Hi everyone.
The best thing you can do with this is share it (and the podcast) with an aspiring journalist.
I feel like I’ve done some good work lately. Here are my most recent episodes:
Alexa Imani Spencer, Word in Black
Alexa Imani Spencer covers racial health equity for Word in Black, a newsroom that frames narratives and fosters solutions for racial inequities in America. It was founded after the murder of George Floyd. She previously worked for the Memphis Commercial Appeal and also writes about maternal health.
Why to listen: Alexa is covering important issues. She’s able to draw upon her experience in the health care field (as a doula) and has great empathy for the subjects on which she reports.
In this clip, Alexa explains what she wants her beat to look like.
Bennet Goldstein, Wisconsin Watch,
Mississippi River Basin Ag and Water Desk
Bennet Goldstein covers agriculture and the environment in the heartland for Wisconsin Watch as part of Report for America. He works on the Mississippi River Basin Agriculture and Water Desk – a collaborative reporting group. He previously worked for newspapers in Iowa and Nebraska.
Why to listen: Bennet is part of an important reporting group filling a gap in coverage. His stories range from covering LGBTQ farmers (and writing about what that was like as someone who is gay) to investigative pieces on a proposed pig farm and also water pollution.
In this clip, Bennet explains how story ideas are evaluated via an in-depth list called “The 10 Command Prompts.”
Andrew Galarneau, 4 Bites
Andrew Galarneau covers the food scene in Buffalo in his newsletter, something he formerly did for The Buffalo News. He reviews food and writes features on his food experiences and the interesting people who work in the restaurant business.
Why to listen: Andrew has watched the newspaper business gradually decline and decided to go on his own. He explained what went into that and described what he’s trying to provide his readers.
In the clip below, he explains his view of service journalism in 2024.
Mallory Carra, Longtime Journalist, Professor, USC
Editor, West Coast Media Jobs
Mallory Carra is a longtime journalist who has experience in print, digital, and audio. Among the highlights: she’s written for Bustle and produced and written podcasts for Spotify. Now, she teaches, produces the Electric Futures Podcast, and publishes a weekly newsletter for job hunters on the West Coast.
Why to listen: Mallory cares about mentoring and helping the next generation of journalists. The interview includes a number of insights helpful to aspiring journalists.
In the clip below, she explains her process for idea generation.
Upcoming Guests
My next 2 episodes features interviews with Black journalists who have been in the industry for more than 30 years each.
Adrienne Johnson Martin is the executive editor of MLK50. She’s formerly been an editor at The Los Angeles Times, The Raleigh News and Observer, and Duke Magazine. Now she’s doing impactful work in a newsroom that seeks to impact policy and people’s lives.
Curtis Bunn is a writer for NBCBLK who previously covered sports in New York and Atlanta and also has a successful career as a novelist and book conference founder. While sports was fun, working for NBC BLK has been extremely meaningful, as he writes in-depth about Black issues.
Got a guest recommendation for me? E-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com.
Visit my website!
You can find the entire catalog of more than 150 interviews at my website - and you can see lists by category. So if you’re looking for all my interviews with environmental or political journalists or any category of journalists, they’re just a click away.
Also, click here to read about my journalism origin story on another Substack that I recommend, Your First Byline.
Find the podcast
To find the podcast, head to these sites …
Keep up with me and my many projects
You can find all the different projects and social media I’m working on at my Linktree.