This prize-winning student podcast explores how faith and power — forces that can be used for good — may be misused for personal gain. The result is tragic.
A photo of the Guyanese rainforest superimposed on a map showing Guyana. (Image adapted from Canva/Getty Images)
This podcast, by high school student Catherine Dowuona-Addison, tied for third place in the 18th News Decoder Storytelling competition. The story was produced out of News Decoder’s school partnership program. Catherine is a student at SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College in Ghana. Learn more about how News Decoder can work with your school.
The Jonestown massacre took place in northwest Guyana on 18 November 1978. Jim Jones, leader of the Peoples Temple, an American religious cult, convinced 918 of his followers to take their own lives in what is the largest cult mass murder-suicide to date.
This tragedy is at the heart of a podcast submitted to News Decoder’s 18th Non-Fiction Storytelling Contest. Student Catherine Dowuona-Addison of SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College in Ghana takes on the topic of the Jonestown massacre and explores how faith can be used for personal gain and lead to such tragedy.
The 20-minute podcast has been split into four parts. To read along with the podcast, click on the links to access the PDF transcripts.
Listen to the podcast
Making a podcast.
Hear from Catherine about her experience of researching, writing and recording her podcast by watching the YouTube short (right)
Want to create your own podcast?
Check out News Decoder’s WePod Guide to Audio Storytelling, a mini podcast series and accompanying PDF booklet that covers the basics of how to create a podcast — everything from finding a story and crafting your piece to recording and editing your podcast.
Questions to consider:
1. What was the Jonestown massacre?
2. Why did Jim Jones and his followers move to Guyana?
3. What makes a cult a cult?
Catherine Dowuona-Addison is a student at SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College with a passion for crime and investigative journalism. She enjoys sharing stories through podcasts and mini-documentaries, shedding light on topics of equal opportunity and human rights abuses across the globe.