Will James

Will James

@willjames.bsky.social

Reporter and producer Podcasts: We Keep Us Safe (2026) Adults in the Room (2026) Lost Patients (2024) The Walk Home (2022) Outsiders (2020) Married to @sydbrownstone.bsky.social https://www.will-james.work/

3.9K followers1K following401 posts

Will James
@willjames.bsky.social

I'm excited to share that two documentary podcasts I worked on, We Keep Us Safe and Adults in the Room, got gold medals in the Signal Awards. We Keep Us Safe was also voted "Listener's Choice." If you haven't listened to these series yet, check them out!

Will James
@willjames.bsky.social

Related: There is a comms masters thesis in how The New York Times has come to dominate so many aspects of audio journalism. They are playing in a league of their own at the moment.

Will James@willjames.bsky.social

This is what audio journalism is for: taking a sort of esoteric story from the news and homing in on the profound, human thing at its core. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/p...

nytimes.comWhen A.I. Comes for Your Purpose in LifeIn the span of just a few months, A.I. systems have solved some of the biggest outstanding problems in math — adding mathematicians to the list of those terrified of losing their job to the technology...
Will James
@willjames.bsky.social

If you live in Seattle and want to learn traditional Chinese martial arts, I know a very good teacher who is taking students. He's affordable, non-commercial, and doesn't really advertise. Hit me up if you're interested.

Will James reposted

Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
@niemanfoundation.bsky.social

What makes a narrative podcast hold together? @markarms.bsky.social talks with Will James about “We Keep Us Safe,” source care, cross-newsroom collaboration, and finding the larger idea inside a story.

niemanstoryboard.orgAudio journalist Will James on investigating the unsolved murder of a teenager in Seattle's CHOP zone - Nieman StoryboardThe producer of podcasts including “We Keep Us Safe,” “Adults in the Room,” and “Lost Patients” on collaborating across newsrooms and finding the big idea within a story

Will James reposted

Nieman Reports
@niemanreports.org

"Time passing has a way of showing you which stories have staying power, which stories might have some universal ideas or insights embedded in them. My favorite place to look for stories is unresolved events in the past,” said @willjames.bsky.social of @kuow.org.

Mark Armstrong@markarms.bsky.social

This week's @niemanstoryboard.org newsletter: My conversation with @willjames.bsky.social on the making of the @npr.org @kuow.org @seattletimes.com investigative podcast, "We Keep Us Safe." Plus: @tressiemcphd.bsky.social @longreads.com niemanstoryboard.org/2026/08/28/t... #podcasts

niemanstoryboard.orgThe authority versus authenticity question - Nieman StoryboardAudio documentary producer Will James on the making of NPR's “We Keep Us Safe.” Plus: How to pitch Slate's features editor

Will James reposted

Mark Armstrong
@markarms.bsky.social

This week's @niemanstoryboard.org newsletter: My conversation with @willjames.bsky.social on the making of the @npr.org @kuow.org @seattletimes.com investigative podcast, "We Keep Us Safe." Plus: @tressiemcphd.bsky.social @longreads.com niemanstoryboard.org/2026/08/28/t... #podcasts

niemanstoryboard.orgThe authority versus authenticity question - Nieman StoryboardAudio documentary producer Will James on the making of NPR's “We Keep Us Safe.” Plus: How to pitch Slate's features editor
Will James
@willjames.bsky.social

There's much more detail about what led to Antonio Mays' death and the identity of the suspected shooter in the podcast we made about this. The final episode just dropped. www.npr.org/2026/06/04/g...

npr.orgEmbedded: "We Keep Us Safe" from NPR, KUOW and The Seattle TimesIn the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest...
ellie lockhart (she/they)@eleanor.lockhart.contact

I highly recommend reading this if you want to know exactly how a revolution in this country would go, who would be fighting it, and the moral character of the kinds of leftist who arm themselves www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

seattletimes.comNewly discovered witness claims Seattle CHOP killing was ‘an execution’Seattle Police never talked with a third teen in the car who calls Antonio Mays Jr.’s killing “an execution.” Podcast “We Keep Us Safe” reveals new witness accounts.

