FWIW

Stephanie Valencia, co-founder of Equis Labs and She Se Puede, joins Tara for this final pre-election episode to talk about what Democrats need to do to reach Latino and Latina voters where they are, what messengers work best with the Latinx community, and the importance of their vote in 2020.

Red, Wine, and Blue is a grassroots women-led organization mobilizing suburban women in Ohio and beyond to get involved in local politics and issue advocacy in their communities. Their founder, Katie Paris, joins Tara on the pod to talk about harnessing the power of suburban women and creating new momentum for suburban communities online.

Sarah Longwell, founder of Republican Voters Against Trump and publisher of The Bulwark, joins Tara on today’s podcast to talk about what it’s like to be a Republican working to unseat Trump, why polarizing partisan messaging doesn’t work, and the future of partisan media in politics.

Adrianne Shropshire, founder & executive director of Black PAC, is running one of the largest programs in the presidential election connecting exclusively with Black voters across the country. She joined us to talk about the Vice Presidential debate, Black PAC's mission, building power in progressive spaces, and how pivotal Black voters are in EVERY election.

James Barnes - who leads ACRONYM's measurement work - joined us to talk through persuasion and a new testing framework that has allowed us to measure our impact when it comes to weakening the public's approval of Trump.

Bernie Sanders built a community of committed followers and completely changed the Democratic party as we know it to exist today. He inspired candidates to embrace more progressive values and policies and he revolutionized how a campaign can build a movement online. How was his coalition built? How can it best be mobilized to defeat Donald Trump in November? Former White House videographer and Creative Director to Bernie Sanders's 2016 campaign, Arun Chaudhary, joins us to talk through these questions and understand the future of Bernie's movement.

How do media outlets accurately report the news while attempting to fact-check the president in real time? Do they shift their coverage to knowledgeable experts such as Dr. Fauci? How do we combat the lies that are putting American lives at risk? Crooked Media's Dan Pfeiffer, a former White House Communications Director and Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, joins us to answer these questions.

How does one organize during a worldwide pandemic? How do campaigns continue to reach voters where they are when door-knocking isn't possible? They can't just stop. So, what does it mean to become a fully digital campaign in the time of COVID-19?This week, we brought on Greta Carnes - former National Organizing Director for Pete Buttigieg - to talk about relational organizing online and how campaigns can digitally adapt at a time of national crisis.

How is perception shaped, influenced, & manipulated online? What are the real world outcomes it has on our elections? Tara sat down again with Jiore Craig, Vice President at GQR, a digital expert, and an alumni of the FWIW podcast - to discuss the factors that influence our perceived experiences online as they pertain to the 2020 election.   Clips/Sources:ABC News - Ady BarkanABC News - Social Media InfluencersNBC's Today Show - Social Media InfluencersBloomberg's  QuickTake - Business of Influencers  

Approximately 4 million people will be turning 18 in 2020. 4 million young voters. How are these young voters engaging with campaigns online? What's filling their newsfeeds? What type of digital content is firing them up? Tara sat down with Caitlin Reardon, Ayo Ehindero, John Harashinski - three highly-politically engaged students at Washington & Lee University - to discuss how they’re experiencing the election on their newsfeeds, on their mobile devices, and in their own social circles. Produced by Wonder Media Network. 

After the 2016 election, it became clear that progressives needed new tech solutions to meet the needs of a modern campaign. In the past three years, how has Democratic tech changed? Tara sat down with Shomik Dutta, Co-Founder and Partner of progressive startup incubator Higher Ground Labs, to talk about how his company is helping Democrats turn their ideas into powerful digital tools that will help campaigns win. Produced by Wonder Media Network. 

Why is disinformation such a powerful, malicious force in America and around the world? How should campaigns plan for and deal with disinformation that targets them? For the first episode in this fateful election year, Tara sat down with Jiore Craig, Vice President at GQR and an expert on disinformation, to talk about her experience with disinformation abroad and the steps we can take here at home. Produced by Wonder Media Network. 

How can we combat right-wing online misinformation and increase civic engagement in America? Tara spoke with Lindsay Schrupp, editor-in-chief of Courier Newsroom, and Pat Kreitlow, Managing Editor of the upcoming Up North News, to discuss how a new digital-first local news company can build trust online in a fractured media ecosystem that is constantly undermined by the President. Produced by Wonder Media Network.

What did Republicans learn from 2016? What are Republican consultants and digital operatives learning and trying in 2020? To get a peek into how the other side is thinking about the digital space, Tara sat down with Eric Wilson, the editor of the digital politics newsletter "Learn, Test, Optimize." Produced by Wonder Media Network.

What was it like to work for Facebook’s political ad team in 2016, and what can today’s campaigns do to take advantage of the platform? Tara spoke with Facebook-turned-ACRONYM employees Tatenda Musapatike and James Barnes - who worked for Facebook to support campaigns on both sides of the aisle - to discuss what they learned while working for the social media giant. Produced by Wonder Media Network.

 How has covering the White House and the campaign trail changed over the past decade? Tara spoke with CNN Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny to explore how the media has learned how to report on a presidency and campaign that is unfolding daily on Twitter. Produced by Wonder Media Network

How do political campaigns gather voter data online, and how are they using it to change hearts and minds? To find out, Tara spoke with Nell Thomas, the Chief Technology Officer of the Democratic National Committee. FWIW Podcast is a product of Courier Newsroom + produced by Wonder Media Network.

How has the process of running a modern political campaign changed since Barack Obama’s historic election in 2008? For our inaugural episode, Tara sat down with David Plouffe, former Campaign Manager for President Barack Obama’s ground-breaking presidential campaigns. Produced by Wonder Media Network

Every other week, FWIW will take you where the pundits and campaign spokespeople won’t - behind the scenes, under the hood and into the digital spaces where the race for the White House will be won.