In this first episode of Season 9, Professor Sue Ellen Christian of Western Michigan University joins host Caroline Odom to talk about concepts from her book, “Everyday Media Literacy: An Analog Guide for Your Digital Life.” Professor Christian shares why media literacy matters for journalism students and how the power of the story will always win the day.

In this Season 8 bonus episode, Charlotte Norsworthy and Keith Herndon, director of the Cox Institute for  Journalism Innovation, Management & Leadership at the University of Georgia, celebrate Norsworthy's work as host, discuss her transition to producer and introduce The Lead's new host for seasons 9 and 10, Caroline Odom. 

In this episode, Charlotte Norsworthy talks to Grady grad Tanya Sichynsky, a newsletter editor at The Washington Post and the author of Meal Plan of Action, a 12-week email series that helps readers plan, prep and cook more efficiently. In this episode we discuss the importance of culture journalism and how food news can bring people together. This episode also marks the final episode of Season 8 and the final episode of Norsworthy as host.

In this episode, Grady alumna Laura James discusses her work as the commerce editor for home and travel with Discovery. She produces original articles and photo galleries on trending travel and design topics for TravelChannel.com and HGTV.com. In this episode, we discuss reporting on cultural trends and how it connects us with the world at large. 

In this episode of The Lead, I talk to Randy Travis, a Peabody Award-winning investigative reporter for FOX 5 Atlanta. andy joined WAGA in 1990. In 1994 he moved to the station's distinguished investigative unit, the FOX 5 I-Team. Since then, his stories have led to businesses closing that misled the public, exposed government waste and corruption and even sparked criminal investigations that ultimately sent people to prison. 

Note: this episode was recorded before the outbreak of COVID-19 and its subsequent impact on the University of Georgia's operations.

In this episode of the lead, I talk to The New York Times vice president and deputy general counsel David McCraw. As deputy general counsel, David is the primary litigator for the Times and is a tireless defender of the first amendment. He also gave the 41st McGill lecture at the Grady College in 2019. In this episode, we discuss press freedom and the future of journalism internationally. 

In this episode, I talk to Mariana Heredia, a Grady alumna and entrepreneurial journalist. We discuss her pivot to starting her own business, Fenix Journalism, which is centered around crowdfunded journalism. 

In this season 8 return of The Lead podcast, Tony Rehagen, a widely published magazine writer, discusses life as a freelancer and his commitment to storytelling. We discuss one of his stories published in Popular Mechanics, "I Grew Up in a Gas Station," a story he wrote about his childhood.

This episode featured the original host of The Lead podcast: Daniel Funke, now a misinformation reporter with Politifact. We discuss how his experiences on this podcast helped shape his career and what it means to cover misinformation in today's political landscape.

In this exciting bonus episode of The Lead, we are excited to share with you our new project: The Lead ebook! The book, titled "News Leadership: Conversations about Journalism and its Future," features excerpts from the podcast's first six seasons. This episode features a conversation with host Charlotte Norsworthy and Keith Herndon, director of the Cox Institute about the production of the book.

Purchase the book here: https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/news-leadership-conversations-about-journalism-and-its-future