Throughout her reporting career, Amy Goodman has distinguished herself as one of the most outspoken and principled journalists in the country. Not only that, as the host and driving force behind the daily current affairs program Democracy Now! she helped create a worldwide movement in independent media, and a show that now airs on over 1300 stations across the United States and around the world. In this interview we speak with Amy about her early childhood forays into journalism, about a harrowing chapter she experienced reporting on the brutal occupation of East Timor, and discuss her philosophy of why having a healthy independent media is so crucial.

For over 15 years Alex Blumberg was a producer at This American Life, where he gained acclaim for producing superb and timely investigative pieces like The Giant Pool of Money, and When Patents Attack. But since August he's found himself in a decidedly new role, as the CEO of a startup podcasting company called Gimlet media. And through a bit of luck and procrastination, we caught up with Alex Blumberg in both roles. So this episode we bring you a special interview in two parts - both pre and post setting off to found his own company - with radio producer extraordinaire, Alex Blumberg.

NPR isn't necessarily known for comedy, but one program in particular - Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! - definitely breaks that mould. This week we speak with Wait Wait's funny and charming host Peter Sagal about his unlikely beginnings in public radio, the role of comedy in politics, and about being a subversive overachiever from early on.