Description

It’s never easy starting out in your first job as a reporter, but trying doing it right as a historic pandemic takes hold of the country. Follow that up with two police-involved fatal shootings, and you have the first few years of Anna Huntsman’s journalism career at Ideastream Public Radio in Cleveland, Ohio. In this episode, she talks candidly about how hard her first years were and how she coped with everything from isolation to protests and bodycam footage. She also shares valuable lessons for new and younger journalists, plus some of her favorite stories.

Chapters

00:00 Show Open

01:15 Anna Welcome

01:49 Anna's Career Journey

03:25 Falling in Love with Audio Storytelling

05:40 New Reporter Covering the Pandemic

08:27 Life without a Newsroom

11:06 Navigating a Pandemic

12:45 From a Pandemic to Civil Unrest

16:14 High Stress/High Emotion as a New Reporter

19:37 Another Police-Involved Shooting

21:55 Reporting on Graphic Body Cam Footage

23:37 Staying Focused on the Role

24:55 Coping with the Emotional Burden

26:51 Finding Joy in Hobbies

30:04 Lessons Learned about Boundaries and Capacity

35:20 Reflecting on Growth

38:54 Reflecting on Best Work

43:31 Conclusion

Show Notes

Anna’s Bio: https://www.ideastream.org/news/people/anna-huntsman

Anna’s Series, “Hidden History”: https://www.ideastream.org/hidden-history

On Instagram: @ideastreamneo

Anna’s Story “Wooster Woman Shares Barriers Deaf Immigrants Face in Citizenship Process”: https://www.ideastream.org/community/2025-03-03/journey-is-not-yet-over-wooster-woman-shares-barriers-deaf-immigrants-face-in-citizenship-process

Names/Organizations/Events Mentioned:
Kent State University School of Media and Journalism: www.kent.edu/mdj

News21 Fellowship: https://news21.com/join-our-team/

Amanda Rabinowitz: https://www.ideastream.org/news/people/amanda-rabinowitz

2022 – Jayland Walker: https://www.ideastream.org/tags/jayland-walker

2024 – Jazmir Tucker: https://www.ideastream.org/tags/jazmir-tucker