Team behind hit podcast Serial is about to tackle election fraud
The Improvement Association digs in to an intriguing North Carolina case.
- Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year" award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
The Improvement Association producer Nancy Updike (left) is shown with reporter Zoe Chace.
Remember Serial? The makers of the award-winning investigative podcast are returning with a new one, The Improvement Association, in April. It's not about murder, but it tackles another troubling topic -- election fraud.
The Improvement Association, a five-part series hosted by reporter Zoe Chace, comes from The New York Times and Serial Productions, and premieres April 13. In it, Chace travels to Bladen County, North Carolina, to investigate the power of election fraud allegations. Bladen County made headlines in 2018 when the results of a congressional election were thrown out due to evidence the winner's campaign had tampered with absentee ballots. But as with all the past seasons of sister podcast Serial, the story didn't end there.
"For at least a decade, allegations of cheating have swirled around elections in rural Bladen County," the podcast's official description reads. "Some people in town point fingers at a Black advocacy group, the Bladen County Improvement Association, accusing it of bullying voters, tampering with ballots and stealing votes outright."
Familiar names from Serial, including Sarah Koenig, Julie Snyder and Ira Glass, are among the producers. The Improvement Association will be available at major podcast sources including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.