The Lead

Welcome to a new season of The Lead, a podcast about how to get ahead in the news industry from the people who did. This season we're going to continue bringing you stories from seasoned news professionals, where we'll dive into how they broke into the journalism world and hear their advice for aspiring media professionals. New episodes begin on Wednesday, September 8.

Hosted by Kyra Posey, and executive produced by Keith Herndon, Ph.D.

In this season 10 bonus episode, Caroline Odom passes the microphone to incoming host, Kyra Posey. Kyra will host seasons 11 and 12 of The Lead in her role as the Morris Chair in News Strategy and Management graduate assistant. Kyra tells us about her decision to pursue a master’s degree in journalism, what she will bring to The Lead, and why leadership matters in the journalism industry. 

In this episode, independent photographer Michelle McLoughlin joins us to talk about shifts in technology, covering personal and traumatic events, and offers advice on working as an independent contractor. She also shares tips on storytelling that apply to any medium.

This episode features Will Carr, an ABC News Correspondent based in Los Angeles, California. Will talks about covering the California wildfires in 2020 and how he prepares to report on dangerous situations. He also shares how he found a passion for broadcast journalism, his approach to work-life balance and the importance of critical thinking and adaptability.

 

In this episode, UGA lecturer of journalism and former anchor with CNN International  Ralitsa Vassileva joins us to talk about her career journey reporting for diverse audiences, offer advice communicating well and share her interest in sustainability.

In the second episode of our two-episode conversation, Greg Bluestein of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution continues to find the local angle on national stories like the impeachment of former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. He also tells us more about the book publishing process and offers advice on dealing with controversy.

This episode is part 1 of a two-part series featuring Greg Bluestein, a political reporter and University of Georgia alumnus who covers the governor’s office and state politics for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Greg catches us up on covering the 2020 presidential election and Georgia’s congressional runoffs, discusses what’s next on Georgia’s political horizon and offers and shares stories from his time as a journalism student at the University of Georgia.

 

This first episode of season 10 features Rana Cash, editor of the Savannah Morning News in Savannah, Georgia, and Georgia state director for the Augusta Chronicle and the Athens Banner-Herald. Rana discusses what it’s like to lead a newsroom, shares how the Savannah Morning News is focusing on the community and  offers encouraging advice for journalism students.

This Season 9 Bonus episode features the show’s own Charlotte Norsworthy, who hosted the podcast for four seasons and serves as executive producer. In our conversation, Charlotte reflects on her time at the University of Georgia, shares her experience of earning a master’s degree in journalism and offers a peek at what she’ll be doing next and what got her there.

In this episode, the last of five parts, Nick Chiles, the industry writing coach for the college of journalism at the University of Georgia, sits down with executive producer Charlotte Norsworthy to discuss developing your voice in writing.