NORTH DAKOTA — Forum Communications reporting on an alleged cult in northern North Dakota is at the forefront of the new 3-part podcast series on The Vault podcast.
The podcast highlights the 5-part print series , written by C.S. Hagen, and the 2-part documentary , produced by Drew Trafton, which investigated the hidden movements of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, which has a strong foundation in tiny Neche, North Dakota.
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The Vault podcast series takes listeners behind-the-scenes of the reporting process, with Hagen and Trafton giving insight into the investigation: the resistance they faced and the people they met.
"This was such an important story for Chris and Drew to report. Just hearing them talk about it adds so much dimension to the story, and you get a sense of how professionally they treated it and how it affected them at a human level," Forum Communications Podcast Network Director Kris Kerzman, who produced the series, said. "There's never enough room to tell stories of this magnitude, but audio gives us a great way to share at least some of that additional context."
Intertwined in the conversation with Hagen and Trafton are excerpts from those who have left the PBCC, who tell listeners their stories of alleged sexual assault, financial control, deeply misogynistic policies and the overall fear instilled within members.
In heartbreaking dialogue, ex-members describe what happens when someone leaves the PBCC — or is banned: That person, even if that individual is a child, is considered by the PBCC to be deceased. They no longer exist in the eyes of the group’s members.
That policy has created a domino of grief felt around the globe, as the PBCC operates in 17 countries. The podcast series dives into those stories.
Part three of The Vault series includes a conversation with Carmen Drever, an ex-member who has devoted her life to providing a safe haven for those who wish to leave the PBCC.
Leaving is often considered to be a nearly impossible feat.
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The PBCC leadership controls each family’s finances and employs their male members. Married women with children are not permitted to work outside of the home.
On top of that, members are born into the PBCC.
That means they’ve spent their whole lives inside a bubble, unaware of how the outside world operates.
Drever and others interviewed in this series aim to educate the public of what is happening in the small North Dakota town, which was once the PBCC’s global headquarters – and give hope to those facing the possibility of departure.
The Vault series, "Is there a cult in North Dakota?," can be found on all major podcast platforms.
The Trust Project
