No Brother of Mine

To protect the public from sexual violence, the U.S. has enacted get-tough laws targeting released sex offenders. Many were inspired by high-profile cases in which children were raped and killed by strangers, a heinous albeit rare crime. Since 2006, we’ve interviewed leading experts and victims’ advocates about the impact of these laws. We’ve also spent time getting to know four Minnesotans convicted of sex crimes, in prison and since their release. In many ways, these men—Reggie, Ronnie, Tyrel and Michael—represent the complexity of the issue. Their crimes span a spectrum of sexual violence. All are felons. Each completed a sex offender treatment program. These men’s stories put a candid human face on the highly politicized issue of sex crimes, the damage they cause and some of their common roots. Reaching beyond the headlines and into the lives of real people, the documentary provides a nuanced examination of issues surrounding federal online registration laws, residency restrictions, Romeo and Juliet laws and the growing use of civil commitment. (60 minutes) Questions & resources to start the conversation (pdf)

Funded by the Fund for Investigative Journalism and individual supporters of 2 below zero.







Death’s Footprint

Winner of Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Documentary, from the Radio & Television News Directors Association, 2009. Winner of PRNDI Award for Best Documentary from Public Radio News Directors Inc., 2009.

Nine million people live in the Chicago area. One thing is clear: all of us are going to die. What you may not know is what happens to all those bodies, and the effect they have on the environment. Chicagoland cemeteries take up thousands of acres of open space. Funeral homes use gallons of toxic chemicals a year. And cremation consumes lots of energy and emits toxins into the environment. Today, many Americans are looking for ways that make their deaths greener. But change is coming slowly. The way we practice death has deep cultural and religious traditions.

This documentary features an embalmer, an undertaker, a Roman Catholic cemeterian, a 34-year-old woman who wants to have her body composted by worms, the sounds of a crematorium and an exploration of the newest, greenest body disposal technique: Resomation. (28 minutes) Questions & resources to start the conversation

Originally aired on WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, 2008. Also aired on KFAI Minneapolis.







Flatlined: How Illinois Shortchanges Rural Students

Winner of the Society for Professional Journalists’ 2007 Sigma Delta Chi Award for Best Documentary. Part of a series (“Chicago Matters: Valuing Education“) that was awarded a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, 2007.

In the small town of La Harpe, Illinois, high school students don’t have access to classes most suburban kids take for granted. Not Spanish, not Calculus, not even Pre-calc. That’s because La Harpe’s homes and farms generate little property tax revenue. And in America, that’s how schools get a significant portion of their funding. “Flatlined: How Illinois Shortchanges Rural Students,“ starts in the La Harpe high school gym, where the Sweetheart Dance is in full swing. (28 minutes) Questions & resources to start the conversation

Originally aired on WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, 2006. Also broadcast on KFAI Minneapolis, as well as on numerous public radio stations in central Illinois.







Consuming Desire

"Consuming Desire" examines Americans’ love of shopping. In particular, what motivates us to buy more than we need and whether this culturally sanctioned pursuit hints at darker aspects, financial or emotional, in our lives. Five percent of Americans now show signs of being compulsive buyers.

Central to the story are six or so Chicagoans who present an array of behavior that may or may not be problematic, depending on the listener’s own point of view. Rounding out the story is a critical perspective of rampant consumerism given by members of a Voluntary Simplicity group in Chicago. One member invites the listeners to shop "frugally" with her: It’s for them to decide in what ways she’s different from the other shoppers, or if the emphasis she pays to frugality is perhaps itself extreme. (28 minutes) Questions & resources to start the conversation

Originally aired on WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, 2005. Also broadcast on KFAI Minneapolis, WGBH Radio Boston, Marfa (Texas) Public Radio, KVNF (Western Colorado).







Spirit & Body Willing:
Sex over Age 70

Winner of Edward R. Murrow Award, Best Documentary from the Radio and Television News Directors Association, 2004.

The sexuality of older Americans is an unspoken subject. After all, who can imagine their parents having sex, much less their grandparents? But for many people age 70 and above, sexuality often remains an important part of life and their identity. And they may face obstacles to fulfilling their needs for physical and emotional intimacy — among them, skewed demographics, lack of sexual information, health and medical issues, children’s attitudes and the reactions of nursing aides and peers. However, at one Chicago-area senior apartment complex, the sexual well-being of residents is supported, thanks largely to its executive director, who is also a sex therapist. (28 minutes) Questions & resources to start the conversation

Originally aired on WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, 2003. Also broadcast on Radio Netherlands, BBC Radio 4, KFAI Minneapolis, Spokane Public Radio, WMPG Portland Public Radio (Maine).