Camp Hero Radar Station, Montauk Point. Photo by Eric Francis.
With the intention of training the next generation of investigative reporters, Chiron Return was founded in 2014 as the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit publisher of public radio project Planet Waves FM.
Our informal mentorship programs teach journalism through direct experience, where interns cover issues and news events as they develop, working as part of a news gathering team.
In the post-truth era, we remain committed to getting to the bottom of the matters we are committed to covering.
We found our voice and developed our mission during the 2020 crisis, publishing the world’s first daily website devoted to the pandemic scenario, which was updated daily for 1,185 days. With additional investigation by a team of 16 writers and researchers, we compiled the world’s only chronology of the 2020 crisis, spanning from 2006-2021.
We are credentialed as a member station of the Pacifica Network, the world’s oldest public radio network.
Areas of special focus include:
— Cultivation of sources, meaning identifying and making contact with people around the world who provide direct information about complex topics.
— News aggregation, which means the review and compilation of secondary-source material (from other media outlets) that helps build the framework and background of what we cover.
— Gatekeeping, meaning the rating of issues and angles that have high priority and that in our view deserve public attention.
— Deep research skills, including the development of fact-patterns, case files, and document collecting. When a major story breaks, our first response is to commence a discovery operation.
— Producing and co-producing radio and video segments.
— Media literacy and media theory. Our long relationship with the McLuhan family has led to a deep understanding of the impact of electrical and electronic media on the psyche and on society.
