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Behind The Lens

Behind the Lens offers reporter’s thoughts, analysis and perspective on their stories, offering a glimpse into the inner workings of the Lens newsroom; how a particular story came to be, why it matters and what it might mean to our listeners.

Behind The Lens: SNAP cuts could threaten free school meals; New Orleans marks Black Education History Week (audio)

Changes to federal food assistance and a new recognition of Black education history raise important questions about students, schools, and the history taught in New Orleans classrooms.
by Carolyne Heldman September 18, 2026 Updated September 25, 2026

Behind The Lens: Color or community? Supreme Court ruling reshapes Louisiana’s congressional map (audio)

Journalist Emmanuel Felton talks about traveling through Louisiana’s disputed congressional district, examining the communities at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on racial gerrymandering, representation and political power.
by Carolyne Heldman September 11, 2026 Updated September 25, 2026

Behind The Lens Podcast: Contempt of court (audio)

by Carolyne Heldman August 28, 2026 Updated August 30, 2026

Behind The Lens Podcast: Clean slate and school bells (audio)

by Carolyne Heldman August 26, 2026 Updated August 27, 2026

Behind The Lens: Why New Orleans keeps losing power in fair weather (audio)

New Orleans experiences an exceptional number of fair-weather power outages as aging and failing equipment raises concerns across the city.
by Carolyne Heldman August 7, 2026 Updated September 25, 2026

Behind The Lens: “Where did all my people go?”  (audio)

Black defendants face major barriers to securing representative juries, while a Lower Ninth Ward family farm wins a settlement after its property was mistakenly treated with pesticides.
by Carolyne Heldman July 30, 2026 Updated September 25, 2026
Black-and-white portrait of Greg Bright seated with one arm resting across a wooden handle, looking directly at the camera.

Behind The Lens: Governor’s veto and student’s arrest put government power under scrutiny (audio)

Questions about how power Is exercised in Louisiana, as the governor vetoes more money for wrongfully convicted exonerees and a 14-year-old student is handcuffed and barred from her middle-school graduation.
by Carolyne Heldman July 24, 2026 Updated September 25, 2026

Behind The Lens: ICE detention, court access and federal intervention in Louisiana (audio)

Reporter Delaney Nolan and editor Katy Reckdahl examine the surge in ICE activity across Louisiana.
by Carolyne Heldman July 17, 2026 Updated September 25, 2026

Behind The Lens: False claims, real consequences: Why an Iberia Parish solar farm never got built (audio)

A proposed solar farm in Iberia Parish promised millions in local tax revenue and a boost for Louisiana's clean energy future. Instead, a misinformation campaign fueled public opposition that helped bring the project to a halt.
by Carolyne Heldman July 10, 2026 Updated September 25, 2026

Behind The Lens: Detained despite citizenship and the debate over jury secrecy  (Audio)

A U.S. citizen shares her account of being stopped, shackled and detained in Lafayette Parish, while reporters examine a new Louisiana law that could shield juror identities from public scrutiny.
by Carolyne Heldman June 12, 2026 Updated June 13, 2026

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About The Lens

The Lens fights to reveal and report on issues that impact the community and the region.

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The Lens
The Lens fights to reveal and report on issues that impact the community and the region. Staunchly defending the public's right to know and deeply committed to sharing our knowledge with the community at large. We center human impact in all our work.
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Our reporting has more urgency than ever.


For more than a decade, we have reported on issues as well as public policy meant to address the needs of residents. The Lens seeks to focus on the inherent inequality that has created a multi-tiered system. We, at The Lens seek to uncover, illuminate, inform and take part in a forward-looking community. Join us.

 
 

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