Solidarity and Care: Information Activism in the Death Panel Podcast Community

Abstract

This poster highlights the connections between independent media, information activism, and disability through a case study of the podcast Death Panel and its listeners. Death Panel is a leftist podcast that explores issues of affordability in medical care and the dearth of public health resources. The ongoing project explores the independent media created by disabled people that concern their frustrations with societal and governmental neglect, and their desires to build community and a collective political movement for social change. Since the COVID‐19 pandemic, the podcast's listenership has grown substantially. Similarly, the number of members in the Death Panel Discord group has increased to over 2,000 members over the past two years. As of February 21st, 2023, there are 2,954 members in the Discord server. For many members, especially those who are disabled and chronically ill, the podcast's Discord has served as a significant site of politicization and community‐building during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Through semi‐structured interviews, this project will explore the political and activist implications of information for marginalized people.