Five Dubs Podcast

In this episode, Rebecca talks with Baltimore author, journalist, and educator D. Watkins about The Engagement, his new magazine-style radio show launching October 19th on WYPR and Baltimore Public Media. Watkins explains why he believes the best conversations happen on public radio, how the show will bring sources directly into dialogue with the audience, and why he’s committed to interviewing people with lived experience rather than relying only on credentialed experts. He also shares a story about a two-year investigation into workplace discrimination that never saw publication, and what it means to earn a source’s trust without asking anything transactional in return.They also dig into Watkins’ own storytelling roots, from the personal essay writing that shaped his memoirs to the childhood hours spent in NA meetings with his father that, he realizes in the conversation, taught him how to recognize when people are speaking from the heart. The two discuss the difference between journalism’s need for facts and memoir’s demand for vulnerability, and Watkins closes by describing what success looks like for the show six months in: a space where layered perspective replaces simple talking points.

In this episode, Rebecca talks with Judy Diaz of Delmarva Public Media and Craig Swagler of Baltimore Public Media about the partnership their organizations announced this past July. Diaz and Swagler, who serve non-overlapping audiences across Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Baltimore, explain how the loss of federal funding (a 25% budget hit for Delmarva, 6% for Baltimore) pushed them toward collaboration rather than competition, and how they landed on environmental and agricultural reporting, from the impact of Haitian deportations on the Delmarva poultry industry to rising waters in Cambridge, Maryland, as their first shared beat.They also discuss how the two organizations plan to preserve their distinct local identities while sharing resources, student reporters, and eventually joint reporting on issues like transportation and the Chesapeake Bay, and what success will look like a year from now. The conversation closes with reflections on trust, transparency, and why public media’s mission-driven model may be uniquely suited to this kind of collaboration.

In this episode, Danielle Coffey of the News Media Alliance sits down with Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin for a fireside chat on press freedom, recorded in the wake of a week that saw reporters from across the political spectrum pushed out of a Pentagon briefing. Raskin reflects on what he sees as a broader pattern of pressure on institutions, from law firms to universities to newsrooms, and argues that standing together across ideological lines is the most effective response. He also discusses the bipartisan Press Act and reporter’s shield law, his hopes for it as Judiciary Committee chair if the House flips, and why he believes protecting journalists’ sources is essential at the federal level.The conversation also turns to artificial intelligence and how Congress might regulate it, government ethics and oversight, and Raskin’s take on the state of constitutional norms in Washington. He closes by describing what he sees as the scale of the challenge ahead for his committee, from corruption investigations to defending First Amendment protections more broadly.

In this episode, Kevin Berrier talks with Hesham Hafez, Kareem Hafez, and Chef Lance of SOSS Bros about how a decade-old family sauce recipe grew into a standout brand. They share the story behind the name, how a $100 bottle request helped spark the business, and why "sauce over everything" became their guiding mantra.They also dig into the marketing behind the brand, from edgy social media hooks to turning curiosity into purchases. The team closes with advice for entrepreneurs on perseverance, learning before you delegate, and staying focused and calm.

In this episode, Rebecca talks with Kate Cimini, investigations editor at The Baltimore Sun, about her award-winning investigative reporting and life as a journalist. Cimini's series on child welfare at Maryland's Free State Challenge Academy, a National Guard-run program for at-risk youth, won first place in the MDDC/AMARC Foundation contest this year. She walks through how a single news tip led her to uncover the story of Nathaniel, a teenage cadet assaulted in his sleep, and the reporting process that followed: sourcing records requests, tracking down cadets and parents, and building trust with sources who'd lived through trauma.They also discuss Cimini's path from public school teacher to journalist, how she balances the emotional weight of reporting on people's worst days, and what "service journalism" means in practice, from city council coverage to helping a dying activist raise funeral funds. Cimini closes by reflecting on what she hopes to bring to the Sun's long legacy of investigative work in Baltimore.