Behind the scenes at HEIST

00:00:00: But it's funny, there is always a summer.

00:00:02: There's always the summer.

00:00:04: they call it The Summer Loch or the sort of silly season.

00:00:07: Yeah and that's when animal stories come up And you...there are recurring ones in looks like Will It Be The Catfish In The Schlachtensee?

00:00:16: Well if he was obsessed

00:00:17: with these catfish He has dying for the catfish to bite someone.

00:00:21: I am

00:00:24: Every all-summer.

00:00:25: we could go checking on the cat fish.

00:00:35: Welcome To The Heist Podcast A special edition.

00:00:38: I'm Ben Schumann-Solar, and here with the heist founding editors Ruthie Weisman and Peter Matthews.

00:00:43: And this is coming out on Friday not a Monday like usual because we're in middle of massive fundraiser where almost done heading into last weekend of fund raiser Would you two be willing to share some behind scene stuff that people don't know?

00:00:54: How's news written?

00:00:56: how do decide features?

00:00:57: what new would work?

00:00:59: It's good question.

00:01:00: i think That...I mean..i've been writing The News for as kind daily part of my routine for like four years or something, I think if we include sort time at the villain.

00:01:12: And so i think that you just get...I'm quite used to it and looking kind.

00:01:17: what's going on finding these different stories?

00:01:20: So there is a kind rhythm in your story.

00:01:24: What l like about this is that it does feed into the kind You start to detect stories that go underneath service and find longer trends understanding of the city through these different news hits.

00:01:39: But you don't always know either, because sometimes we look at something and think like oh god there's really no news today!

00:01:46: And start looking around in different places maybe going to some sites that do different investigations or then find a good thing.

00:01:57: so... Sometimes your surprised with where they found big news hit but....

00:02:03: We also, we do one piece of news per day.

00:02:06: So not counting our features or extra interviews like...we do one news hit a day and so you can kind think about what is the most important thing people are going to talk today?

00:02:15: And we don't tend to do- Like were'nt on newspaper..so we dont tend to tram off tracks in this neighborhood.

00:02:23: We try more talking point commentary news.

00:02:26: I do like it when its slow news day Last week I wrote the news on a day that there wasn't really much happening when we were looking around and i found That story where they had run out of yellow envelopes In the courts.

00:02:42: Yeah, it was good

00:02:43: like sort of weird bureaucratic.

00:02:44: They just didn't bother to sort of order The new ones in the old ones.

00:02:47: We're expiring due To A New Ordinance And It's Very German very Berlin Story.

00:02:53: um and now When Was Kind Of Fun For People?

00:02:55: I think so.

00:02:55: finding Stuff That Can Be A Talking Point and not Just Like This thing happened overnight.

00:03:01: Yeah,

00:03:02: and and subscribers to heist will get all this news every day.

00:03:05: You don't have to pay to get the news.

00:03:07: But we've already heard from people readers And so on that people are.

00:03:11: it's one of the first things they do in the morning.

00:03:12: It's something they do everyday is something that they would really miss.

00:03:15: I think That's because of your editorial judgment and being able to pull that out and must be very hard when there's no animals To write about them.

00:03:21: city?

00:03:25: prostrations, spinners.

00:03:26: They just have been a lot of bug and parasite news over the summer.

00:03:30: I know

00:03:30: it's very hard for you too but

00:03:32: we didn't go looking for that.

00:03:34: But its funny.

00:03:35: there is always this summer.

00:03:38: they call it The Summer Loch or the sort of silly season.

00:03:41: Yeah and yeah thats when animal stories come up There are recurring ones.

00:03:47: It looks like will it be catfish in Schlachtensee?

00:03:51: He is

00:03:51: obsessed with these catfish.

00:03:52: he has dying to bite someone.

00:03:55: I am

00:03:57: Every all summer.

00:03:58: he was like oh we could go checking on the catfish,

00:04:01: but they take down swans

00:04:03: No way.

00:04:03: The catfish?

00:04:04: That's true But it wasn't huge

00:04:06: and scary.

00:04:06: It was a story in that one of these summers

00:04:09: i mean the blue algae We Could do more sort Of microscopic Organisms i

00:04:14: had.

