Sounding

Journalism Helped Me Regain Power Over My Own Story

Journalism Helped Me Regain Power Over My Own Story

In November of 2017, I made the unpopular decision to move back home to Venezuela.Most people are going in the other direction. More than 5.6 million Venezuelans have left the…
“Journalists Make Me Better”

“Journalists Make Me Better”

“Why do I do what I do?” they asked.So, I went to the source of all wisdom to contemplate my place in the world: folk singer Todd Snider, the barefoot…
Redefining What It Means to Cover War

Redefining What It Means to Cover War

I never set out to cover wars. What I wanted was to report overseas, understand foreign lands, explore how the world worked. But my timing was off — or perhaps…

Beyond Superheroes Vs. Villains

As a kid I loved Superman. The undisputed good guy, he saved the world. Superhero and comic book movies often showcase easy-to-understand stakes, protagonists, and antagonists, making villains and heroes…
Following the Money at the University of Michigan Hits Home for Reporter

Following the Money at the University of Michigan Hits Home for Reporter

I used to be the king of the N-S-A:No.Strings.Attached.I was single. I had no children. And I was a renter.When the discount plane fare to Japan arrived in my inbox,…
Reimagining Latinx Representation in American Journalism 

Reimagining Latinx Representation in American Journalism 

I belong to a privileged group of journalists whose identities as Latinxs have always been an asset. Where the relationship between the newsroom and audience is unique.Before joining our digital news…

“Privilege the voices”: NPR’s Carrie Johnson on the power of active listening

I spent my childhood in a tiny pink house in suburban Chicago, surrounded by noise. The television blared theme songs from my grandmother’s soap operas. My grandfather’s fire department scanner…

What Could Trauma-Informed Journalism Look Like?

When I hear teachers or soldiers or ministers talk about what they do as a calling, I get it. Though the public may not believe it, journalists carry a similar…
One Truth at a Time

One Truth at a Time

My mom, like most Indigenous women of her time, didn’t really value Western education. It was my dad, an Italian son of immigrants, who pushed me to go to university.…

A Historian’s Approach to Journalism

"Journalism became a vehicle to pursue the kinds of narratives that first got me interested in history: those that question the official story and defy power"