On this episode, we're joined by Jennifer Berry Hawes. Jennifer is a reporter for the non-profit ProPublica focusing on criminal justice, religion, race, and the welfare of women and children in the southern part of the United States.

Prior to ProPublica, Jennifer was a longtime Watchdog and Public Service reporter for The Charleston Post and Courier. She was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2015 for Public Service for a series about South Carolina's failure to protect women from domestic violence. She's won several other prominent awards. Her book- Grace Will Lead Us Home- about a mass shooting in a South Carolina church was published in 2019.

Jennifer discussed her work on stories about domestic violence, segregation academies, human trafficking, and the challenges of reporting on emotionally taxing topics, while emphasizing the importance of empathy, detailed storytelling, and teamwork in journalism.

This episode abounds with lessons for aspiring journalists in how to excel at longform reporting.

Jennifer's salute: Asheville Watchdog

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