Informed Reporting

Description:
In this first episode of Season 2, I talk with journalist Mike Kelly about his experiences at ground zero and his new book, After Ground Zero: Everyday Americans and the Unhealed Scars of 9/11. You’ll hear how that tragic day affected him, what drove him to write his latest book, and why he focused on the everyday people who still live with the effects of 9/11 today. We also talk about how he approaches victims of tragedy, being human, and what he did to handle the emotional weight of the long hours of repeated interviews with the people in his book. The book is available now on Amazon and other major book retailers.

Chapters:
00:00 Open
00:48 Intro to Mike Kelly
02:36 His Experience on 9/11
05:27 The Emotional Toll of Reporting on 9/11
08:19 The Long-Term Impact of 9/11 on Him
13:18 Recognizing the Psychological Toll of 9/11
15:26 Following the 9/11 Story
20:16 The Idea for the Book Takes Shape
26:02 The Blessing and Burden of Repeated Interviews
28:58 The Importance of Empathy and Compassion
33:34 Dealing with the Emotional Exposure of Tragic Stories
37:25 Coping with the Weight of Tragedy
41:22 Balancing the Work and Its Impact
44:31 Journalists are Human
46:38 Writing as Catharsis
51:22 Building Trust in Interviews
01:00:29 Different Tactics for Different Interviews
01:03:14 What did he learn from the process?
01:06:06 How to Find Mike Kelly
01:06:38 Conclusion
01:07:19 Close

Show Notes:
Mike’s Website: https://www.mikekellywriter.com/
Email Mike at: [email protected]
View Mike’s work here: https://www.northjersey.com/
Buy Mike’s book on Amazon

Description:
In Australia, it’s summer as Christmas and New Years approach, which means everyone is on holiday at a time when disaster is most likely to strike. In this episode, Dr. Sharon Smith talks about her article, “It’s Trauma Season” that explored Australian journalists’ exposure to trauma at this crucial time of low staffing and high probabilities for extreme weather. With 30 years’ experience as a journalist, Dr. Smith talks about her own career and exposure to traumatic events, as well as emotional labor, objectivity, and tips for both newsroom managers and journalists.

Chapters

00:00 Opening

00:48 Introduction

01:09 Sharon's Career in Journalism

02:03 Transitioning to Academia

02:50 Research Focus

05:27 "It's Trauma Season"

09:05 Low Staffing during High Trauma Times

10:20 Covering Disasters in your Community

13:49 How the Study was Conducted

16:37 Australian vs. American Journalism

18:42 The Ambiguity of Objectivity

22:49 Understanding Emotional Labor in Journalism

24:53 Defining Emotional Labor

28:19 Compartmentalization and Its Effects

32:30 Navigating Emotional Responses in Interviews

35:47 Tips for Newsroom Managers

39:43 Journalists Put the Work First

41:20 Tips for Journalists

42:54 Building Trauma Awareness

44:46 Rethinking Objectivity and Impartiality

49:44 Balancing the Impact of Connection

53:01 Conclusion

53:19 Closing

Show Notes

Dr. Sharon Smith on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-smith-9b709519/

“It’s Trauma Season” by Dr. Sharon Smith

https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2026.2668383

Description:
Sam Ragland from the American Press Institute is about as passionate as you can get about keeping journalists healthy. In this episode, we talk about her own journey with trauma and burnout and how it fueled her fire for teaching journalists and newsroom leaders how to be more resilient. From the right newsroom, to the right people, to the right language, we dig in on burnout, culture, and hope for the future.  

Chapters

00:00 Opening

00:42 Introduction

02:48 Shifting Focus to Trauma

05:36 Personal Experience with News and Mental Health

10:45 Addressing Burnout

12:05 Learning the Right Vocabulary

13:28 Being our Brother's Keeper

15:01 Her Series on Identifying and Managing Burnout

18:10 Tiny Betrayals

21:00 Burnout Cannot be Solved with Better Self-Care

24:01 Perpetuating Culture

26:47 Trauma Informed Leadership

30:20 The Pros and Cons of Gens Z and Alpha

32:18 Building Resilience in Journalism Education

34:50 The Importance of Debriefing in Journalism

38:16 Keeping Good Journalists in Journalism

40:28 Processing Hardship Individually

43:18 Barriers to Mental Health Awareness in Newsrooms

46:56 Slow but Noticeable Change

48:15 Empowering Young Journalists to Find the Right Newsroom

51:30 The Trust Economy

52:44 Other API Resources

54:10 Finding your People

56:38 Shout out to Shadow Text

59:32 The Power of Connection

01:00:47 Conclusion

01:01:04 Closing

Show notes:

