In this episode, Dr. Commins, Academic Director of the MS in Humanitarian Action program at the Kroc School, sits down with Khaing Yadanar Phyoe, a Kroc School alumna who earned her Master of Arts in Peace and Justice. Originally from Myanmar, Khaing spent her final semester researching the intersection of conflict, peacebuilding, and digital media through her thesis, The Architecture of Silence: How Facebook Narratives Shape Resistance Tactics and Conflict Entrenchment in Post-Coup Myanmar. Drawing on both academic research and her personal connection to the region, she explores how social media narratives influence resistance movements, shape public understanding of conflict, and affect opportunities for peace. Their conversation examines the importance of peace literacy, the evolving role of digital platforms in times of political upheaval, and what Myanmar's experience can teach us about conflict, communication, and resilience in the modern world.

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One in five U.S. adults now get their news from social media creators — and that number is even higher for people under 30. So what happens when those creators start doing journalism? Maya Srikrishnan of the News Creator Corps and Becky Bullard of Democrasexy join Kroc Pod to talk accountability, authenticity, and why making democracy feel good might be the most radical civic act of our time. Together, they make the case that transparency beats neutrality, community beats institutions, and how civic engagement hits different when it feels good.

Find out more about this episode here:

• Democrasexy https://www.democrasexy.com/
• News Creator Corp https://newscreatorcorps.org/
• Trusted Creator Fellowship https://newscreatorcorps.org/programs/trusted-creator/

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Investigative journalism doesn't just hold power accountable — it shapes the communities we live in. In this episode of Kroc Pod, we sit down with Lorie Hearn, one of San Diego's most consequential journalists and the founder of inewsource, a nonprofit newsroom that has redefined what local investigative reporting can look like. Hearn traces her path from an early obsession with storytelling to decades on the frontlines of accountability journalism — then we dig into what it takes to earn public trust in an era of media skepticism, why community-powered journalism may be the most vital model for democracy, and how watchdog reporting is evolving in the age of AI.

Check out these links for more info:

inewsource: https://inewsource.org/

The Trust Project: https://thetrustproject.org/

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