Pop and Protest

Aida Baghernejad , August Brown , Annett Scheffel

Pop culture has become an indispensable arena for political expression and activism. This discussion examines the paradigm shifts in music journalism and the dynamic relationship between entertainment and social change. Our guests will negotiate how pop culture can act as an agent of hope and its role as a tool for supporting democracies in peril. This episode of the podcast Foreign Correspondents Unplugged is brought to you by the Goethe-Institut in partnership with Thomas Mann House and the American Council on Germany.

Foreign Correspondents Unplugged

The American Council on Germany and the Goethe-Institut are holding a series of events across the United States highlighting how German and American journalists see political and social developments in Germany, the United States, and internationally. Our guests will take a step back from the stories they follow day to day and address a range of topics that affect citizens in both countries. Following the events, the discussions will be released as podcasts.

Aida Baghernejad

Aida Baghernejad is a journalist who studied media studies in Berlin, Barcelona, and London. Her work focuses on how cultural products such as music, film, and social media content influence the socio-political state of the world. In addition to numerous contributions for Die Zeit, Der Tagesspiegel, Missy Magazine, and others, she also co-hosts the podcast 55 Voices for Democracy, a collaboration between the Thomas Mann House, the Goethe-Institut, dublab radio, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Aida is a 2024 Thomas Mann Fellow.

August Brown

August Brown covers pop music, the music industry and nightlife policy at the Los Angeles Times.

Annett Scheffel

Annett Scheffel is a culture writer, editor, speaker, and presenter based in Los Angeles and Berlin. She thinks, writes, and talks about music, film, feminism, and contemporary culture for the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Spiegel Online, Zeit Online Musikexpress, Dummy Magazin, and Deutschlandfunk — preferably at the intersection between identity, society, and politics.

Episode 6 Pop and Protest

Foreign Correspondents Unplugged