Join us at the Fellowship Commencement to celebrate our fall 2025 cohort

We hope you had a restful Thanksgiving holiday. We're excited to share some good news: You're invited to the podcast fellowship commencement!

Join us and celebrate our fall 2025 fellows' hard work in creating and publishing their podcasts at our commencement ceremony this week.

You will have the opportunity to hear each fellow pitch their episode and participate in a Q&A session to provide feedback on their work. We look forward to seeing you this Thursday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m. ET on Zoom.

Get an episode sneak peek and register for the commencement ceremony below.

Civically Thinking by Annalise Huang

Civically Thinking is a civics podcast for young people by young people. Host Annalise Huang explores how the new generation is working to be heard in our democracy.

"Developing Civically Thinking helped me understand that the best way to combat issues in our democracy is to put a spotlight on ongoing solutions and the people actively working to challenge these problems," she said.

Democracy Reflected by Tenzen Jamyang

Democracy Reflected is a podcast about the importance of representation and diversity in politics, how political messaging often fails to address the needs of racial groups and the steps to prevent that.

"My favorite part of working on the podcast was learning different ways I can support my community by talking to someone involved in it, while also developing effective communication skills," said host Tenzen Jamyang.

‍Register for the commencement to hear more from the fellows about their projects!

This is Jessie Nguyen, The Democracy Group's Community Manager. Here are some of my favorite podcasts this week, check them out!

Democracy Decoded: How New Voting Barriers Threaten Elections

The season finale examines how voting barriers across the country have long hindered Americans' participation in elections. Most recently, new proof-of-citizenship rules almost took away an Arizona voters' ability to vote. Listen to his story and what that means for voting reform in 2026.

Freedom Over Fascism: Educate, Activate, Elevate, Repeat. Chris Armitage talks about fighting fascism and soft secession

The concept of "soft seccession," which guest and author Chris Armitage said at its heart could be called federalism, is discussed as a means for states to combat federal overreach and preserve democracy. The episode also emphasizes the importance of anti-corruption measures among other ideas to resist fascism.

The Great Battlefield: Making News of Local Government more Accessible with Tom Cochran of Civic Sunlight

Civic Sunlight is a startup that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify civic engagement, like transcribing hours of government meetings and creating summaries. Co-founder Tom Cochran joined the episode to discuss his work at the intersection of politics and technology and how he's making local government more accessible.

FEATURED EXPERTS

Democracy Works: Paul Martin on The dismantling of USAID and the death of government oversight

Paul Martin is a former inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). After publishing a report of the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID, Martin was removed from his post in February 2025. He previously served as vice chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.

TPNR: Melissa Deckman on America's Cracks: Trumpism, Gen Z, and the Faith Factor

Melissa Deckman is a political scientist and CEO of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Formerly a professor of public affairs at Washington College, Deckman studies the impact of gender, religion and age on public opinion and political behavior. She recently released her latest book, "The Politics of Gen Z."