S1E7: Anya Kamenetz on Investigative Journalism and ISTA

Award-winning journalist Anya Kamenetz joins Cara to discuss her February 2025 New York Magazine investigation of The International School of Temple Arts, ISTA. Anya explains how she came to the story through friends who loved ISTA, attending an ISTA-adjacent retreat, and hearing whispers of a "Me Too problem" the organization was supposedly addressing. What began as a story about accountability done right became something else as facts emerged during the year-long reporting process.Anya walks through the challenges of trauma-informed interviewing with seven survivors, the editorial process at a major publication (fact-checkers, lawyers, revisions), and ISTA's responses both public and private. She addresses accusations of bias and "bait and switch." Cara and Anya name what survivors received from ISTA’s Accountability efforts versus what perpetrators got, the devastating impact of ISTA's post-publication response, and why Anya regrets editors cut her disclosure of attending an ISTA-like retreat, herself.Content Note: Discussion of sexual assault, organizational harm, and cult dynamics.Read Anya's ISTA investigationListen to her article on YouTubeABOUT ANYA KAMENETZ:Anya Kamenetz is an award-winning journalist, author, and speaker who has worked for National Public Radio and contributed to The New Yorker, New York Magazine, the New York Times, the Atlantic and many other publications. As an advisor to Climate Mental Health Network, she co-created the Climate Emotions Wheel. Her Substack The Golden Hour and her forthcoming book Falling In Love With The World Again (Bloomsbury, 2027) explore how to cope and thrive in a time of rapid change and intersecting crises.Website: http://anyakamenetz.net/ Substack: thegoldenhour.substack.comRESOURCES:Safer Sex-Positive and Spiritual Communities: 3SC.CommunityICSA (International Cultic Studies Association): ICSA.orgCONNECT:Conversations like these helped me get through the darkest times, and I hope they help us get through dark times together.If this episode resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.Questions or feedback: [email protected] a 30 min curiosity call with Cara: calendly.com/caracordonicoachingSubstack: https://caracordoni.substack.com/ Instagram: @caracordoniLike what you're hearing? Subscribe, share with someone who might benefit, and leave a review. Your engagement helps others find these conversations, especially because this is a new show.CREDITS:Graphics: Paxton ScarberryMusic: "Midnight Rendezvous" by Sasha Ende (ende.app)Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0