From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: International Podcast Day

Description: In honor of International Podcast Day, we're talking about
one of our favorite subjects - the Watchdog Report podcast.

Released: September 2019

[ Background Music ]

[ Chuck Young: ] It's non-partisan, fact-based information that you can
trust.

[ Matt Oldham: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news
and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm Matt
Oldham. In honor of International Podcast Day, September 30th, 2019,
we're going to talk about podcasts. Specifically, GAO podcasts. You
know, since 2010, we've produced more than 440 podcasts and there have
been different personnel over these years working on producing the
Watchdog Report, but Chuck Young, the managing director of GAO's Office
of Public Affairs has been one of the few constants and he's here with
me. Thanks for joining me, Chuck.

[ Chuck Young: ] Thanks for having me, Matt.

[ Matt Oldham: ] So, Chuck, why did we start doing podcasts here at GAO?

[ Chuck Young: ] Well, you know, back when we started, podcasting was
sort of coming into its own and there was a question about whether
podcasting was here to stay, or was only having its moment and then was
going to fade. But it was clear that people were turning to podcasts as
a different way to get information. And for GAO, the important thing is
we put out a lot of tremendous nonpartisan fact-based reports. In this
information age, it isn't good enough to just put them on the website
and say, well, I hope somebody comes and looks. You've got to make sure
that you are providing the work in the ways that people now access and
consume information.

[ Matt Oldham: ] So, Chuck, you're talking about how podcasts are an
option to find out about the work that GAO does, but how else does GAO
spread the word about our work?

[ Chuck Young: ] Well, we have a lot of tools that we're taking
advantage of. Because people are getting information from Facebook and
from Twitter and from YouTube, we're doing all of those things as well
so that you can find information about our work there. And we're always
willing to experiment and we've done that with the podcast, too. We have
tried video podcasts and didn't-- they didn't find as much of an
audience, so we're sticking with the audio, and now we're experimenting
on a longer-form podcast. You know, a lot of podcasts can go 30 minutes,
an hour. Ours have been only about five minutes to quickly give people a
little insight, but we're going to delve a little deeper. We're going to
bring in the people who help do the work, who are out in the field, the
auditors and policy analysts, and we're going to start exploring a
little bit more. So, that's something that listeners can keep an ear out
for because those are coming soon.

[ Matt Oldham: ] So, stay tuned.

[ Chuck Young: ] Exactly.

[ Matt Oldham: ] Last question. Why should someone listen to the
Watchdog Report?

[ Chuck Young: ] Well, you know, GAO does a lot of great work and, in
fact, we have a lot of both financial and nonfinancial benefits that we
bring and it's nonpartisan fact-based information that you can trust.
So, I think the podcast, if that's how you like to get your information,
if you're on the treadmill, you're in your car, whatever, it gives you a
window into some of the ways that GAO has suggested we can improve
government, we can make it more effective, and the ideas we've-- we are
putting before the Congress on ways to do that.

[ Background Music ]

[ Matt Oldham: ] That was Chuck Young, GAO's managing director of the
Office of Public Affairs talking about our podcasts in honor of
International Podcast Day 2019. Thanks, Chuck.

[ Chuck Young: ] Thank you, Matt.

[ Matt Oldham: ] And thank you for listening to this special edition of
the Watchdog Report. To hear more podcasts, subscribe to us on Apple
Podcasts. For more from the congressional watchdog, the U.S. Government
Accountability Office, visit us at gao.gov.