Code Switch FAQ
What is Code Switch?
Code Switch is a multi-racial, multi-generational team of NPR journalists who cover race and identity. Our work appears on the weekly Code Switch podcast and radio show, as well as online on our blog, newsletter and social media. (You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.)
Who's on the team?
You can see full bios of all the team members here.
Why cover race?
As you've probably noticed, talking about race can lead to some uncomfortable conversations. And not talking about race can lead to some uncomfortable outcomes, to say the least. We're here to have those messy, uncomfortable, essential conversations with the nuance and depth they deserve.
Race plays a starring role in some of the biggest stories unfolding in the news, from what goes on in the White House, to what's happening at the border, to what goes on in our own families. So rather than shy away from it, we're diving right in.
How can I listen to the podcast?
You can listen and subscribe (and leave us a review!) on NPR One, Spotify, Apple, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Where does the show get its name?
In linguistics, "code-switching" means mixing languages or patterns of speech in conversation. But as our writer Gene Demby explains: "We're looking at code-switching a little more broadly. Many of us subtly, reflexively change the way we express ourselves all the time. We're hop-scotching between different cultural and linguistic spaces and different parts of our own identities — sometimes within a single interaction.
"We decided to call this team Code Switch because much of what we'll be exploring are the different spaces we each inhabit and the tensions of trying to navigate between them. In one sense, code-switching is about dialogue that spans cultures. It evokes the conversation we want to have here."
How can I get in touch?
Email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @nprcodeswitch. And if you've got a story idea, first check out our pitching guidelines here!
Do you have a playlist of the songs giving you life?
Why yes, yes we do.