Reynolds HotBox

New Hotbox hosts Makayla and Sol, and Bucky our in-studio dog, preview upcoming activities in Reno, from college football to balloons in the sky, and if it's worth waking up early for, as well as reporting about potions, rocks and the Reno hip hop scene.

Reynolds Sandbox reporter Faith Evans speaks with internet attorney Andrew Jaffe about chatroom scammers, international internet law, and the perils of the fine print in privacy policies.

Reynolds Sandbox reporters Alexandra Rush and Rachel Jackson look into street photography, safety measures and evolving ethics while taking photos in public.

Two Reynolds Sandbox journalists Christion and Sean, a self described "nerdiest" person in his family, look into some of their favorite places for nerds, both for over 21s, including The Glass Die and Press Start, and for the all age crowd, including Coffee N' Comics, Cap'n Games. Listen to full episode to find out which is their favorite one.

With a surge of hate crimes against the AAPI community rising rapidly, co-hosts and #rsjlab Reynolds Sandbox reporters Jade and Ashlyn discuss what it means to be an Asian in 2021. The two discuss their personal experiences being Asian-Americans, opening up about their struggles and feelings about the current crimes happening against the AAPI community. They delve into media coverage of the recent events, highlighting how the AAPI community has found ways to share pride in their Asian culture despite facing hateful actions.

HotBox hits the courts as Johanna and Sean join host Matt to discuss March Madness, from upsets to unequal treatment of women's teams.

Co hosts Matt and Johanna look at the ins and outs of working in Reno's restaurant industry during the pandemic and adapting.

Matt hosts Johanna and Sean as they look into some of their own subculture reporting in Reno and from their Reynolds Media Lab newsroom colleagues, from being a sportswriter during a pandemic to different subsets of local student skateboard culture.

Matt Hanifan interviews Johanna Guerrero about a recent Nevada Humanities event about white supremacy she covered for the Reynolds Sandbox. Her article here: https://medium.com/the-reynolds-media-lab/white-supremacy-the-threat-to-democracy-and-manifest-destiny-74e208a9ac69

Emilie Rodriguez interviews two other Reynolds School of Journalism students Caitlin Delim and Jaycee Grider who studied abroad right before and during the pandemic, and finds out more about the risks and rewards of having a semester in a foreign country.

In this episode for the Reynolds Hotbox, Montana Lloyd and co-host Mikayla Dance present two up and coming podcasts from this semester’s JOUR 425 Audio and Podcasting class at the Reynolds School of Journalism, discussing what they like from each and giving you a sneak peek as well, highlighting Ali Casey’s The True True Crime Podcast and Lauren Turner’s Debunking the Sexes podcast.

Syd Oliver, Seanna Simpson and Kennedy Vincent talk about the latest news in Nevada election results anxiety while breaking down some of the memes about the Silver State flooding the internet.

It's Election Day! Next up is when it gets really exciting. Reynolds HotBox hosts Ian Cook and Wyatt Llaneza talk about what might happen tonight and in the coming weeks. Plus: some interviews with RSJ reporters Kira Hankel and Madeleine Chinery about what they saw at voting stations. Additional reporting by RSJ grad student Richie Bednarski.

Host Gracie Gordon speaks with Nevada Vote reporter Austin Daly on a contentious and polarized race for the at large council seat in Reno as the #NevadaVote takes a closer look at local races and state ballot questions. Find our web reporting at Reynolds Sandbox on Twitter and Instagram, rsjvote on Medium and nvvote.com.

Ian Cook previews some of our reporting this week, from Alina Croft on the scene of early voting in Reno, and some of the demographic specific groups our Nevada Vote team looked into, from white suburban moms to Asian-Americans and the COVID-19 economically impacted. Check out all these articles via our medium.com/rsjvote or nvvote.com.

Faith Evans joins host Sydney Oliver to discuss their recent reporting on Indigenous People's Day of Rage in a context of diversifying voices in the media as well as other Reynolds Sandbox reporting on COVID-19 diaries from a respiratory therapist to a cosmetologist.

