“The situation feels biblical,” intoned Chioke I’Anson as he leaned into the mic. 

I’Anson, founder and director of the Resonate Podcast Festival in Richmond, Virginia, used his opening remarks to lay out the stakes for “Press,” Resonate’s fifth annual installment. In less desperate times, this theme might prompt all manner of poetic interpretations. Pressing one’s luck, maybe; or the issue, or the flesh. (Press pause? Is that anything?)

But as I’Anson made clear in his invocation, “Press” was not some vague jumping-off point. He meant The Press, as in journalism, and all the ways it is failing. In an age of mis- and disinformation, media illiteracy, and the wholesale theft of our work by big tech, how can true stories made with integrity possibly break through? 

No, really — how? The question was not posed rhetorically; I’Anson suggested we’d need to hold ourselves accountable for finding some answers, however preliminary, over the course of the next three days. So began a sharply focused Resonate 2026, with a program of speakers fully committed to the project. The stakes are higher than the survival of our own wounded industry; no less than the fate of American democracy depends on us figuring this shit out. 

As podcast gatherings go, Resonate has always been on the artsy end of the spectrum, focused on craft and meaning over download counts and monetization. This is fitting for a festival that takes place in a contemporary art museum. If you happen to hear the phrase “go-to-market strategy” at Resonate, it is most likely the butt of a joke. 

This can be a blessing and a curse.