June 18, 2026

Americans tune in to podcasts for education, entertainment and news, while daily listening is growing, expanding, and even replacing social media usage. We asked our summer interns what podcasts rank at the top of their listening choices, and it’s probably no surprise that their picks lean heavily into investigative reporting. Here’s a look at what they’re listening to this summer:

• Beyond her typical daily check-ins with The New York Times’ “The Daily” and the BBC’s “Global News Podcast,” Luisa Clausen loves The New Yorker’s “In the Dark” for what she called its “deep-dive reporting.” 
• Zach Leggio put “Blowback,” which is described as a “podcast about the American Empire,” at the top of his current favorites. 
• Maddie Mulligan likes “SmartLess,” featuring actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. 
• NPR’s “Planet Money” takes Carolyn Neugarten’s top spot. The podcast explores “the forces that shape our lives and bring you along for the ride.”
• Avi Paulson said he loves “99% Invisible.” It’s described as “a sound-rich, narrative podcast hosted by Roman Mars about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.”
• Elizabeth Rozeboom likes Thomas Goetz’s “Drug Story,” which uses “one prescription drug to tell surprising true tales about the business of disease and health.”
• Will Sytsma’s tuning into “Snitch City,” which is about police informants, and is produced by the Boston Globe's Spotlight team.