Longtime radio broadcaster and Atlanta media personality Mara Davis now has a podcast covering Georgia politics called “VOTEHER.” The podcast is co-hosted by Davis and Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan. Davis joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes over Zoom to discuss some of her favorite new podcasts out now, as well as share some recent highlights from her and Jordan’s show.
Podcasts discussed in the interview:
“VOTEHER”:
“We talk about everything Georgia politics, and we have Democrats and Republicans on the show,” said Davis. “It’s not a ‘gotcha’ kind of show. It is two women, discussing politics, and getting sassy about it.”
“I love the attention. Jen is a little shyer when it comes to attention, but you know me. If there’s a mic or a camera, I’m running towards it. Jen actually wants to do the work, ‘cause she’s a state senator.”
“I love to talk to people that I disagree with,” Davis said. “It’s just fun to exchange ideas. I do think politics has become more common in everyday conversation, and hopefully, we can get back to a place where we can have a hearty, spirited conversation and hug it out.”
“Catch And Kill“:
Rated number one on Davis’s recent “10 Most Bingeworthy Documentary Podcasts” article for Paste Magazine, “Catch And Kill” is a 10-part companion podcast to Ronan Farrow’s best-selling book of the same name, on sexual harassment, assault and predation in the entertainment industry.
“Publications will ‘kill’ a story, which is what happened with the Harvey Weinstein story … NBC killed a lot of the stories that [Farrow] was working on about Harvey Weinstein. You don’t need to read the book for the podcast … It feels very intimate, like, whoa – you’re a fly on the wall in the most deep, uncomfortable conversations, but you’re really learning how it all unfolded.”
Investigative docuseries on online radicalization:
“Rabbit Hole” [a New York Times’ series by tech journalist Kevin Roose], takes us through a journey of radicalization on the internet, mostly with YouTube algorithms … and how people could be attracted to Qanon theories – and cat videos,” said Davis. “And I paired this with Lisa Hagen from WABE, and her partner Chris Haxel [Of KCUR]. Their excellent podcast “No Compromise” is all about extreme gun groups.”
