On May 27, 2026, veteran audio producer John Biewen launched Season 8 of his acclaimed documentary podcast, Scene on Radio, titled "The News." Introducing the season on Revisionist History, host John Biewen wasted no time questioning the fundamental health of American journalism, asking, "does anybody here think that the fourth estate, the news media as it's now constructed, is doing its job, that Americans are well enough informed to be trusted with our own government?"
The new season sees John Biewen back in the lead editorial seat. As Biewen detailed in the credits on the Revisionist History feed, the project "was created and produced by me" alongside frequent collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika and story editor Diane Hodson, with production support from the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University and distribution by PRX.
By framing the season around whether citizens can still trust the press to safeguard democracy, Biewen is taking on his most contemporary target yet. Listeners familiar with his previous deep dives into race and gender can expect a similarly systemic, historical autopsy of how the modern news ecosystem broke down.