Journalist Connie Walker typically tackles initiatives that hit near house, however none compares to the second season of her Gimlet and Spotify Original podcast, Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s. Throughout the eight-episode journey, the Okanese First Nation (Cree) investigative reporter takes a glance into her father’s harrowing experiences at a Canadian residential college within the Sixties. She uncovers deep abuses by the hands of faculty directors that led to childhood loss of life and maturity trauma—outcomes that weren’t distinctive to St. Michael’s.
Connie’s deeply private telling of this harrowing story has made a profound impression on investigative journalism. On February 6, Connie and the Stolen crew gained an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for the collection. This prestigious award honors the very best in broadcast, documentary, and on-line reporting as chosen by friends and fellow journalists. Stolen is the primary Spotify or Gimlet podcast to obtain a duPont.
For the Record caught up with Connie just a few days after the award ceremony to listen to extra.
What was your response to discovering out you gained a duPont?
I used to be thrilled. And additionally sort of in disbelief. It’s such an unimaginable award, and simply to have that sort of recognition for our podcast, it was simply so unbelievable and thrilling. I’m nonetheless pinching myself.
Looking again on the season, had been there any components of investigating, recording, or enhancing that stood out as notable to you?
This is a really completely different story for me, maybe as a result of it’s such a private story. As journalists, we’re typically suggested to not make your self a part of the story—it’s sort of a taboo factor. And in order that was actually a giant problem for me personally, to incorporate a lot of my private story and my father’s household story within the podcast. But it additionally felt like the proper format for doing that, you realize? A serialized investigative podcast allowed us to actually discover all of the nuance and context that’s so vital in understanding not simply residential faculties however tales about Indigenous individuals normally.
Surviving St. Michael’s began out as this actually private story about my father and his expertise at a residential college—I by no means imagined it will find yourself as probably the most complete investigations right into a single residential college. And what we had been capable of uncover in our investigation was staggering. One thought I had because it was occurring was, “This should have happened earlier.” The window for accountability is shrinking, and the window for survivors is shrinking as nicely. Coming out of this, I really feel the urgency to maintain on telling these tales.
The jury recommended the collection for “its consistent focus in pursuing the truth.” What are your hopes for mainstream media and its future concentrate on the realities Indigenous individuals confronted and nonetheless face?
I began my profession over 20 years in the past when there was actually little or no curiosity in our communities and little or no understanding of the significance of our tales. And to be at this level the place now I’m supported to share these tales on Gimlet and Spotify—with the massive audiences and the flexibility to take a few of these massive dangers with our storytelling—it seems to me like a dream come true and one thing that I simply need to proceed for so long as I can. There’s been an enormous shift within the final 5 to 10 years, not simply by way of an understanding of how vital our tales are, but additionally that Indigenous individuals needs to be those to inform them. And clearly all of us need to maintain going. We know there are such a lot of extra tales.
Podcasting is changing into an more and more accessible medium to traditionally marginalized creators. What would you prefer to see extra of popping out of Indigenous communities?
I feel it’s improbable that podcasting is now a platform for us to share these actually vital journalistic and investigative tales. What I personally would like to see extra of is a greater illustration of the range of our experiences. Obviously, as an investigative journalist, I’m going to tackle a sure sort of story in a podcast like Stolen, however Indigenous individuals have a lot magnificence and humor, and an unimaginable tradition, and so many issues to share. I really feel prefer it’s by no means been simpler to share a few of these components of our tradition and that range that exists in our experiences. But I’d like to see extra of that—extra laughter, extra celebration, extra sharing of the wonder and energy of our tradition.
What are you as much as subsequent?
We’re already onerous at work on Season 3 of Stolen! We’ve already accomplished just a few recording journeys. Our crew is actually excited to maintain going. Like I stated, there are such a lot of tales from our neighborhood that have to be informed, and I’m excited to shed a highlight on extra of them.
Catch the primary episode of the duPont-winning collection under.