Informed Reporting

Listen each week as Dr. Gretchen Hoak, former TV journalist, researcher, and professor, talks with other researchers, working journalists, and newsroom managers about mental health, newsroom culture, and journalist wellbeing. This podcast connects the real world with what academic research shows about life as a journalist and the toll the stress can take. From local journalist to national correspondent, we talk about the consequences of covering the trauma that makes the headlines and leads the newscasts. If you want to join the conversation and learn about how we can use research to make the news industry better and keep good journalists in the field where we need them, then this podcast is for you. Follow us on Instagram @informedreportingpodcast, or email us at informedreportingpodcast@gmail.com .

Informed Reporting is a education podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 18 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Informed Reporting, a education show with 18 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #17

  "It's Trauma Season" with Dr. Sharon Smith

  Jul 6, 202654 minS1

  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

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #16

  "Keeping Good People in the Field" with Samantha Ragland

  Jun 30, 20261h 2mS1

  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/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #15

  "Navigating Identity in Broadcast News" with Dr. Kris Vera-Phillips

  Jun 22, 202644 minS1

  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/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #14

  “Wall-to-Wall During Deadly Weather” with James Spann

  Jun 15, 20261h 2mS1

  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/

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #13

  "Managing Newsrooms Through Big Events" with Carolyn Fox

  Jun 8, 202649 minS1

  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

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Informed Reporting. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.