Dean Russell

3 weeks ago | wbur.org | Benjamin Johnson |Dean Russell |Amory Sivertson |Emily Jankowski

"Have you ever felt a deep personal connection to a person you met in a dream only to wake up feeling terrible because you realize they never existed?"More than a decade ago, someone posted this question to Reddit. It was a popular post with many responses. But one response would go beyond the realm of popularity into something else. Internet canon, perhaps? The Redditor gave a detailed account of their life. It was a good life, they said. But one day, it came to a crashing halt — because of a lamp.

3 weeks ago | wbur.org | Benjamin Johnson |Dean Russell |Paul Vaitkus |Amory Sivertson

Ben Brock Johnson Director, Digital AudioBen Brock Johnson is the executive producer of podcasts at WBUR and co-host of the podcast Endless Thread. More…Dean Russell Senior Producer, WBUR PodcastsDean Russell is a senior producer for WBUR Podcasts. More…Paul Vaitkus Manager of Podcast ProductionPaul Vaitkus is the manager of podcast production for WBUR. More…Amory Sivertson Host and Senior Producer, PodcastsAmory Sivertson is a senior producer for podcasts and the co-host of Endless Thread.

3 weeks ago | wbur.org | Dean Russell |Amory Sivertson |Benjamin Johnson |Emily Jankowski

Credits:Episode producer: Dean RussellCo-hosts: Ben Brock Johnson, Amory Sivertson,Show producers: Samata Joshi, Grace Tatter, Frannie Monahan, Paul VaitkusMixer and sound designer: Emily JankowskiThe thing about social media when it was created was that it was public. Ideas shared were debated for all to see. Today, much of that is happening behind closed doors—in group chats.

1 month ago | wbur.org | Dean Russell |Benjamin Johnson

This episode originally aired on Jan. 14, 2022. A few years ago, we brought you the story of how dinosaur emoji had entered the debate about trans rights. We were reminded of this episode recently when a White House memorandum lambasted NPR for spreading "radical, woke propaganda" and linked to our story as an example. After the memo, President Trump signed an executive order to stop federal funding to NPR and PBS. We stand by our reporting. And so we decided to bring you the episode again.

2 months ago | wbur.org | Dean Russell |Benjamin Johnson |Paul Vaitkus |Amory Sivertson

Toyota Hilux trucks from the 80s and 90s are famous online. Why? Yemeni fighters loyal to the Saudi-backed Yemeni president pose for a picture in the back of a Toyota pickup truck, raising their machine guns on April 15, 2017, on the road leading to Khaled Ibn Al-Walid base, 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of the government-held Red Sea port town of Mokha which pro-government forces retook in February.