Sydney Oliver hosts Catherine Schofield to discuss the impact of body modifications for workers and would be workers, how it affects their standing in earning money, and then talks to Neith Pereira about whitewashing culture on TikTok, and recent manifestations of that, pun intended. This is to highlight the recent explainer journalism from the Reynolds Sandbox and two examples of our student oriented reporting.

Reynolds Sandbox Host Ian Cook and guests Alina Croft and Gracie Gordon present a partial audio version of the Nevada Vote voter guide which can be found on nvvote.com This episode includes a rundown of Reno City Council races.

Ian Cook talks debate strategy with Henry Stone and Gracie Gordon, ahead of tonight's Trump vs. Biden election debate, taking a closer look at polls and which way Nevada's voters might be going.

As part of a week of Reynolds Sandbox reporting on subcultures in Reno, Kate Behring, Sydney Oliver and Neith Pereira look into two of the topics they delved into themselves: body modifications and skating.

Henry Stone and Nico Colombant join new Reynolds Hotbox podcast host Ian Cook to present the 2020 #NevadaVote initiative, and they discuss whether journalists should be advocates, whether voting will be "hazardous" and some lighter moments of reporting research mixed in with promos for our other social media which now include Snapchat and TikTok.

Todd Felts, an Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication at the University of Nevada, Reno, has recently been researching the communication strategy of Turning Point USA, a controversial right-wing organization. He says one of the methods of this group, which has been actively recruiting on college campuses, is to create "pre-constructed anxiety" before events. Their current leader Charlie Kirk came to UNR in October 2019. The group had another event planned in April 2020 but it didn’t happen due to UNR’s coronavirus closure. In this episode with reporters Lucia Starbuck and Scott King, Todd Felts also discusses the continued importance of writing, his background in crisis communication, and the role of campuses in regards to free speech. “I would argue that speech is freer, in some ways, on a college campus than it is in a town square because of the types of participants in the speech, because folks are sitting in rooms learning things, they're thinking about things, and they have things to say,” Felts said. Listen to this episode for more insights in general, and concerning Turning Point USA in particular.

Michelle Baker is a recent graduate from the Reynolds School of Journalism who has a passion for audio and podcasting. She recently attended Werk It: A Women’s Podcast Festival. The L.A. event had successful women in the audio industry talk about the importance of including women and other minorities in audio, trends and tips for getting started and how to make money in the podcasting realm. Those quoted include Julia Turner @juliaturner, Deputy Managing Editor of the LA Times and Jenna Weiss-Berman @WBJenna, the Co-Founder of Pineapple Street Media. Take a listen to this episode of the Reynolds Hotbox hosted by Lucia Starbuck to hear the audio postcard Baker made about her experience at the podcast festival and why audio is her favorite medium. “I think that like from an interviewer's point of view, I think people are less self-conscious in front of a microphone rather than a camera," she said. "People are really able to be themselves and kind of, you know, after a few minutes they kind of just let loose and they're like, 'Oh, it's just me and you having a conversation.' I think that just because audio is so accessible and you can, you know, you don't have to sit down and like watch a documentary, you can just be driving in your car and hear this story.” Baker is an audio producer and has done freelance editing, created a non-narrated story about an immigrant for NPR’s Next Generation Boot Camp and filmed a documentary about a community in Tijuana, Mexico.

Ben Deach is a reporter and weekend anchor for KOLO 8, a local Reno TV news station. Deach can be seen on TV chasing wildfires, covering parole of infamous people like O.J. Simpson or doing an ongoing series on historical sights. In this episode of the Reynolds Hotbox podcast, host Lucia Starbuck and cohost Jordyn Griffin, a KOLO 8 Weekend Editor, talk to Deach about career highlights, what it’s like working for a TV news station and the low point in Deach’s life that lead him to TV news, and why he’s so glad he made the leap. “I like how you become a more well-rounded person working in TV. I was so all-in on sports before. Now, you know, now I cover everything: from fires, to court cases, to stories about kids, whatever it is. This is stuff I never thought I'd see myself doing, but now that I've been doing it, I just feel like I know so much more about how the world works. So, I'd highly recommend that, as opposed to just being a one-track mind type person,” Deach said. In addition to his anchor job, Deach has also successfully navigated the YouTube world as a poker vlogger. He has a little over 11,000 subscribers and his most viewed video has over 40,000 views. Take a listen to this episode of the Reynolds Hotbox podcast to hear Deach’s tips for YouTube and how to master talking in front of the camera.

