Outlet Spotlight: The Too Hard Basket

“If a problem is too uncomfortable, how can we help facilitate more productive and open conversations?”

SBS’ The Too Hard Basket seeks to engage some of the most controversial problems facing society today. “I realised that being able to hear the voices of those who have important stories to tell could really make the audience stop and think,” says Brooke Young, an Audio Journalist at SBS who hosts the podcast. 

Raising awareness of topics considered taboo for mainstream audiences was very important to Brooke. “It’s about giving a voice to those who may not have one and diving into those dark corners of society that are often avoided,” says Brooke. 

Research for a podcast that delves deep into heavy topics is not a simple task. But Brooke says she doesn’t mind. “It’s very time-consuming, but fascinating and often shocking. I start off by trying to find a community or group of people that may be on the fringes of society. From there it’s about looking up exactly what kind of issues these communities face and what sort of label they get stuck with.” 

It can also be tricky finding guests that are willing and open to sharing their stories when the subject matter can be so difficult to broach. But Brooke says those who are willing to share their stories hopefully create a change in the world. “It’s really about building up that trust and rapport with your interviewees so they actually feel comfortable opening up to you,” says Brooke. “Speaking to a journalist can certainly be daunting. It’s crucial that the people I speak to feel that they won’t be judged.”

Future episodes will deal with a variety of difficult but important issues. “I’m tackling financial literacy among First Nations people in this week’s episode, and then diving into the prison system in the coming weeks,” says Brooke.  

The Too Hard Basket has multiple episodes already released, with more coming. It is available on all major podcast platforms and the SBS Radio app.