Episode 42, featuring Lisa Simeone

Episode 42, featuring Lisa Simeone

From UnMuted: the TransMuted Podcast by Jenny Poyer Ackerman

August 30, 2025 · 1h 10m

About this episode

Jenny Poyer Ackerman interviews Lisa Simeone about her career at NPR and the challenges of honest reporting in media.

My guest today is recently retired from an illustrious career with NPR, where she hosted high-profile shows including Weekend All Things Considered, Weekend Edition Sunday, and the independent documentary series Soundprint . She also brought us musical events such as the 2008 Inaugural Concert in Washington, D.C., concerts from the Aspen Music Festival, and Toast of the Nation , where she rang in the New Year live from Paris — as one does. A Google search returns photos of her in what look like couture gowns posing with the likes of Martin Scorcese, Placido Domingo and Rufus Wainwright. All of which reveals there is at least one truly glamorous job at NPR, and for decades it was held by the woman who might be my most famous guest thus far: Lisa Simeone. We discuss the barriers to honest reporting at NPR, the New York Times and traditional media as a whole. We vent our frustrations about all manner of frustrating people and things, and pay homage to the (mostly lesbian) women whose courage and confidence inspire us to keep talking. Links: Follow Lisa to get her insights and hot takes in your Substack feed The made-for-TV movie Lisa brought up: Normal, 2003 starring Jessica Lange…

People in this episode

Host: Jenny Poyer Ackerman

Guest: Lisa Simeone

Topics covered

  • media
  • reporting
  • inspiration
  • career
  • NPR
  • lesbian representation

Keywords

  • NPR
  • Lisa Simeone
  • reporting
  • media challenges
  • inspiration
  • lesbian representation
  • career

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NPR, New York Times

Books & works: Normal

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