While many of us are no longer making our daily commute to work, there is still plenty of time to incorporate a podcast into the daily routine. Whether you prefer to listen on a daily walk or while cooking dinner, podcasts give us an audio escape and help us learn new things. Two local journalists have created a podcast that will not only entertain you, but also teach you everything you need to know about the latest hot topics and breaking news stories.

Decomplicated is a news-explainer podcast that helps break down major headlines for your own understanding. Hosted by Rumneek Johal and Carol Eugene Park, Decomplicated will help you better understand what’s trending, why it’s trending, and why you should care.

The podcast is released two times a week, with a supporting newsletter that is delivered daily. The topics are diverse, covering everything from housing prices to psychedelic mushrooms. Most recently, the team discussed people who are travelling during the pandemic. This episode looked at how and why people are still vacationing a year after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each episode takes a complicated story and deconstructs it so that the reader/listener can experience it in a digestible manner.

Unlike traditional newspapers and media publications, Decomplicated is less concerned with being the first to break news and more concerned with providing the whole story. In today’s media, much of what we hear and see is filtered through a chain of command and edited beyond recognition. These two journalists are willing to ask questions, spend the time, and dig deeper, so that the reader gets the entire story. As two women of colour, Rumneek and Carol offer a unique voice that is truly Canadian and reflective of their communities. Rumneek is a first-generation Punjabi-Canadian who grew up in Surrey. In her career, she has worked with CBC Toronto and Daily Hive. Carol comes from a Korean family with previous experience with CBC Podcasts, the Globe and Mail, The Tyee, and Global News.

Decomplicated is a news experience for people who are too busy to read the whole story. Hosted by two Canadian journalists of colour, Decomplicated is the fresh take on current events and breaking news that you have been looking for. Stay up to date with daily newsletters and weekly podcasts, designed to make news a more digestible and accessible experience.

Listen to the podcast.
Sign up for the daily newsletter.

In this episode, I brought on an old friend of mine, Varan Rakhra. Varan is a former professional Bhangra dancer and judge, and has a wealth of knowledge on both Punjabi culture and diaspora, and the agrarian crisis in India.

In this episode, we discussed our opinions, and would love to hear what you think. As a disclaimer, swear words are used in this episode, so it may be best suited for adults.