This American Life's gutsy and thorough, 1-hour redaction of their wildly popular episode "Mr. Daisey Goes to the Apple Factory." An insightful and probing meditation on the difference between fact and fiction. TAL lays out its own mistakes nakedly and outlines everything they can discern about the story's truth or falsity.
You can hear the original story (removed from the TAL website) here.
Sending a radio producer out with the cops for a night may be a trope, but with good reason. In Night Visions, BBC Radio 4 sent a poet out with London's police helicopter for a night. Police, helicopters, London – the result is a delicious contrast with the TV broadcasts of the London riots last summer.
Playtime: 29 minutes
An Irishman rejects a conventional life to save lives and limbs in the most mined country in the world.
Playtime: 39 minutes 8 seconds
Why does a small town in the heart of Australia's outback have that nation's highest rate of alcohol-related death? Tragic for hundreds of families, though tavern owners and undertakers aren't complaining.
Ham radio operators can build satellites, that can get thrown into orbit from the International Space Station. This item from Radia is more than a factual narration from NASA, it's a building of tension and wonder, a tie between humans on the ground and somehere out there.
Playtime: 28 minutes 30 seconds