PODCAST · government
Paper Sings
by Daniel Madden
“No one should be able to pull curtains of secrecy around decisions which can be revealed without injury to the public interest.”– Lyndon B. Johnson, 1966But first, you have to know which decisions to ask about.I’m Daniel Madden, an Australian teacher, writer and father trying to reconnect with my daughter in Japan. I asked what my government could do to help. The answers eventually led me to ask for the paperwork.Paper Sings follows the trail through government letters, internal briefings and records released under freedom of information. What begins as a question for one department leads to another. An assurance sends us looking for a decision. A decision raises the question of who checked the result. There is a surprising amount of work involved in finding out what an ordinary sentence means.The consequences are less abstract. Parents and children grow older while their circumstances pass through offices, processes and reporting systems. I want to understand what those systems
Episodes
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START HERE: Welcome to Paper Sings
I’m Daniel Madden, an Australian teacher and a father who has spent years separated from his daughter in Japan. My search for answers became an investigation into what governments promise families, what they do, and what happens afterwards. Paper Sings follows that investigation through letters,...
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[PREVIEW] The View from Below: Something More Durable
Free five-minute preview · Full instalment for paid members How much of an investigation should rest on a personal story? In Something More Durable, I reflect on the experience behind Paper Sings, the limits of media attention, and building a public record that can be tested. The View from Below...
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Episode 2: Sent
The Australian Embassy in Tokyo confirms that it has sent my daughter a letter about an Australian passport. After years without contact, that is welcome news. But what does “sent” actually tell us? I follow the correspondence to discover what the letter is meant to achieve and what government...
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Episode 1: The File Opens
In the first episode of Paper Sings, I return to the newspaper report and correspondence that started this investigation. A public account of Australian families separated in Japan meets a private exchange about what assistance is available and what happens when someone asks for it. Transcript…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
“No one should be able to pull curtains of secrecy around decisions which can be revealed without injury to the public interest.”– Lyndon B. Johnson, 1966But first, you have to know which decisions to ask about.I’m Daniel Madden, an Australian teacher, writer and father trying to reconnect with my daughter in Japan. I asked what my government could do to help. The answers eventually led me to ask for the paperwork.Paper Sings follows the trail through government letters, internal briefings and records released under freedom of information. What begins as a question for one department leads to another. An assurance sends us looking for a decision. A decision raises the question of who checked the result. There is a surprising amount of work involved in finding out what an ordinary sentence means.The consequences are less abstract. Parents and children grow older while their circumstances pass through offices, processes and reporting systems. I want to understand what those systems
HOSTED BY
Daniel Madden
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Paper Sings have?
Paper Sings currently has 4 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Paper Sings about?
“No one should be able to pull curtains of secrecy around decisions which can be revealed without injury to the public interest.”– Lyndon B. Johnson, 1966But first, you have to know which decisions to ask about.I’m Daniel Madden, an Australian teacher, writer and father trying to reconnect with my...
How often does Paper Sings release new episodes?
Paper Sings has 4 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Paper Sings?
You can listen to Paper Sings on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Paper Sings?
Paper Sings is created and hosted by Daniel Madden.
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