Samantha Ragland on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantharagland/

Palm Beach Post
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/

Poynter
https://www.poynter.org/

 American Press Institute
https://americanpressinstitute.org/

 API – Navigating Burnout as a Journalist
https://americanpressinstitute.org/navigating-burnout-as-a-journalist/

Mental Health in Journalism Summit 2026
https://www.theselfinvestigation.com/summit/

Media Resilience Network
https://mdrnet.org/

What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrew
https://www.bdperry.com/

Description
Journalism can sometimes be a difficult job, but what makes it difficult can differ widely depending on who you are. On this episode, I talk with Dr. Kris Vera-Phillips about her recently published article, “Don’t Risk Your Life’: How BIPOC Journalists Navigate Identity, Newsroom Routines, and Safety in U.S. Broadcast News,” which was published in Journalism and Media in March 2026. Vera-Phillips is a former broadcast producer who studies the differing experiences of minority journalists. We talk about her findings and what they mean for transforming newsrooms to be more supportive places for all journalists, including minority ones.

Chapters

00:00 Opening

01:11 Introduction and Journey into Journalism

06:51 Transition to Academia

10:27 Her Research on BIPOC Journalists

13:15 Digging into Her Study: Don't Risk Your Life

15:13 Journalists Rewarded for Willingness to Absorb Risk

19:46 The Burden of Safety is on the Journalist

21:28 Specific Challenges for Journalists of Color

22:34 Mental Health and Support in Journalism

25:05 Building Resilience

27:13 Dealing with Racialized Attacks

33:04 Differences in Expectations Between Journalists and Management

36:32 Reimagining Newsrooms

41:02 Other Research in the Works

42:47 Conclusion

43:02 Closing

Show Notes

Learn more about Dr. Kris Vera-Phillips here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisvp/

Southern Methodist University, Meadows School of the Arts
https://www.smu.edu/meadows

Access Dr. Vera-Phillips article here:
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/7/1/64

Other elements mentioned during the show:

Medill School of Journalism:
https://www.medill.northwestern.edu/

Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
https://cronkite.asu.edu/

Next Generation Fellowship (NPR)

https://nextgenradio.org/
PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs
https://studentreportinglabs.org/

Description:

Legendary local meteorologist James Spann knows what it’s like to bear the responsibility of keeping people safe during severe weather. For nearly half a century, he’s been forecasting in one of the deadliest weather markets in the country – Alabama. On this episode, he opens up about being on air during the deadly 2011 tornado outbreak that killed more than 250 people in Alabama, and how he still carries that experience with him today. He also gets candid about the importance of mental and physical health, his new weather venture as he approaches 70, and why his love for weather and serving the community keeps him going. If you love weather, you will love this episode.

Chapters:
00:00 Show Intro

01:11 Introduction

03:22 A Career Built in Alabama

04:22 The Volatility of Alabama Weather

07:03 The Deadly Tornado Outbreak of 2011

11:31 Too Busy for Emotions

15:24 The Responsibility of Saving Lives and Property

17:08 The Mental Toll of Severe Weather

19:07 Moving Through the Grief Process

22:12 The Importance of Community Relationships

24:46 Taking Care of Mental and Physical Health

29:14 The Alabama Weather Network

32:30 Innovating Local Weather Coverage

34:29 Reaching Bigger Audiences

36:35 Lessons from 2011

41:10 Making a Wider Impact

42:25 On the air when a tornado hit his house....

44:45 Shout Out to Ginger Zee

46:50 Angels in the Aftermath

49:00 The Conversation on Mental Health in Meteorology

55:37 Balance and Loving What You Do

57:12 Advice for Aspiring Meteorologists

01:00:12 Conclusion

01:00:35 Show Closing

Show Notes:
James Spann on Instagram: @spannwx and @alabamawxnet
The Weather Brains podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weatherbrains/id121275452
The Alabama Weather Network: https://alabamaweathernetwork.com/
James Spann and Jason Simpson weather coverage on April 27, 2011: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElZZNvNdhks
National Weather Service: https://www.weather.gov/
NOAA: https://www.noaa.gov/
American Meteorological Society (AMS): https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/
National Weather Association (NWA): https://nwas.org/

Description:

