Boston, MA (October 30, 2023) – GBH News and The Hechinger Report are launching College Uncovered, a new podcast that will reveal the inner workings of higher education for prospective students and their families nationwide. The show builds on exclusive reporting from both media outlets and is hosted by GBH News Managing Editor and Higher Education Reporter Kirk Carapezza and The Hechinger Report Higher Education Editor Jon Marcus, along with guest contributors.
"Understanding the higher education landscape can be challenging for families at every stage of the process," said Pam Johnston, general manager of news at GBH. "For more than a decade, Kirk has taken local higher education stories to national audiences via GBH News and on other NPR programs such as Marketplace and The World. Teaming up with The Hechinger Report allows us to broaden this essential journalism and offer actionable insights to students on the path to higher learning."
Each episode of the show will expose the problems, pitfalls and risks that are part of the higher education system and help families navigate them. The show’s debut episode digs into how some colleges make deceptive promises to prospective students, misleading consumers about everything from college’s pricetag to job prospects after graduation. Episode two examines how colleges give preferences to wealthy students who already have advantages.
The season will also explore why so few college credits transfer, why some elite universities admit students as sophomores, why graduation rates are measured in six-to-eight-year increments rather than four, and why colleges recruit applicants only to reject them. Listeners are welcome to suggest topics by emailing gbhnewsconnect@wgbh.org.
"Parents and students are often thrown into the admissions process without understanding how it really works. This podcast arms them with the information that they need," said Liz Willen, editor-in-chief at The Hechinger Report. "Instead of the seller's market colleges like to make it, this project puts more power in the hands of the consumer. Kirk and Jon have long teamed up on education coverage and this podcast is the culmination of that productive partnership."
College Uncovered is supported in part by a grant from Lumina Foundation. It is available now wherever you get your podcasts and at www.wgbh.org/podcasts/college-uncovered.
About GBH
GBH is the leading multiplatform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH’s local television channels include GBH 2, GBH 44, GBH WORLD and GBH Kids. With a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR; CRB Classical 99.5; and CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station. From Boston to the Berkshires, from Worcester to the Cape and Islands, GBH is dedicated to connecting the Commonwealth through news, programming, learning tools and events. GBH has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at gbh.org.
About The Hechinger Report
The Hechinger Report is an award-winning nonprofit that covers inequality and innovation in education with in-depth journalism that uses research, data and stories from classrooms and campuses to show the public how education can be improved and why it matters. Its stories appear in major national media including The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe and NPR. Read more at hechingerreport.org.