Will James reposted

NPR
@npr.org

Hours of video analyzed in an 18-month investigation reveal what really happened the night Antonio Mays Jr. was shot at the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, and how protesters mistook him for a threat. n.pr/4pPMxeG

n.prNew video evidence upends the unsolved killing of a Black teen at a Seattle protestHours of video analyzed in an 18-month investigation reveal what really happened the night Antonio Mays Jr. was shot at the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, and how protesters mistook him for a threat.

Will James reposted

Zachary Fletcher
@zfletcher.bsky.social

if you listen to one podcast this year, make it WE KEEP US SAFE by @willjames.bsky.social / @sydbrownstone.bsky.social this is a hard, complicated story to tell. will, sydney and david gutman do an incredible service for us all putting the pieces together. www.npr.org/2026/06/04/g...

npr.orgEmbedded: "We Keep Us Safe" from NPR, KUOW and The Seattle TimesIn the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest...

Will James reposted

NPR
@npr.org

The fatal shooting of a teenager at a protest in Seattle has remained unsolved for 6 years. "We Keep Us Safe" from NPR’s Embedded, @kuow.org and @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social uncovers new evidence and witnesses who say they’ve never talked to police. All episodes available now. npr.org/CHOP

npr.orgEmbedded: "We Keep Us Safe" from NPR, KUOW and The Seattle TimesIn the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest...

Will James reposted

Emory Like Memory
@emorymemory.bsky.social

Incredible audio reporting series, nearing its finale Dark and disturbing, incredibly well-edited, and for those who have experienced these kinds of spaces, important to hear

Will James reposted

Sydney Brownstone
@sydbrownstone.bsky.social

The killing of 16 yo Antonio Mays Jr. at CHOP has been unsolved for 6 years. Ep 6 has one of the biggest reveals from our year+ investigation: an interview with a witness police never spoke to who had one of the closest views of what happened that night. Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

podcasts.apple.comEmbeddedDocumentary Podcast · Weekly Series · NPR's home for audio documentaries brings untold stories to light through deeply reported narrative series. We go to hidden corners of the headlines to explore wh...

Will James reposted

NPR
@npr.org

In the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as CHOP. Less than a week later, he was shot and killed there. The case remains unsolved.

n.prEmbedded: "We Keep Us Safe" from NPR, KUOW and The Seattle TimesIn the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as CHOP. Less than a week later, he was shot and killed there. The case remains unsolved.

Will James reposted

NPR
@npr.org

In the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as CHOP. Less than a week later, he was shot and killed there. The case remains unsolved.

n.prEmbedded: "We Keep Us Safe" from NPR, KUOW and The Seattle TimesIn the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as CHOP. Less than a week later, he was shot and killed there. The case remains unsolved.

Will James reposted

NPR
@npr.org

A Black teenager was killed at a BLM protest in Seattle in 2020. Why is his death still unsolved? And who should be held accountable? NPR’s Embedded podcast investigates. Listen: npr.org/CHOP

n.prWe Keep Us Safe: The Chase : EmbeddedEPISODE 5: What really happened the night Antonio Mays Jr. was killed? Protesters claim he was attacking CHOP and they had to defend themselves. But new evidence from that night turns everything we thought we knew about the shooting upside down.Support journalism like this by signing up for NPR+ at plus.npr.org

Will James reposted

the moon report 🌕
@seachanger.bsky.social

Important podcast if you are looking for a good series and/or want to wonder about what really went down during Seattle’s BLM adjacent autonomous zone occupation pca.st/episode/3909...

pca.stIntroducing "We Keep Us Safe" from NPR, KUOW and The Seattle TimesIn the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied…

Will James reposted

NPR
@npr.org

For three weeks in 2020, a protest encampment transformed one Seattle neighborhood. It ended in tragedy. KUOW reporter Will James and Seattle Times reporter Sydney Brownstone investigate the unsolved killing of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. on NPR’s Embedded podcast. Listen: npr.org/CHOP

n.prEmbedded: "We Keep Us Safe" from NPR, KUOW and The Seattle TimesIn the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as CHOP. Less than a week later, he was shot and killed there. The case remains unsolved.
Will James
@willjames.bsky.social

If you listened to @npr.org's Up First this weekend, you heard a local Seattle story that's haunted me and my reporting partners for years. Grateful that Up First aired the first episode of We Keep Us Safe, our podcast series investigating the unsolved killing of Antonio Mays Jr.

npr.orgHow an anti-police violence protest ended in a teen’s death : Up First from NPRIn the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to be part of the racial justice movement. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as C...
Will James
@willjames.bsky.social

We'll be uploading evidence, including videos, to our site after each new episode.

npr.orgEmbedded: We Keep Us SafeIn the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest...
Will James@willjames.bsky.social

As reporters who covered 2020 in Seattle, this story haunted us. Black Lives Matter protesters said self-appointed protest security shot a Black teen in self-defense — that he was involved with a gang, attacking the protest. Some praised his killing online: “What a shot!" We always had questions.