Journalists are passionate, and even during big and stressful moments, they put the story first. But that can lead to mental and emotional strain including burnout. That’s why Carolyn Fox has made it her priority to create newsrooms that recognize the importance of caring for their journalists, especially during times of high stress. In this episode, she talks about her roles in management at large news organizations, and how she coached her staff through big events such as the police killing of Alton Sterling in 2016 and Hurricane Ian in 2022. We also cover how daily boundaries and work/life balance are important, because even the grind of typical daily news stories can take its toll.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction

01:08 Carolyn's Career Path

05:04 The beginning of her interest in journalist well-being

06:25 Newsroom Conversations on Mental Health

08:37 COVID and Work/Life Balance

10:28 Covering the shooting of Alton Sterling

17:16 Covering Flooding in Baton Rouge

20:07 Journalism and Mental Health in 2016

24:23 Lessons Learned from Hurricane Ian

31:02 Stress and Mental Health in Newsroom Leaders

33:03 Hurricane Prep and Mental Health

37:14 Building a Supportive Newsroom Culture

40:24 Covering ICE in Maine

43:45 How should newsrooms react?

46:59 Conclusion

47:41 Closing

Show Notes

Carolyn Fox on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynpfox/

Maine Trust for Local News
https://www.metln.org/
MTLN Newsrooms
https://www.metln.org/about/

Times Picayune
https://www.nola.com/

Tampa Bay Times

https://www.tampabay.com/

Police Shooting of Alton Sterling (2016)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Alton_Sterling

Baton Rouge Flooding (2016)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Louisiana_floods

Hurricane Ian (2022)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ian

Description

It was April in Northern Ireland when journalist Lyra McKee was shot and killed during a riot in 2019. Fellow journalist Leona O’Neill not only witnessed the murder, but in the year and a half after, endured an onslaught of hate and threats from conspiracy theorists on social media. She developed PTSD from the trauma of both the shooting and the backlash and was forced to leave her life as a journalist – the only thing she had wanted to be since she was a child. In this episode, Leona talks candidly about her journey with PTSD and how it ultimately fueled her passion to create Media Strong – an organization dedicated to campaigning for better mental health and well-being for journalists.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:38 Understanding the Conflict in Northern Ireland

04:11 Journalism in Northern Ireland

07:40 The Death of Lyra McKee

14:04 The Social Media Backlash

19:08 Leaving Journalism for Academia

25:37 Students and Trauma Literacy

26:58 Media Strong and Newsroom Outreach

30:02 Media Strong and Changing the Mindset

33:12 Overcoming Skepticism and Supporting Management

34:21 Tips for Trauma Resilience

37:28 Getting Journalists on Board

41:50 Not Just Box-Checking: Meaningful Support for Journalists

45:13 Trauma Literacy = Better Journalism

48:54 Media Strong: Focusing on Newsroom Leadership

52:33 Future Goals for Media Strong

53:51 Posttraumatic Growth

56:11 Conclusion

Show Notes

Leona O’Neill on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leona-o-neill-mediastrong/

Leona’s TEDx Talk on her experience with PTSD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERIGYC0WzXg

Media Strong on Payhip
https://payhip.com/mediastrong

News Coverage on Lyra McKee
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy812vnezkro

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/19/uk/my-friend-lyra-mckee-gbr-intl

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/19/obituaries/lyra-mckee-dead.html

Description:
In this delightful conversation with Joe Hight, we explore his 50 years in newspaper journalism through the lens of trauma. Joe discusses a holistic approach to looking at trauma from the perspectives of the victims, the community and the journalists who cover it. And he should know…. As the Community Editor of The Oklahoman, he oversaw their award-winning and innovative coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. We talk about that, his new book, and much more in this episode.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction

01:13 Joe's Journey in Journalism

04:34 Bringing Awareness to Journalism and Trauma

09:39 Thinking about Trauma Holistically

10:58 Covering the Oklahoma City Bombing

12:33 Thinking Differently about Victim Coverage

14:34 Experience from Previous Tragedy Coverage

15:46 Brining Trauma Training to his Newsroom

17:45 Frank Ochberg and the Beginnings of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

22:06 The Importance of Journalists as part of the Community

25:19 The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial

27:09 The Survivors' Tree

29:09 A Career Shaped by Oklahoma City Tragedy

32:31 The Importance of Trauma Champions

33:29 Navigating Reporter Responses

35:57 Understanding Management Responsibility

37:50 The Impact of Local vs. National Journalists

40:50 Joe's Latest Book on Trauma and Resilience

44:27 Stories of Victims and Journalists

46:34 Audience for the Book

47:44 Themes in the Book

51:35 His Inspiration from the Book

54:25 Looking Ahead

55:36 Conclusion

56:49 Closing

Show Notes:

