Viewpoints Radio

Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.

Polly Hansen

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Polly Hansen has been a member of the Viewpoints Radio team since its inception. As a producer, she investigates program topics, conducts interviews…

Polly Hansen

Producer

Why Plastic Keeps Winning Even When We Want Less

Plastic may feel like a problem of personal habits, but this story pulls the lens back to the industry that keeps making more of it. Journalist Beth Gardiner explains how disposable plastic became one of Big Oil’s biggest future bets and why so much of the cost lands far from the companies that profit from it.

No Shade, No Standard: America’s Heat Safety Gap

As extreme heat intensifies, outdoor and factory workers are facing risks their jobs were never built to handle. With protections still varying by state, advocates are pushing for updated national standards on shade, water, rest and retaliation-free reporting.

Part 2: Fly Me To The Moon: The Science Of Surviving In Space

We look at the debate over whether the Moon or Mars is the more practical place for a first settlement, and the tradeoffs each present. In part two of this story, we focus turns to what long-term living would realistically entail and how humans would need to adapt.

Fly Me To The Moon Part 1: The Science Of Surviving In Space

In part 1 of this two-part story - we look at what daily life off Earth would require, from managing waste and hygiene to coping with confinement and constant exposure to risk. The science makes clear that reaching space is one hurdle while staying there safely is another entirely.

A File That Changed A Family’s History: Inside Interracial Marriage In America

We speak with Dorothy Roberts, an acclaimed law & sociology professor, about uncovering her father’s research on interracial marriage and the journey of realizing her own family and upbringing were part of this larger project. What starts as a personal discovery opens into a deeper look at race, identity and why relationships alone can’t undo deep-rooted discrimination.

The Push To Free America’s Rivers

We look at why thousands of dams are coming down across the U.S. and what changes happen once a river is no longer held back. In places like the Klamath River, the shift is already visible, offering a clearer picture of what restoration can look like and lead to.

Uneven Attention: How Missing Persons Cases Are Covered

Some disappearances become national obsessions. Others barely register. We examine the research behind “Missing White Woman Syndrome,” and how race, newsroom priorities and public perception shape which cases stay in the headlines and get all the coverage.

When Family And Money Collide

Helping an adult child can feel like love in action until it quietly turns into dependence. We speak with financial psychologist Blad Klontz to understand how financial support - even when rooted in good intentions - can blur boundaries, strain relationships and create a long-term cycle that’s harder to break than most parents expect.

One Case, Fifty States: When Marriage Was An Exception To The Law

For much of U.S. history, marriage quietly overruled consent, shielding a crime the law refused to name. We revisit the 1978 case that cracked that silence and follow the slow, uneven fight to recognize spousal rape as a crime nationwide. Even now, it raises an uncomfortable question: when the law changes, how long does it take for beliefs to follow?

The Environmental Cost Of Saying Goodbye

As more people rethink their environmental footprint, new end-of-life options like green burials are gaining attention. We look at how these alternatives work and why more families are choosing them over traditional burial or cremation.

Inside The Strain On America’s Animal Rescue System

More than six million companion animals enter U.S. shelters each year and a little over four million are adopted. Sadly, shelters still rely on euthanizing when facilities are overcrowded and an animal has been there for a while. Author Laurie Zaleski has made it her life’s work to rescue hundreds of these unwanted pets and care for them on her farm. We speak with Zaleski as well Dr. Joshua …

Knitting, Quilting & The Art Of Starting Over

From a young woman rebuilding her life through knitting to a man wrongfully imprisoned who stayed resilient by quilting, this story weaves together the power of art and building community through passion projects.

An Agent, A Psychic And The Hunt For Justice

What started as skepticism became a decades-long partnership that helped solve some of the country’s most confounding crimes. Their story blurs the line between intuition, evidence, and the unknown.

Why A Louisiana Librarian Became A National Target

We cover both perspectives behind the book banning debate and talk to Jones about the challenges she’s faced over the past few years and explore what drives her to keep advocating for her cause

The Living Night: Uncovering Nature’s Hidden Third Shift

We explore the hidden nighttime lives of urban wildlife - from foxes in Berlin to possums in American backyards – and cover why it's essential to appreciate and protect these often-unseen creatures that we share our world with.