The best podcasts of 2020

By S.H.

“Floodlines”
The Atlantic’s first narrative podcast investigated the consequences of Hurricane Katrina, balancing the big picture with personal stories of loss. It showed how the impact of the natural disaster was aggravated by misinformation and the American government’s policy failures, including devastating delays in getting food, water and sanitation to evacuees in the Superdome and the New Orleans Convention Centre. Hosted ably by Vann R. Newkirk II, a staff writer, “Floodlines” benefited from wonderful production, brilliant music and shorter episodes than many long-form series. The timing of its release was unfortunate—the show launched in the second week of March—and this thoughtful look at disaster response deserves a wider audience.