Simoncast is keeping the legacy of Senator Paul Simon alive through wide-ranging, civil conversations. Host John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, sits down with elected officials, historians, journalists, policy analysts, military experts, economists, authors, philanthropists, and others to learn about their lives and careers and elicit their perspectives on our changing world.
Simoncast is the official podcast of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank working for better politics and smarter government and preparing students for careers in public service.
Produced in collaboration with WSIU Public Radio. Hosted by John Shaw. Season One – produced and edited by Alee Quick. Season Two – produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. Visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts or simoncast.wsiu.org for more information and a complete archive of the show. Support our show at paulsimoninstitute.org/support.
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CEO of the Better Government Association, David Greising, talks with John Shaw about Journalism.
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Award-winning journalist and foreign policy expert John Walcott talks about the search for truth in journalism, changing media environment in the United States and worldwide, and considers the daunting challenges now facing journalists and analysts to ascertain what is truthful.
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John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and host of Simoncast, becomes the focus of today's interview with Alee Quick.
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Novelist Jennifer Close talks about the long and winding novel-writing process, how she encourages young writers as an instructor, and why politics snuck into her latest novel
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Tanisha Fazal, a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota, talks about why she studies war — "my motivation is usually about trying to mitigate war's worst effects," she says.
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New York Times global economic correspondent Peter S. Goodman talks about his book "Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World," which explores the contradictions on display at the World Economic Forum.
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Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Ray Long talks about his book "The House That Madigan Built," which covers the long and powerful career of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and serves as an unofficial primer on Illinois politics.
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Journalist Melinda Henneberger talks about her work at the Kansas City Star, including a series of columns about a retired police officer who was accused of rape, for which she won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for commentary.
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East St. Louis, Illinois Mayor Robert Eastern III talks about his philosophy for economic development in the city he leads, which he describes as "intentional." He also talks about the impact of COVID-19 on his Mississippi River city.
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Illinois State Senator Dale Fowler, a Republican from Harrisburg, talks about advocating for economic development in Southern Illinois, working to keep young people in the region, and how his relationships across the aisle help him do both.