REP: A Story About the Stories We Tell

Latest Episodes:

12. Free to Run (ft. 3 Afghan Women Runners) Jan 24, 2024

Welcome back to REP. And more specifically – welcome to a guided REP Run. This is a story about what it means to stay in your body, to move through your life experiences, and for the women in this episode, what it really means to be Free. *Our guides for this story are three runners from Afghanistan. It’s been two years since the women in this story have seen each other. Their separation was unexpected as the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, and they were of the lucky few who were able to evacuate. And they have miraculously reunited for the first time in the United States to run the New York City Marathon together. *This chapter of REP is brought to you by Right To Run, the social impact program of the sportswear brand On. Right To Run supports Free to Run, an organization that works to change gender norms in conflict areas by supporting girls and women in leadership and wellness through running. *Transcript + Links:www.ays.media/rep/freetorun*Follow on Instagram:@ays@noor@on@freetorunngo

11. Alive Aug 29, 2022

“Vanished” is how we started the Rep journey, and “Alive” is how we start again.

In our final chapter, Rep comes ALIVE in a surprising connection Noor makes during an event at Harvard University.

This is the story of how our stories lead to revolutions.

Story Guides include: Barbara Rosewicz, Dr. James Zogby, Jerry Seib, Tagouri family, Elyazgi family, and the ancestors.

Transcripts are available at ⁠www.ays.media/rep-transcripts⁠.

Follow on Instagram: ⁠@noor⁠ and ⁠@ays⁠ or Twitter ⁠@ntagouri⁠ and ⁠@Zaron3 ⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10. The 3Ps: Public Opinion (ft. Bella Hadid on Palestine) Aug 15, 2022

Politics, Pop Culture, and Public Opinion. We call them the 3Ps; and they are at play in the stories that define our world and shape our beliefs.

Featuring an exclusive interview with Bella Hadid, we consider how Public Opinion affects the lives of Palestinian people, as well as the rest of us. To examine how Public Opinion determines what we think and feel, we focus on Palestine, not as an issue, but as a people.

Story Guides include: Bella Hadid, Aymann Ismail, Dr. James Zogby, Nadine Naber, Peter Beinart, and Dalia Mogahed.

Transcripts are available at www.ays.media/rep-transcripts.

Follow on Instagram: @noor and @ays or Twitter @ntagouri and @Zaron3

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9. The 3Ps: Pop Culture (ft. Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam, Yuna, May Calamawy, and Minhal Baig) Aug 01, 2022

What do musicians Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam and Yuna, actor May Calamawy, and filmmaker Minhal Baig all have in common?

They are proof of what revolutionary representation can look like. These story guides have used their art forms to search for the deepest parts of themselves and connect their stories to the rest of the world. They show us what it can look like when we work to shift culture.

Welcome to the next "P" within the relationship between the 3P's: Politics, Pop Culture, and Public Opinion.

Transcripts are available at ⁠www.ays.media/rep-transcripts⁠.

Follow on Instagram: ⁠@noor⁠ and ⁠@ays⁠ or Twitter ⁠@ntagouri⁠ and ⁠@Zaron3 ⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8. The 3Ps: Politics (ft. Ilhan Omar, Isra Hirsi, Huma Abedin, and Yasmin Elhady) Jul 18, 2022

I’d like to introduce you to our framework for REP, The 3Ps: Politics, Pop Culture, and Public Opinion.

The 3Ps are a tool we use to track the power dynamics in the stories around us. First Up: Politics.

We think we’re talking about Politics, but are we? How do we decode the stories that create the politics we are living in today? In this chapter, we follow a few people and the stories that have led them to engage with politics the way they do today.

Our story guides include: Congresswoman Ilhan Omar; her daughter and activist Isra Hirsi; Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton’s Chief of Staff; and Yasmin Elhady, a comedian and immigration lawyer at the Department of Justice.

Transcripts are available at ⁠www.ays.media/rep-transcripts⁠.

Follow on Instagram: ⁠@noor⁠ and ⁠@ays⁠ or Twitter ⁠@ntagouri⁠ and ⁠@Zaron3 ⁠

omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7. America’s Greatest Export Jul 04, 2022

What is the United States’ *actual* greatest export?

We have a theory — Story.

In this chapter, we re-examine why the United States began, check in on how Americans are telling and receiving their story, why some veterans fought or refuse to fight for the story, and we hear from people around the world on their relationship with our Greatest Export.

Story Guides include: Nadine Naber, David Eisenbach, Mike Prysner, Jack Saul, and others.

Transcripts are available at ⁠www.ays.media/rep-transcripts⁠.

