The Prison Boom with Shannon Heffernan

The Prison Boom with Shannon Heffernan

Author: Sarah Marshall May 23, 2022 Duration: 1:03:24
Where did all these prisons come from? WBEZ’s Shannon Heffernan is here to give us part of the answer, which involves “small government” (of course), Lennie Briscoe (as always), the pink flowers of Alcatraz, and a prison sweepstakes that produced the actual worst song of the 80s. Two quick corrections via Shannon: "I said Illinois has potential plans to shrink one prison and close another. That was an error. Both plans are about shrinking facilities. I said CO's have a life expectanc...

Sarah Marshall, a journalist with a deep fascination for history, hosts the You're Wrong About podcast. Her focus isn't on dusty timelines, but on the stories we think we know-the sensational headlines, the infamous public figures, and the cultural moments that solidified into simplistic myths. Each episode picks apart a specific narrative, often one rooted in the recent past, to reveal the messy, complicated, and frequently misunderstood reality underneath. You'll hear her dive into figures and events from the realms of true crime, media frenzies, and societal shifts, always with a thoughtful and empathetic lens. The conversations in this podcast are less about assigning new blame and more about untangling how our collective memory can so often get it wrong. It’s for anyone who has ever questioned the official story or felt that the popular version of events was missing crucial context. Listening feels like having a detailed, compelling conversation with a friend who did all the research, guiding you through the nuances we missed the first time around. Marshall’s approach transforms topics we might have dismissed as tabloid fodder into genuine explorations of culture, psychology, and history. The result is a consistently engaging re-examination that challenges assumptions and encourages a more curious view of the world, one corrected misconception at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

You're Wrong About
Podcast Episodes
Karen Carpenter Part 2 with Carolyn Kendrick [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:39:10
In this episode, Carolyn and Sarah follow Karen from the height of her fame through her struggle to find independence, her attempts at eating disorder recovery, and finally to her death on February 4, 1983, when she was…
Karen Carpenter Part 1 with Carolyn Kendrick [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:06
Long ago and oh so far away, Carolyn and Sarah fell in love with Karen Carpenter when they saw her drum. We examine her meteoric rise. CONTENT WARNING: Karen Carpenter died in 1983 of complications from an eating disorde…
Baby Jessica with Blair Braverman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:12
On October 14, 1987, 18-month-old Jessica McClure fell down a well in Midland, Texas. This week, Sarah tells our survival correspondent, Blair Braverman, about the community that worked to rescue her, and the nation that…
Beanie Babies with Jamie Loftus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:20
They’re winsome and soft and so fun to cuddle/ With one of Ty’s Beanie Babies, you could never go wrong/ But they were all born from a toxic puddle/ It really was capitalism all along. This week, Jamie Loftus tells us th…
Where Have All the Preppies Gone? with Avery Trufelman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:54
Put on your Docksiders for a stroll through history with Avery Trufelman, who shows us how Ivy style became “preppy,” and how preppy fashion escaped the campus and took over the world. We’re talking about clothing, class…
The Movie Rating System with Karina Longworth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:30
How did Poltergeist get that PG rating? Podcast legend Karina Longworth, host of You Must Remember This, takes us on a wild ride through a century or so of Hollywood history, and shows us what’s been left on the cutting…
Flight 571: Survival in the Andes with Blair Braverman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:52
Our survival correspondent Blair Braverman is here to tell us the story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed in the Andes on October 13, 1972. Of the 45 people on board, 16 ultimately lived. Their survival ma…
Your Abortion Stories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:58
“Abortion is healthcare and abortion is a human right. Abortion is racial justice. It’s economic justice. It’s at the intersection of every movement towards liberation. My abortion was a gift.” We asked you to share your…
Online Shopping with Amanda Mull [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:40
Why is it so hard to find the one thing you need? The Atlantic’s Amanda Mull is here to tell us the story of shopping, from the Silk Road to SHEIN hauls, and the story that emerges is one of workers turned against each o…
Hunting Serial Killers with Michael Hobbes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:16
This week, Mike and Sarah reunite to hunt for serial killers, and try to figure out whether they’re really endangered. Digressions include crow funerals, Carrie Bradshaw, and how we feel about being called mom and dad. A…