Up and Vanished - Podcast Rankings and reviews

The background instrumental music is distracting and way too loud. It’s hard to hear the dialogue. I assume it’s purpose is to provide dramatic undertones but it actually detracts from the story.

The episodes start with ads, end with ads, and are abruptly interrupted with ads. I’m not motivated to time it but probably 30-40% of the content is advertising. I skip ahead but because some of the ads are done by the host it’s not easy to find where the ads stop and podcast begins again. Too annoying, I’ve stopped listening because of it.

This really is a wonderful investigative reporting podcast, and I appreciate the effort and care that the host and producers put into telling the stories of the missing people they’re trying to find, most notably contextualizing the latest season with the incredibly high rate of missing Alaskan natives and the lack of effort and resources being used to bring these families peace and answers as well as find them.

My only complaint would be how it’s edited. It’s VERY repetitive and sometimes I’ll think I’m listening to the same episode twice even though I’m on the next one. In future seasons, consider toning this down a bit and I think that could go a long way towards improving the podcast and making it easier to follow.

I have listened to the first two seasons of this podcast and am currently binging the third. Payne Lindsey is an excellent investigative journalist with an amazing storytelling gift and a natural ability to allow people to open up to him. I am so glad he is covering Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in the third season, a topic that is often overlooked but so important to understand. As a communications student myself, Payne Lindsey is one of my journalist heroes! This podcast will grip you from the start and engage you the whole way through.

I’m intrigued and appreciate the focus on mmiw, especially Florence, but you need to contextualize what you are saying. I grew up in Nome, I was living there when Sonya Ivanoff was murdered, and I can tell you that the police force in Nome now is very different than it was in my childhood. The current cops in Nome work and week on week off schedule, and most don’t even live in Nome, they have no roots in the community. Context is important, and let us hear more Nomeite voices! Please don’t be another media piece that misrepresents Alaska.

I’ve enjoyed early seasons but this one misses the mark. Payne does nothing to establish trust with the community and sources, and ends up taking about himself and how hard it is to do his job when nobody will help him, rather than finding any truth about another MMIW who deserves better from police not podcasters.