Wenei Philimon transferred to the Reynolds School of Journalism in the Spring of 2019. Her mom was the one who suggested the idea, citing Philimon’s concern for people and her interest in their plight. In this episode of the Reynolds Hotbox, host Lucia Starbuck and co-host Scott King talk to Philimon about her first two articles for the Reynolds Sandbox and her newfound career goal: investigative journalism. “I've learned so much. I'd never want to be the type of journalist that only cares about the story,” Philimon said, “Having that like 'student activist' on me, it's interesting, because I feel like I'm going further in-depth and learning things more. At the end of the day, I just honestly want to make change and I feel like these articles gave me a platform to allow these people to, you know, basically gave me a platform to amplify their voices.” Philimon’s first article “Students of Color Say They Feel Increasingly Unwelcome at UNR,” focused on racial tensions at the University of Nevada, Reno including minorities feeling unsafe on campus, negative results of the Campus Climate Survey, and racist actions by UNR police officers. Philimon then went on to publish a revealing Q&A with UNR President Marc Johnson shortly after his announcement that he will be stepping down in 2020. Take a listen to this episode of the Reynolds Hotbox to hear about Philimon’s experiences writing these stories and what she’s learned as a student journalist tackling the most important issues.

Assistant Professor of Spanish Language Media Dr. Ezequiel Korin discusses his recent paper, Technological Bridging: Exploring the Use of Communications Technologies Amid the Diasporic Experience. The paper published this year in the Qualitative Inquiry journal is an auto-ethnographical research paper which posits that the shift to digital communication technology is making interactions between people in the diaspora and their families back home more transient; leading to a certain loss of identity that was present when communication involved material items. Korin grew up in Venezuela, after leaving Argentina at the age of one. He started out in engineering but soon became interested in communication as a human phenomenon, leading to his doctorate in Mass Communication and Media Studies at the University of Georgia. Throughout this episode, hosted and produced by Reynolds School graduate student Temi Durojaiye, Korin discusses the intractable problem of fake news, explores his youth growing up in Latin America, and gives advice to recent graduates of journalism and others interested in pursuing a career in the field.

Thomas Sampson, an undergrad student at the Reynolds School of Journalism, and the host of the Back to the Films podcast, chats with Dr. Myrton Running Wolf, an assistant professor of Race and Media, about his recent paper titled: “Thank You, Adam Sandler & Co., for Giving Us a Native American Rosa Parks Moment!” The paper is a response to the 2015 film The Ridiculous 6, which stars Adam Sandler, and according to Wikipedia, is just one of a few films to have received an approval rating of 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. Running Wolf’s paper highlights the discrimination experienced by Native American actors in Hollywood, and also acts as a call to action for films such as The Ridiculous 6 to no longer be made. With supporting roles in Academy Award nominated films such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The New World, along with directing, producing and writing his own work, Running Wolf provides a unique perspective as to what it means to be Native American in the film industry today.

Associate Dean and Professor at the Reynolds School of Journalism Donica Mensing discusses a chapter she wrote for the book Global Journalism Education. Her paper specifically looked at, why in the United States, newsrooms are dramatically shrinking while journalism schools continuing to grow. In this episode, Dr. Mensing shares her research findings, experience as an educator, and advice to anyone interested in exploring a journalism or media related career with co-host Kathleen Masterson, a radio journalist and professor of Science Communication . The producer and host of this episode is Reynolds School of Journalism graduate student Tianna Morimoto.

