This Month on "Story in the Public Square" - September 2026
"Story in the Public Square" is a national broadcast that unpacks narratives with outside impact on public understanding and public policy. Hosted by Jim Ludes, the show can be seen each week on public television stations across the United States and seeks to study, celebrate and tell stories that matter.
Carol Lin: September 7-13, 2026
They come into our homes regularly: people we think we know because we see them on television all the time. Author and journalist Carol Lin reveals a complex personal backstory to the familiar faces we watch on television—even as she remembers 9/11 and one of the moments that made her a household name.
Carissa Veliz: September 14-20, 2026
From the oracles of antiquity to the AI-driven tech giants of today, humanity’s desire to foresee the future is long-standing. AI ethicist Carissa Véliz warns that predicting the future is not the same as foretelling the truth.
Tamryn Spruill: September 21-27, 2026
For 30 seasons, female professional athletes in the United States have been part of an effort to build a professional basketball league while also confronting racism, sexism, and anti-LGBTQ bias. Award-winning journalist Tamryn Spruill recounts that history—and the players whose gritty determination on and off the court—built the league and changed the country.
Caitlin Dickerson: September 28-October 4, 2026 [Rebroadcast]
As a candidate in 2016 and 2024, Donald Trump promised to crack down on undocumented immigrants—and after one year in office, the president has moved fast. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Caitlin Dickerson says that the policies and their implementation come with a very high price—for the immigrants and even for U.S. officials.
In Rhode Island and southeastern New England, the show is broadcast on Rhode Island PBS on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. and is rebroadcast on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Check your local public television listings for air times near you!
An audio version of the program airs Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET, Sundays at 2:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Mondays at 4:30 a.m. ET on SiriusXM’s popular P.O.T.U.S. (Politics of the United States), channel 124.