Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles--The Atlantic and American Public Media's Marketplace today announced a new joint reporting project, "American Futures,"
that will take their journalists on a cross-country trip to document
the dramatic economic, technological, cultural, and social changes
under way in small towns and cities across the nation. By adapting the
long-standing American tradition of discovering the country through an
extended coast-to-coast journey, and applying sophisticated mapping
technology from the software company Esri, the reporting initiative
will showcase the people, communities, companies, and trends that are
emerging out of the past decade's economic, technological, and
demographic disruption.
James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic and a pilot, and his wife, the linguist and author Deborah Fallows,
will travel from one small-town airport to the next in their
propeller-driven Cirrus SR-22 airplane, spending time in towns and
cities that mainstream news coverage often overlooks. Kai Ryssdal, host and senior editor of Marketplace, and his team will report from various legs of the trip.
Among the topics the project will explore are:
- The ways immigration is transforming communities across the American interior;
- How shifts in world markets for food and energy have changed opportunities in America's farmland;
- How both new and established businesses have found ways to serve global customers from small towns; and
- How certain cities have made themselves centers of innovation and livability.
"American Futures" launches today on a special destination on TheAtlantic.com, with ongoing segments to air on Marketplace, heard on public radio stations nationwide, and to appear on marketplace.org, beginning September 2. The Atlantic
magazine will also have coverage of the journey. The trip kicks off in
Holland, Michigan, a site of traditional American manufacturing and
exporting strength, and stops in the coming weeks will include South
Dakota, Wyoming, Missouri, and Indiana, with many more across the
country to be announced as the expedition unfolds.
The Atlantic and Marketplace
have partnered with Esri, a leader in mapping technology, to add a
powerful visual component to "American Futures." Esri's technology will
enrich the reporting initiative with a collection of interactive maps
that merge real-time statistics, demographic information, text,
pictures, audio, and video.
"During our years of living outside the United States, Deb and I have
always learned a lot by getting on a bus or train and reporting what we
find as we travel across a place," James Fallows said. "There is a long
and honored American tradition of similar voyages of discovery. Every
time we've made a 'road trip by air,' we've been fascinated to spend
time in places that are far from interstates or big cities but have
their own small airports as connections to the world. With the help of
Esri's innovative software for planning and recording our trip, and
with Marketplace as the ideal
partner for chronicling changes in the fabric of America's commercial
and cultural life, we're excited to update an American reportorial
tradition with new explanatory tools."
"There are stories to be told in America that have to be sought
out--that have to be found and discovered--before they can be told.
That's what this project is about. Jim and Deb Fallows's idea of
teaming with Esri to find those stories from the air and then explain
them on the ground is a perfect fit for Marketplace.
It's a great chance to use technology and creativity to help our
readers and listeners understand the way our economy and society are
changing," said Ryssdal.
Siemens is the exclusive launch sponsor of "American Futures" across The Atlantic's digital platforms.