Do you use mobile apps on your cell phone to monitor your health? Dr. Laura Crosswell, an Assistant Professor of Health Communication, says that “though these apps can help facilitate the communication between a physician and/or medical facility, they also leave a gap.” This, because not all people have access to tech gadgets, computers, or smartphones. Dr. Crosswell recently published a paper in Perspectives in Public Health titled "The doctor in my pocket: examining mobile approaches to personal wellbeing." Dr. Todd Felts, an Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication, and a co-host on this episode, agrees and says that “there is room for improvement in training doctors on how to communicate in a ‘mobile format’ in today’s modern world”. The host and producer for this episode is Issmar Ventura, a graduate student at the Reynolds School of Journalism.

Get a glimpse of what the Reynolds School of Journalism at UNR looked like in 1980s, that’s when the since retired Bourne Morris, was the first woman professor at the school. In this episode of the Reynolds Hotbox, RSJ Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication Todd Felts talks to Bob Felten, Professor Emeritus, and Morris about the differences in their experiences of teaching advertising and public relations, and what they’re up to now. “So, the faculty was probably half the size of what it is today. All male, many of them, in fact, most of them had had professional experience, but not in advertising. Also, they weren't very sure that they approved of a woman from advertising coming into their print journalism world. But sooner or later they got used to me and then later we hired people who taught television and public relations and we hired more women. We became what is now the modern and very exciting [Reynolds] School of Journalism,” Bourne said. Bourne retired about 10 years ago and since then she’s been writing books. She discusses at length her newest book titled, A Woman of Two Minds, which includes media relationships, matricide, and issues regarding sexual assault. Felten, who only retired this year, discusses how students are more open now, and share their stories about sexual assault. Is this a direct result of the #MeToo movement? Listen to this episode of the Reynolds Hotbox produced by student journalist Lucia Starbuck to find out more.

White supremacy on UNR campus, protests, issues related to diversity and even construction is what the news editor, Taylor Johnson, of the Nevada Sagebrush covers. In this episode of the Reynolds Hotbox, with host Lucia Starbuck and cohost Scott King, Johnson discusses her experiences writing for a student run print news publication, the time her work was plagiarized and why it’s important for her to capture student voices. “When I've reported on diversity related issues, protests, what not, I like to focus on the students because to me, students are like the spirit of this university. They have a lot of power even if they don't see it and I love hearing their experiences and their voice, especially like when reporting,” Johnson said. This semester, Johnson spoke to fellow students for her recent article, ‘White Supremacy Persists at UNR, Two Years After Charlottesville,’ which covered the actions of the white supremacist group, American Identity Movement, putting their fliers and posters on bulletin boards around campus. Johnson wrote about student and faculty responses and did what most media didn’t, included the AIM founder’s side of the story. The article brought Johnson publicity after the president of UNR shared the story with the entire school. Johnson said she received criticism from both sides. Take a listen to this episode of the Reynolds Hotbox to hear more about Taylor’s experiences writing this article and the impact it had, as well as what drives her to be a student journalist.

Filing public records requests is a lot like fishing, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Senior Investigative Researcher Dave Maass. In this episode of the Reynolds Hotbox, with host Lucia Starbuck and cohost Nico Colombant, Maass shares his proudest Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, when he uncovered that South Carolina corrections officials were punishing inmates for using social media. Maass even discovered that one person got 37 years in solitary confinement from cell phone use. Maass covers issues related to police surveillance, free speech and government accountability. Maass started reporting as a child when he was only eight years old. In his adult life he went on to be a muckraker, which is someone who digs into institutions in order to uncover injustices. “Over the years I've really developed a practice of using investigative reporting techniques with the idea of exposing things, but also incorporating a component to get change," he says. "So not just putting the information out there and expecting somebody else to do something about it, but putting the information out there and figuring out how I can make that difference.” Maass is currently working on a project called Atlas of Surveillance, organized by EFF in partnership with UNR’s Reynolds School of Journalism. Take a listen to this episode of the Reynolds Hotbox to learn how Maass has accessed government records to uncover truths and why he thinks it’s so important for journalists to have these skills as well.

