As always, consider this list not an objective ranking but a kind of tip sheet — more Michelin Guide than the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Casual and avid podcast listeners alike should come away with a clear sense of what the medium can do. ‘Decoder Ring’Willa Paskin’s deep-dive investigations into questions you never thought to ask (Is Parmesan cheese “authentic” Italian? In its fifth year, “Decoder Ring” was as unpredictable (does parking infrastructure count as “culture”? (Listen to “Decoder” Ring from Slate.)

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Persons: Phoebe Judge, Lauren Spohrer, Aretha Franklin, Willa Paskin’s, —, Mike Hixenbaugh, Antonia Hylton’s, “, Hylton Organizations: Michelin, —, Criminal, Vox, Slate, Christian, NBC News Locations: Italian, Yellowstone Park, Dallas, Hixenbaugh