Episode 38: The Power of Self-Investigation in Storytelling with Noor Tagouri
Storytelling shapes how we see the world, and our place in it. The stories we tell and the ones we choose to believe define our understanding of truth, power, and belonging. They decide whose pain is seen, whose resistance is remembered, and whose voices are erased.
In this episode of Art of Citizenry Podcast, host Manpreet Kaur Kalra is joined in conversation with Noor Tagouri. Together, they interrogate how narratives influence systems — reflecting on what it means to tell stories with transparency, courage, and care in an era where journalism itself is being redefined.
In this episode of Art of Citizenry Podcast, we explore:
The transformative power of storytelling when rooted in self-investigation
How a rapidly evolving media landscape is reshaping the role and responsibility of independent journalists
The far-reaching consequences of representation and misrepresentation in shaping politics, pop culture, and public opinion
How cross-community solidarity among marginalized groups can reclaim narrative power and deepen the integrity of storytelling
Storytelling isn’t neutral. Self-investigation asks us to move through our own stories with courage — allowing curiosity to become our compass as we explore our own identities, stories, and beliefs. This conversation is an invitation to listen deeply, ask hard questions, and question the stories we inherit — letting each question reshape what we know.
We were taught as journalists to go into a story with a pre-written script — to find the sound bite that fits it. But that means you’re deciding what the story is instead of letting the story reveal itself.
— Noor Tagouri
Meet the Guest: Noor Tagouri
“Ask yourself the hard questions out loud.”
Noor Tagouri is a formidable force in the world of journalism and storytelling. What sets Noor apart is her commitment to Building Bridges Through Storytelling and championing Representation in Media. In 2019, Noor founded At Your Service (AYS), a consulting and production company that produces original investigative series and collaborates with brands DELL, NICEA, Prada and Google to tell stories in service of underrepresented communities.
In 2022 Noor launched the investigative series “REP: A Story About the Stories We Tell,” exploring the concepts of Representation and Objectivity in Media. REP received a 2023 Webby nomination for Best Limited Series and Noor taught the investigation in her Revolutionary Representation Journalism Course at SUNY New Paltz. With a finger on the pulse of her communities’ concerns, Noor Tagouri continues to transform media, making it more inclusive, representative, and soulful than ever before.
The value of diversity, equity, and inclusion is that we’re bettering our institutions, our organizations, our culture, and our society by creating a real pulse behind how expansive it can be. And it makes me wonder: How afraid are people, really, of expansion?
— Noor Tagouri
The Role of Self-Investigation in Storytelling
Manpreet’s Reflections: Reflecting on my conversation with Noor, I’ve been thinking about the lens through which self-investigation begins — the act of looking inward, of turning our curiosity toward the stories we’ve inherited but perhaps never fully explored. It often starts within our own families, in the silences that linger between generations. This week, as we mark the forty-first anniversary of the 1984 Sikh genocide in India, I find myself sitting with that truth more deeply. For so many Sikh families, including my own, that moment remains difficult to speak about — a history carried quietly, often without the language to name the trauma. Yet self-investigation asks us to face those untold stories, to understand where we come from and how those histories shape us, so that when we tell the stories of others, we do so with integrity, empathy, and authenticity.
“Media doesn’t just mirror the world, it conditions it. Pop culture builds familiarity; familiarity softens resistance. That’s why these portrayals matter. They’re not harmless entertainment. They shape collective memory and influence what people come to see as normal or inevitable.”
— Manpreet Kaur Kalra
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