From the Nominator

Public Trust is a narrative nonfiction podcast co-produced by Midwest Environmental Advocates and Wisconsin Sea Grant, with support from the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for the Humanities. Over the course of four episodes, we tell the stories of three Wisconsin communities affected by PFAS, global contaminants also known as “forever chemicals,” in their water supply. The project's primary goal was to amplify the voices of community members who are facing pressing environmental concerns. To tell these stories, we visited Peshtigo, French Island, and the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation, where we interviewed community members about how PFAS have impacted their access to clean water, their subsistence hunting and fishing traditions, and more. The podcast also aims to educate listeners about the science behind PFAS and ongoing efforts to regulate them and remediate the harms they have done. Throughout the episodes, listeners hear from experts in science, environmental law, and public policy. Public Trust has enjoyed positive reception so far, including comments like “You did such a great job setting the stakes and putting human stories at the center of the issue.” The episodes have exceeded our listenership goals, and the series aired on a radio station that reaches thousands of listeners on air and online. Public Trust balances the devastating nature of contamination with the stories of everyday people coming together to both care for their neighbors and fight for change. Their wisdom resonates far beyond Wisconsin to communities around the world dealing with contamination.

From the Judges

It is evident that a lot of thought went into the storytelling aspect of this podcast. We appreciated the narrative structure and the high quality of this production. With three different organizations sharing technical expertise and financial investment, the Public Trust podcast tells a unique story relevant to a range of listeners.