There's always more to a news story than what you see, so throughout this series, Rev Frank Ritchie will be sitting down with journalists to unpack the stories that have shaped and changed them. Follow now, and share this podcast with your news junkie friends!
Veteran journalist Paula Penfold has chosen to discuss her most recent documentary, Deleted, where Paula and her team at Stuff Circuit investigated the persecution of the Uyghur peoples in China.
Joy Reid nearly gave up journalism while struggling with PTSD after covering the Christchurch earthquakes, but went on to her dream role as the Europe correspondent for TVNZ.
When breaking the news of horrific treatment of prisoners at Auckland Women's Prison, Guyon Espiner came face to face with a deeper story, of personal and cultural trauma.
As Jehan Casinader reported on the tragic suicide of a Christchurch teenager, Jehan's own mental health was privately crumbling as he'd recently begun experiencing suicidal thoughts.
In the 1960s and 70s, children as young as eight were placed in Porirua Psychiatric Hospital alongside the most mentally unwell adults. In 2005, Miriama Kamo told their story of startling abuse.
What started out as a seemingly straightforward but tragic homicide story for investigative journalist Jared Savage turned into a heart-breaking exposé that changed his reporting and view of the world.
Cystic fibrosis is a death sentence for those who suffer with it. Encountering their experience, and the miracle drug that's just out of reach, changed Paddy Gower.
When Alison Mau launched a nationwide project to support victims of workplace sexual abuse and harassment in sharing their stories, critics wondered if the results would even be newsworthy.
When covering the Syrian refugee crisis, Rachel Smalley translated overwhelming statistics of tragedy into stories of living, breathing people. Years later, Rachel still carries the grief of what she witnessed.
Dismayed by how Māori were being portrayed in the media, Carmen Parahi nearly gave up on journalism for good. Instead, she channelled her frustration into a game-changing re-examination of indigenous news coverage.
A surprise phone call handed Garth Bray a huge scoop as media scrambled to find a runaway Hone Harawira in Australia. His journey to Alice Springs and the fallout back home turned the spotlight on indigenous discrimination.
An expose into Te Kohanga Reo Trust by Mihingarangi Forbes and Annabelle Lee-Mather led to their acrimonious exit from Māori Television. The duo bounced back to form an award-winning media company bringing indigenous storytelling to mainstream audiences.
As missiles rained down on Gaza in 2014, Mike McRoberts lobbied his 3 News bosses to get him to the frontline. The trauma of witnessing destruction on such an enormous scale stayed with him and shaped how he responds to tragedy.
Having joined the press gallery as its youngest member in 1980, Barry Soper is set to depart this year one of its veterans. Four decades and ten Prime Ministers on, he reflects on his career-shaping encounters with Nelson Mandela and his years holding power to account.
Disheartened by one-dimensional coverage of gangs in Pākehā media, Moana Maniapoto and Hikurangi Jackson set about delving into the issue themselves. The Whakaata Māori mother-son duo's empathetic coverage captured the complexity and humanity of Aotearoa's gang landscape.
Through the telling of one couple's devastating story, Susie Ferguson lifted the lid on the grief suffered by the hundreds of Kiwi families who lose a baby each year. The veteran broadcaster reflects on helping break NZ's final taboo.
During the 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa Barbara Dreaver reported on an ill-equipped healthcare system, complex tensions between traditional and western medicine, and the tragic and preventable loss of life.
Long before it made national headlines, Justin Latif faced an uphill battle to convince his bosses the occupation of Ihumātao was worth covering. The ensuing reportage opened up a national conversation about identity, land ownership and Māori rights.
A wheelchair user all her life, Olivia Shivas' coverage on people with disabilities suffering horrific abuse in care hit uncomfortably close to home. Her courageous reporting would help expose injustice and give survivors a voice.