divide them.
“The newsroom produces these strongly reported stories from across the country that everyone is able to read as part of our core reporting, but we wanted to create an engaging way to delight and reward our growing number of loyal readers,” said Miki King, Vice President of Marketing for The Washington Post. “With this audio series, we’re delivering some of The Post’s most compelling, long-form journalism in a unique storytelling experience for subscribers who spend the most time with our content.”
The stories presented in the audio series will be released as a collection and are produced with professional voice acting and thoughtful sound design. The original, in-depth reporting includes an examination of a generation growing up in an era where learning, flirting and hanging out all happens on screens, and a story of holding out hope amid America’s drug crisis told through a woman’s journey of trying to stay clean long enough to get a new treatment.
“These stories, given their length, can require a focused investment of time that a reader might not have when they casually discover them online,” said Joseph Price, senior product manager for The Post. “Audio makes it conveniently fit into a walk or morning commute, and the intimacy of listening enhances the portraits these stories create.”
Subscribers will be notified of the series availability via email and directed to a subscriber-only page. There, subscribers can listen directly to the series and have the option to add the audio to their preferred podcast app.