Follow on Instagram: ⁠@noor⁠ and ⁠@ays⁠ or Twitter ⁠@ntagouri⁠ and ⁠@Zaron3 ⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6. Interlude (A Conversation Between Co-Writers Noor Tagouri and Zaron Burnett III) Jun 27, 2022

This episode is simply a bridge, a pause, a moment to reflect on where we've been and where we are going. It is an intimate look behind the writers of Rep, Noor Tagouri and Zaron Burnett. These are recorded meeting sessions reflecting on intentions and how they hope to carry us into the second half of Season 1 of REP.

Welcome to The Interlude.

Transcripts are available at ⁠www.ays.media/rep-transcripts⁠.

Follow on Instagram: ⁠@noor⁠ and ⁠@ays⁠ or Twitter ⁠@ntagouri⁠ and ⁠@Zaron3 ⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5. Tell the Truth, Truth (ft. Hasan Minhaj, Aymann Ismail, Najma Sharif, and more) Jun 06, 2022

Do we even need representation? What does "telling the truth" actually mean and why do we do it? Does objectivity exist? Can our biases work in our favor?

These questions have come up over and over again throughout the journey of REP, and in this chapter, we face them head on.

Our story guides include comedian and actor Hasan Minhaj, journalist Aymann Ismail, writer Najma Sharif and others.

*Transcripts are available at ⁠www.ays.media/rep-transcripts⁠.

Follow on Instagram: ⁠@noor⁠ and ⁠@ays⁠

or Twitter ⁠@ntagouri⁠ and ⁠@Zaron3 ⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4. Shikata Ga Nai (It Cannot Be Helped) (ft. Mike Shinoda) May 16, 2022

This chapter is the turning point for REP. In a miraculous turn of events, Noor meets a group of Japanese American elders who were forced to live in US internment camps during WWII.

Their stories, some being shared for the first time, are a testament to our interconnectedness.

Transcripts are available at ⁠www.ays.media/rep-transcripts⁠.

Follow on Instagram: ⁠@noor⁠ and ⁠@ays⁠ or Twitter ⁠@ntagouri⁠ and ⁠@Zaron3 ⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3. "Muslim Cool" (ft. Dr. Su’ad, Mumu Fresh, Brother Ali, and Ilyasah Shabazz) May 02, 2022

Conceptualized by Dr. Su’ad Abdul Khabeer, the journey of Muslim Cool takes us on an exploration of Knowledge of Self through the lens of hiphop, Islam, and Blackness.

The stories we tell through our names, music, and the identities formed around us. Come for the music. Stay for the perspective you never thought you’d hear.

Storytellers include Dr. Su’ad, Maimouna Youssef aka “Mumu Fresh,” Brother Ali, and Ilyasah Shabazz.

Transcripts are available at ⁠⁠www.ays.media/rep-transcripts⁠⁠.

Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠@noor⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@ays⁠⁠

or Twitter ⁠⁠@ntagouri⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@Zaron3 ⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2. Golden Girls Apr 18, 2022

This is a story about a Bosnian Muslim refugee turned radio icon. Or so we thought.

In this next chapter of REP, Noor examines the art of listening, how to revisit the stories we've told before, and what happens when you really get to know your friends.

Transcripts are available at ⁠⁠www.ays.media/rep-transcripts⁠⁠.

Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠@noor⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@ays⁠⁠ or Twitter ⁠⁠@ntagouri⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@Zaron3 ⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1. Vanished Apr 04, 2022

This is a story told from the perspective of the “collateral damage.” The year is 1986 and the U.S. has ordered an air strike on Libya. An attack that will change the lives of award-winning journalist Noor Tagouri’s family forever.

Here we are introduced to the dynamics of the 3Ps - Politics, Pop Culture, and Public Opinion. Welcome to our first stop on the journey of REP.

Transcripts are available at ⁠⁠www.ays.media/rep-transcripts⁠⁠.

Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠@noor⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@ays⁠⁠ or Twitter ⁠⁠@ntagouri⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@Zaron3 ⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing: REP: A Story About the Stories We Tell, hosted by Noor Tagouri (2023 Webby Nominee: Best Limited Series) Mar 28, 2022

*2023 Webby Nominee: Best Limited Series*

Welcome to REP, a bold, wide-ranging investigative podcast, brought to you by award-winning journalist Noor Tagouri (Sold in America)

REP is an exploration into the concepts of Representation and Objectivity in Media.

Noor began by examining the misrepresentation of Muslims in US Media, and how this impacts American culture as a whole.

She quickly discovered a fuller exploration of the ever-evolving story of America, which challenges the stories we’ve known…and reveals how the stories we tell affect all of us.

REP is a thoughtful investigation of our beliefs and understandings, and how they exist within the dynamic of politics, pop culture, and public opinion.

This is a story about the stories we tell.

www.ays.media/rep

Transcripts are available at ⁠⁠⁠www.ays.media/rep-transcripts⁠⁠⁠.

Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠@noor⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@ays⁠⁠

Twitter ⁠⁠@ntagouri⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@Zaron3 ⁠