Joe Hight
https://www.oklahomahof.com/author/joe-hight

Edmond Post Office Massacre https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=ED003

Oklahoma City Bombing
https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=OK026

People Mentioned:
Ed Kelley
https://okjournalismhalloffame.com/2003/carl-ed-kelley/

Frank Ochberg
https://istss.org/istss-lifetime-achievement-award-presented-to-ochberg-istss/

Congressman Bill Brewster
https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=BR013
David Handschuh
https://www.davidhandschuh.com/

Mike Walter
https://www.cgtn.com/face/mike-walter.html

Organizations Mentioned:

Global Center for Journalism and Trauma
https://gcjt.org/

Oklahoma City Newspaper – The Oklahoman
https://www.oklahoman.com/

Oklahoma City Memorial
https://memorialmuseum.com/

Description
Former journalist and doctoral student Indri Maulidar talks about her study of journalists who covered the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami and the effects of anniversary coverage on their mental health and well-being. In this episode we talk about the effects of anniversary coverage on journalists as well as the victims themselves, how journalists who cover big events become “experts” of that event during anniversaries, and what newsrooms can do to make anniversary coverage easier while still capitalizing on their journalists’ experience from the event.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:39 From Journalism to Academia

05:21 Why study anniversary journalism?

07:57 Journalists and Anniversary Coverage

11:16 News Organizations and Anniversary Coverage

14:06 Journalist as "unofficial" anniversary expert

17:13 Acceptance of the lack of support

19:45 Feelings of Guilt

22:33 Journalists as Victims

25:50 The Cycle of Anniversary Coverage

27:43 Advice for Newsrooms

30:43 Journalists as Agents of Memory

34:31 Future Research

37:22 Conclusion

37:42 Closing

Show Notes

Indri Maulidar LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/indri-maulidar/?isSelfProfile=false

Indri Maulidar Bio - https://sjmc.wisc.edu/news/staff/maulidar-indri/

More on the 2004 Indian Ocean (Boxing Day) Tsunami - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake_and_tsunami

“The Impossible” – Movie based on the tsunami - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1649419/

Maulidar, I. (2025). Commemorating trauma: The impact of anniversary journalism on journalists’ mental health and well-being. Journalism, online first. DOI: 10.1177/14648849251384495

Description:

On this episode, I team up with Dr. Mimi Perreault from the University of South Florida to talk all things disaster reporting. We dig into the vital role journalists play before, during and after natural disaster hits, as well as how to build relationships with your community that pay dividends in the aftermath. We also discuss how coverage of the victims can lead to meaningful change despite those stories being the most difficult to do. Dr. Perreault has been fascinated by natural disaster since she was a child, and I hope you find her information fascinating as well!

Chapter List:

00:00 Intro

01:18 A Career Dictated by Disaster

04:11 The Vital Role of Journalists During Disaster

08:01 Journalists are also a part of the Community during Disaster

11:31 Misinformation and Hurricane Helene

16:00 Journalists and PIOs during Disaster

20:04 Thoughtful Selection of Stories during Disaster

22:41 Creating Relationships Prior to Disaster

25:48 Reporting on and Supporting a Community

28:06 The Role of Journalists in Disaster Recovery

31:51 Thoughtful Coverage of Victims

35:40 The Importance of Positive Storytelling

38:17 Stories can have lasting impact

43:20 News Deserts and Connecting with your Community

45:36 Coping with Disaster as a Journalist

48:55 How to Connect with Dr. Perreault

49:19 Closing

Show Notes:

Learn more about Dr. Mimi Perreault here.

Follow her on Instagram: @mediatingmimi

Her articles we spoke about:

Perreault, M. F. (2026). The dynamic between journalists and disaster communicators: Best practices in crisis and disaster information sharing. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 54(1), 70–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2025.2573959

Walsh, J. F., & Perreault, M. (2023). What’s with the water: The nature of reporting on the problem of nitrates in Nebraska. Newspaper Research Journal, 44(1), 53-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/07395329221143381

Perreault, M. (2021). Journalism Beyond the Command Post: Local Journalists as Strategic Citizen Stakeholders in Natural Disaster Recovery. Journalism Studies, 22(10), 1279–1297. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2021.1950565

Other resources mentioned:

Local News Go-Bag Toolkit: https://rjionline.org/news/introducing-the-local-news-go-bag-toolkit/

Global Center for Journalism and Trauma: https://gcjt.org/

Journalism Education and Trauma Research Group (JETREG): https://jetreg.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/