This week, Imperfect Paradise brings you the first episode of Radiotopia Presents: Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative. In the series, host and producer Jess Shane questions the value of some basic tenets of documentary storytelling and explores what really happens when stories about people’s lives are collected, edited, and consumed.
Listen to the five-part series Radiotopia Presents: Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative wherever you get your podcasts.
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Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

Imperfect Paradise: Women speak a quarter of words in the 2026 Oscars Best Picture nominated films. What that tells us about the movies Hollywood values
21:26

We did the math: Men speak way more than women in the 10 films up for the top Oscar
21:26

Imperfect Paradise: Route 66 has a 100-year legacy of American road trips and expansion, but the Main Street of America had its problems too
24:47