{"id":15403,"date":"2025-05-01T20:34:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T20:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?p=15403"},"modified":"2025-05-01T20:36:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T20:36:52","slug":"snitch-city-boston-globe-magazine-story-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/05\/01\/snitch-city-boston-globe-magazine-story-podcast\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside &#8216;Snitch City&#8217;: How Boston Globe reporters turned a magazine story into a podcast"},"content":{"rendered":"    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Three years ago, Dugan Arnett, an investigative reporter at The Boston Globe, received an email from a woman asking for help.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Arnett had been granted a rare moment of free time that day, so he decided to phone her up. He then listened to a \u201cfake-sounding\u201d story for one to two hours about a \u201clove triangle\u201d involving a New Bedford police detective.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Arnett was cautious. But the woman\u2019s story was intriguing, and when she later provided documentation \u2014 including text messages and court records \u2014 to substantiate her claims, Arnett was gradually convinced.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u201cShe came with the goods,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Their initial phone call became the \u201claunching pad for everything,\u201d culminating in a podcast series produced by The Boston Globe\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/metro\/investigations\/spotlight\/\">Spotlight<\/a> team, the newspaper\u2019s investigative and accountability journalism reporting unit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.bostonglobe.com\/metro\/investigations\/spotlight\/2025\/03\/snitch-city\/\">\u201cSnitch City\u201d<\/a> tells how the police in New Bedford, Mass., use confidential informants to take down drug dealers. The podcast exposes a secret world of informants and alleged official misconduct and abuse, including a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2023\/06\/23\/metro\/new-bedford-detective-love-triangle\/\">complicated relationship<\/a> between an informant, detective, and the informant\u2019s fianc\u00e9e, who was accused of drug trafficking. Following the release of the podcast series, New Bedford\u2019s mayor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/story\/news\/2025\/03\/31\/consultant-hired-to-check-out-new-bedford-police-after-globe-series\/82745580007\/\">announced that the city had hired an independent consultant<\/a> to review the police department\u2019s policies and practices.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u201cSnitch City\u201d landed in <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/charts\">Apple Podcasts\u2019 Top 10<\/a> for True Crime. Arnett, Spotlight Editor Brendan McCarthy, and Head of Audio Kristin Nelson<em> <\/em>offered insight into their work at the recent <a href=\"https:\/\/combeyond.bu.edu\/offering\/the-power-of-narrative-conference\/\">Power of Narrative conference at Boston University<\/a>. (Full disclosure: I&#8217;m a student at BU and writer for Boston.com, which is owned by Boston Globe Media.)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Here are some takeaways and a look inside the creation of \u201cSnitch City\u201d:<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>How to identify a print story with audio potential: <\/strong>Arnett\u2019s tip originally turned into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2023\/03\/01\/magazine\/confidential-informant-detective-an-alleged-drug-trafficker-woman-between-them\/?p1=Article_Inline_Text_Link\">2023 Globe Magazine story<\/a>. When Nelson first read the piece, she knew right away that it had the potential to be more than a print story. It had great characters and great scenes, narrative tension, and a plot that could be constructed with cliffhangers at the end of every episode.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Podcast series need \u201caudio-first\u201d reporting. <\/strong>The reporting that followed the initial magazine story took an \u201caudio-first\u201d approach. What does \u201caudio first\u201d mean? \u201cIt means that you can\u2019t go and do that banger interview and tell me about it after,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cAudio first\u201d reporters are always thinking about recording voice memos and how they can document what they are doing in an audio form. That means not only recording good-quality audio interviews, but requesting video and audio documents in addition to written ones.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Writing for audio versus print: <\/strong>Beyond scenes, it is important to \u201cbe character-forward,\u201d and to have a narrative arc that ties the whole podcast series together, Nelson said. You should be asking yourself, \u201cHow are we going to hold on to people [till] the end?\u201d For audio narratives, it is crucial to find a balance between telling a great audio story and &#8220;making sure that you&#8217;re doing justice and showing how much reporting has been done.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transitioning from print to audio reporting:<\/strong> Initially, Arnett said he viewed the added podcast piece as a bit of an \u201cannoyance.\u201d He said he would think of his audio reporting obligations separately as he went about his reporting the way he usually would for a print story. But once he recognized the possibilities that audio reporting offered that print didn\u2019t, he changed his tune. \u201cIt was very cool to discover that you can do things in audio that you can&#8217;t do in print,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce you get over the fear of just doing something new, you see the opportunities.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Managing anonymous sources for audio stories:<\/strong> Using anonymous sources for audio brings its own challenges. You have to construct a story using the tape that you have and are allowed to use, while still making sure that your strongest characters\u2019 voices are heard. \u201cSome people are comfortable saying some things, some people aren&#8217;t,\u201d Arnett said. \u201cSo we had to get creative.\u201d For the podcast, the team hired voice actors in some cases to play the roles of anonymous sources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Print and audio stories aren&#8217;t always the same.<\/strong> The Spotlight Team could have stopped where the Globe Magazine piece did, but they sensed that there was more to uncover. As other tips started to come in following the initial story, the team continued reporting and filing many more public records requests. \u201cKeep digging,\u201d McCarthy said.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">***<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lindsayshachnow.org\"><em>Lindsay Shachnow<\/em><\/a><em> covers general assignment news for Boston.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-subscribe full-width\">\n            <h2 class=\"subscribe-title\">Subscribe to Storyboard<\/h2>\n        \n            <div class=\"subscribe-content\">\n            <p>Get insights into the craft of journalism and storytelling in your inbox, delivered on Fridays.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n                <div class=\"subscribe-embed\">\n                            <div class=\"mt-5\">\n                 <div translate=\"no\" class='mailmunch-forms-widget-1154494'><\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n               \n                    <\/div>\n    \n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Spotlight team looked for great characters and scenes to build their &#8220;audio-first&#8221; reporting project<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":15410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[425],"topics":[],"authors":[457],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-15403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays-on-craft","tag-podcasts","authors-lindsay-shachnow"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Inside &#039;Snitch City&#039;: How Boston Globe reporters turned a magazine story into a podcast - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Spotlight team looked for great characters and scenes to build their &quot;audio-first&quot; reporting project\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/05\/01\/snitch-city-boston-globe-magazine-story-podcast\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inside &#039;Snitch City&#039;: How Boston Globe reporters turned a magazine story into a podcast - Nieman Storyboard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Spotlight team looked for great characters and scenes to build their &quot;audio-first&quot; 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