Will James
@willjames.bsky.social

As reporters who covered 2020 in Seattle, this story haunted us. Black Lives Matter protesters said self-appointed protest security shot a Black teen in self-defense — that he was involved with a gang, attacking the protest. Some praised his killing online: “What a shot!" We always had questions.

View full thread

Will James reposted

NPR
@npr.org

A 16-year-old was killed at a Seattle protest in 2020. Protesters claimed they shot him in self-defense. But is that the truth? Listen to “We Keep Us Safe,” a new true crime series from NPR’s Embedded podcast, @kuow.org and @seattletimes.com: n.pr/4e5Bj1C

Will James reposted

Sydney Brownstone
@sydbrownstone.bsky.social

Six years ago, a 16-year-old was shot and killed at a Black Lives Matter occupy-style protest in Seattle. Early reports from witnesses and protesters said the shooter(s) were self-appointed protest security defending the protest from an attack.

Will James
@willjames.bsky.social

As reporters who covered 2020 in Seattle, this story haunted us. Black Lives Matter protesters said self-appointed protest security shot a Black teen in self-defense — that he was involved with a gang, attacking the protest. Some praised his killing online: “What a shot!" We always had questions.

Will James
@willjames.bsky.social

We talked to nearly 100 people and found evidence that’s never been public. Facts started to look different from what protesters initially described. And questions opened up about how Seattle’s occupied protest that summer, CHOP, started out with a burst of idealism and then became something else.

Will James reposted

Michael Stambolis
@mstambolis.bsky.social

I just finished listening to this podcast and it's an exemple of excellent journalism. Sexual abuse in high schools is extremely difficult to investigate. The journalists here started their quest for the truth about their teachers when they were still students. They were punished for it.

Will James@willjames.bsky.social

I'm really proud to have helped produce this. It's the start of a new era of investigative, documentary storytelling at @kuow.org. "Adults in the Room" launches our new Focus podcast channel, where we'll drop more deeply-reported series — some of which are already in production. Subscribe!

kuow.orgIn 'Adults in the Room,' a KUOW investigative journalist re-reports the story that's haunted her for nearly three decadesThe new series launches today as part of Focus, a dedicated podcast channel for immersive audio documentaries.

Will James reposted

Urbmonger
@crowshair.bsky.social

As usual from this team, KUOW Focus's new podcast is excellent. If you were an AP kid or went to a high-performing high school around Y2K I think you'll find it particularly engaging.

Will James@willjames.bsky.social

I'm really proud to have helped produce this. It's the start of a new era of investigative, documentary storytelling at @kuow.org. "Adults in the Room" launches our new Focus podcast channel, where we'll drop more deeply-reported series — some of which are already in production. Subscribe!

kuow.orgIn 'Adults in the Room,' a KUOW investigative journalist re-reports the story that's haunted her for nearly three decadesThe new series launches today as part of Focus, a dedicated podcast channel for immersive audio documentaries.

Will James reposted

Jeff Sharlet
@jeffsharlet.bsky.social

I’m utterly uninterested in “debates” about whether AI can do things well. I wouldn’t care if it could. 1. It stole from me. 2. I prefer me having my job to a computer having it. 3. I don’t teach “with” Lockheed or Raytheon; why wld I teach with Anthropic or OpenAI?

Will James
@willjames.bsky.social

I'm really proud to have helped produce this. It's the start of a new era of investigative, documentary storytelling at @kuow.org. "Adults in the Room" launches our new Focus podcast channel, where we'll drop more deeply-reported series — some of which are already in production. Subscribe!

kuow.orgIn 'Adults in the Room,' a KUOW investigative journalist re-reports the story that's haunted her for nearly three decadesThe new series launches today as part of Focus, a dedicated podcast channel for immersive audio documentaries.