Viewpoints Radio
Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.
Body ideals have swung from ultra-thin to curvy and back again, but social media now puts those changing standards in front of young people constantly. Two eating disorder experts explain how online comparison and commentary about other people’s bodies can shape body image and what parents and guardians should watch for.
Wildfires are becoming harder to contain as hotter, drier conditions make fire seasons longer and more destructive. And the impact doesn’t stop at the fire line anymore. Smoke can travel thousands of miles, exposing people far from the flames to serious health risks. We look at what’s driving this scary increase and why controlled burns may be part of the …
It’s back-to-school season, and millions of kids and teens are heading back to school where they’ll eat 1-2 meals each day. We discuss modern school cafeteria menus, how they’ve changed from what we remember and what parents can take away from these menus and incorporate into snacks and dinners at home.
Cardiac arrest often happens at home. That means a partner or family member is often the closest person who needs to jump into action and react. We look at what effective CPR requires, why people hesitate and how a small amount of training - whether it’s 15 minutes or a couple hours - can be the difference between life and death in a high-pressure moment.
For generations, the starter home was the first real step into the American dream. Now, with prices climbing, inventory shrinking and builders incentivized to go bigger, we look at how that first rung of homeownership has moved out of reach for many first-time buyers.
After the sudden death of her daughter, journalist Danielle Crittenden found herself questioning nearly everything she thought she knew about grief. We explore what loss and grief look like when it doesn’t follow any sort of timeline.
Words like “rizz” and “unalive” may sound like internet throwaways, but they demonstrate how quickly social media is reshaping language. We’re joined by linguist Adam Aleksic who breaks down how slang spreads online, why emojis still matter and how algorithms are changing the way we communicate.
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.
Money decisions are rarely just about math. Financial expert Lev Mandel explains how early family lessons, anxiety and repeated habits can shape the way people view money and approach these conversations, and why understanding those patterns can help build a healthier relationship with finances over time.
Protein has become the dominant signal of “healthy” today with everyone seemingly focused on how to increase their daily protein intake. However, experts say most Americans are already getting enough through a balanced and diverse diet. We delve into the massive shift towards protein-everything and how marketing is reshaping what we think we need.
We speak with two gardening experts to better understand what happens once planting begins, why results depend so heavily on local, year-to-year conditions and how to slowly implement more native species into your own personal gardens and yards.
Prediction markets were initially built to forecast elections and economic moves but they’re now being used to bet on war, political upheaval and global instability. As money flows into these high-stakes wagers, the line between informed forecasting and profiting off real-world consequences has merged into one and is now under investigation.
We look at what life actually looks like after a humanities degree, where the path forward is often unclear and non-linear. For many graduates, the value shows up later, as they move between roles and lean on skills that translate across industries.
As extreme weather becomes more unpredictable, one of the first systems to fail is often the one we rely on most: communication. This story looks at what happens when cell towers go dark, why waiting to figure things out in the moment can be dangerous and how simple backup plans can make a critical difference.
Jay Leno. David Letterman. Jimmy Fallon. Stephen Colbert. We highlight the rise and fall of late-night TV.
With TikTok continuously adding new users, many platforms like Instagram and Facebook are fighting to stay current with new updates mimicking TikTok. But, what if some of us like these OG platforms the way they are?
Being an influencer has turned into a career option for some, and today, some college students are pursuing degrees in social media to work within the industry or try their hand at becoming an influencer themselves. We discuss the state of social media education and the larger implications of this shift in modern culture.
While some of us still prefer pen and paper, many younger people are shifting completely online. And it’s not just for to-do lists or communication, but also using platforms like Instagram, Twitter or Facebook as a daily, reflective ‘online diary’ of sorts.
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