America||journalist

Being Frank is me, Laila Frank: a journalist, public speaker and moderator specialized in US politics, society and culture. I regularly comment on current affairs in the US for Dutch and Flemish TV and radio. I write long reads for fun and am an award-winning podcaster.

The common thread in my work is change in America; how is change achieved on a democratic, cultural and personal level. What are the levers we need to turn to create change?

My passion project is my podcast Welcome to Washington (Welkom in Washington); an ongoing road trip to places in the US named Washington. The podcasts explores how Americans are keeping their country running now that politics in Washington, D.C., is barely making a difference. In 2023 I was awarded the Herman Wekker Award for my work.

According to the jury:’ It is this year’s winner’s unique combination of new journalistic forms combined with her versatility as a journalist and her passion for the subject matter that convinced the jury that she is the right winner. With her humor, intelligence and charming nature and the colorful characters that she interviews, her podcasts bring to life not only the big issues in American society but also the lives of the average, and maybe not so average Americans. She shows us that not everything is black and white and it is often in those grey areas that we get to know and understand the history and culture of a nation. “

I chose journalism after a successful career as a campaign specialist and political consultant in the Netherlands. In 2018 at age 39 I switched to journalism to pursue my own American Dream. Unlike most correspondents, I chose the West Coast in search of a different perspective on the country. I have lived in LA and Philadelphia but these days I divide my time between the Netherlands and the US. Although I enjoy my stop overs in cities, the beauty of America for me is nature, the people , small towns and the B roads.