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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Scamanda

Amanda C. Riley, the subject of the podcast Scamanda.

When Amanda C. Riley learned her life would be cut short by terminal cancer, she was a beautiful, bubbly, and vivacious young woman, the mother of three and a leader in her San Jose church. Her battle—assiduously documented on her blog—was a roller-coaster ride: one minute she was in total remission; the next, she had relapsed and her condition was dire. Luckily, the community rallied behind #TeamAmanda, helping her cover medical expenses to the tune of $100,000 between 2012 and 2019. An inspiring story, except for one small problem: Amanda didn’t have cancer. In the new podcast Scamanda, Charlie Webster tantalizingly retraces Riley’s mind-boggling deception. —Paulina Prosnitz

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate Sound