President Trump uses Twitter to suggest everything from nuclear war, to tout his personal good looks, and even lately, that he may be a victim of lynching. He's also used Twitter to communicate directly with would-be voters and with the media. If you think President Trump is a little out of control with his daily tweets, and what this may mean, in this episode, Dr. Paromita Pain deconstructs her 2019 paper called “The President Is in: Public Opinion and the Presidential Use of Twitter.” Dr. Pain is an assistant professor of Global Media Studies at the Reynolds School of Journalism, where she explores emerging newsroom practices and concerns in a global context. Her findings outline a calculated effort by the president to marshal his 60 million plus Twitter followers. The study may leave you asking if there is still hope of a more civilized future on Twitter and in our politics? The reporter for this episode is graduate student Norris Burkes, with Nico Colombant, the coordinator of the Reynolds Media Lab, as co-host.

Prince Nesta hosts anarchists Bancho, Emilio and Emma (real names withheld), as he explores the anarchist perspective on the state of American politics, Anti-Fascist movements, lawlessness, political resistance and different ideas of freedom. The guests also express their disgust on America’s double standards around foreign policy and its two-party system.

Prince Nesta hosts The Last Poets, a musical group formed in 1968 which laid the foundation for Hip-Hop. Many Hip-Hop historians consider them the grandfathers of the genre. The influential group talks about African-American consciousness, their influence on artists such as The Notorious B.I.G, Tupac Shakur, and their rollercoaster ride in the music industry.

Prince Nesta hosts UNR graduate student, Temi Durojaiye who recently moved to the U.S. from Nigeria, and attended Reno’s biggest food festival. Temi recounts his experience at the festival, which included lots of ribs, amusement rides, and even a clown. We also explore the food culture back in Lagos, Nigerians’ most beloved foods, and the awesomeness of jollof rice.

Prince Nesta hosts sports enthusiasts and journalists Paul Mitchell, Myrton Running Wolf and Garrett Hirschberg as he explores the history of American sports, from basketball to boxing, the NFL’s plummeting ratings and controversies from the national anthem to Native American mascots.

Student journalist and Our Town Reno reporter Robyn Feinberg joins Prince Nesta to discuss reporting about homelessness, poverty, and gentrification. Robyn has spent the past three years pursuing investigations and street reporting in Reno, Nevada, and also provides her own experiences from recent travels. Prince Nesta has also been reporting for the Our Town Reno street reporting collective. He also provides insights and comparisons from his native country, Kenya.

Prince Nesta hosts Jill Vacchina Dobbs, the Executive Director of SPCA Northern Nevada, as he explores America's lovey dovey relationship with their pets, using dogs to get dates, pet health and wellness, effects of dog abuse and unique exotic pets. Kenyans also express shock on America’s pet owners ‘weirdness’.

Prince Nesta hosts Mwende “FreeQuency” Katwiwa, a Kenyan queer spoken word artist, immigrant, author, freedom fighter and social justice activist. “FreeQuency” performs some of her poems, touching on issues such as LGBTQ advocacy, sexuality, feminism, the Black Lives Matter movement, oppression, Pan-Africanism, Kenyan roots, and she also shares her incredible American journey.

Prince Nesta hosts a one-time country music disc jockey turned Dean of a journalism school, Alan Stavitsky, and the producer of a podcast called Modern Success, Maddie Zhang, as both share views and advice on how to achieve success from different cultural and regional perspectives within the broad American landscape of opportunity.

As mass murders continue in the United States at an alarming rate, our host Prince Nesta looks back in detail at the recent Las Vegas massacre, when a gunman opened fire on a crowd of more than 20,000 concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. Landy Dante Quaill Jr. , one of the survivors, is interviewed on this episode. The October 1st shooting left 58 people dead and 546 injured. Gun control and the use of guns in America is also discussed.

Dr. Albert R. Lee, Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera at the University of Nevada, Reno, talks to our host Prince Nesta about the differences in American and African music cultural identities, musical preferences in the United States, evolutions in jazz music and criticisms of hip-hop.