00:04:15: i had Like long lost aunts And uncles texting me about the toxic caterpillars.

00:04:20: i got a text

00:04:21: that totally catapult is just A big story though

00:04:24: of a relative I had not talked to in years that just said toxic caterpillars?

00:04:27: Question mark.

00:04:28: No,

00:04:28: but it's an important signal for climate change because...I have been keeping on the line with these caterpillar videos i must say But there are crazy stories here like when all fish died in river water.

00:04:41: Some animal story is big stories.

00:04:45: It happens in summer.

00:04:46: We've only been around six months right?

00:04:48: some other things went viral were about chicken city chicken wars, the American style saunas taking a city by storm.

00:04:57: That was a feature but...

00:04:58: When the Berlin police warned people that drug dealers were putting samples of drugs in their mailbox?

00:05:03: Right!

00:05:06: And Peter what's your favorite article so far?

00:05:09: One of the big issues at moment I think is this sort rising far right and I would actually choose maybe like there are three articles The Ben Miller sort of LGBT AFD, looking at the queer politics of the AFD.

00:05:25: I thought was really interesting and kind of added to my understanding of that.

00:05:29: And then following up with two more The Quinn Slobodian conversation we did here... ...and then the Dagma Herzog interview.

00:05:38: All together are three different ways of looking at same subject which i found useful.

00:05:43: Yeah.

00:05:44: I mean, yeah...I've really loved working on the features that we have done and also like it when you can be a resource for people who doesn't otherwise exist in Berlin to some of our guide coverage Like The Food Map, Our Election Guide which was widely read And I think useful out-of-the-election.

00:06:02: Also back over summer We did World Cup Guide.

00:06:05: That I thought is very useful and pulled some hole in wall spots isn't just the same like list generation that everyone can kind of do with the assistance of AI.

00:06:15: We'd do that stuff through our own research and then we're talking to a lot of people, and for reporting.

00:06:20: so we work really hard on that stuff.

00:06:33: So Ruthie why did we start this campaign?

00:06:36: What are we trying to do?

00:06:37: what do people need to know?

00:06:39: well we are Just past six months into publishing stuff for heist um And were Honestly, really proud of how it's gone the first six months and what we've been able to do on a pretty shoestring budget.

00:06:52: But would like be able keep going this year into next year.

00:06:57: so just wanted make push for people become accomplices support worker-owned independent journalism in Berlin.

00:07:05: So you could that by signing up its nine euros per month.

00:07:11: In addition being able read everything emails from us bothering you, um You also get full access to the food map.

00:07:21: that's on our website.

00:07:22: You get to read all of our food reviews And there's also extra stuff in the newsletter Extra ticket giveaways and event stuff for people that are our accomplice core.

00:07:33: So we're doing this fundraiser It's just two weeks because we don't want to bother everybody for too long but it's really important can raise enough money to keep going.

00:07:41: We're not supported by a big billionaire, we are not supported private interests... If our worker owned, if we do get financing and have written into legal documents that any kind of financial contribution has nothing.

00:07:58: But yeah, we also want to shout out Ivana.

00:08:01: Oh another part of the team who's not here right now but who does all the designs was responsible for The Amazing look and feel of the Heist Instagram website that makes us so distinctive And people love So much.

00:08:11: We wish you're here Ivana just shouting out That amazing work You do.

00:08:16: She Does For People Who Want To Join Please Do It.

00:08:19: Just Nine Euros A Month To become an accomplice.

00:08:23: Thank you so much for all the support these months.

00:08:25: We're hoping to be around for a really long time and keep doing what we do.

00:08:28: You can write us at hello, at heistberlin with any tips or ideas Or feedback or write us on instagram where they are all the time?

00:08:35: We love talking to you.

00:08:36: will be having more events coming up More stuff planned But we need it.

00:08:40: We need to be able to extend our cash runway.

00:08:42: So thanks for contributing in being part of this And anything else you too want to add.

00:08:47: No

00:08:48: no let's end on cash runway.

00:08:49: Cash Runway Alright, thanks so much for listening.

00:08:52: Bye!