Most people think journalists are trained to stay detached, to report the story, and not feel it.
But what happens when the story breaks you?
In this episode we talk with journalist and researcher Louisa Ortiz Pérez, founder of the Media Resilience Network, who launched a groundbreaking survey exploring the emotional toll of journalism during the era of layoffs, audience distrust, and constant crisis coverage.
Louisa reveals what her data shows about:
🧠 Burnout, anxiety, and “moral injury” in the newsroom
💔 How layoffs and social media toxicity are reshaping reporters’ sense of purpose
🎙️ Why many journalists feel silenced, even in organizations built to tell the truth
🌍 And what needs to change to make journalism sustainable again
This conversation is candid, compassionate, and deeply human: a look at what it really means to do the work of journalism when the industry itself is falling apart.
How do we rebuild trust, without breaking the journalists who keep us informed?
00:00 - Start
02:11 - Jenna Remembers the Trauma of Sandy Hook
08:05 - Technology Changed the Game
11:08 - When You Are the Story
14:31 - You Shouldn’t Have to Shrug It Off
17:04 - Journalism Can Make You Sick
18:26 - Put Your Foot Down
22:37 - A Human Condition: A Play About Journalism
25:06 - Take the Veneer Off
27:28 - We Can’t Be Unseen
35:35 - Journalists Need 2 Things to Heal
44:49 - The Algorithm IS NOT Your Friend
48:08 - Only People Not Bots Can Do Journalism
52:29 - PTSD Should Be Recognized
55:15 - Why Did You Become a Journalist?
Media Resilience Network
https://mdrnet.org/
Take the Survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdAXBQMP8wgy_ecx2dh4WeqAb3fSUyIh8fndSkZrYBGR22yNg/viewform
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Most people think journalists are trained to stay detached, to report the story, and not feel it.
But what happens when the story breaks you?
In this episode we talk with journalist and researcher Louisa Ortiz Pérez, founder of the Media Resilience Network, who launched a groundbreaking survey exploring the emotional toll of journalism during the era of layoffs, audience distrust, and constant crisis coverage.
Louisa reveals what her data shows about:
🧠 Burnout, anxiety, and “moral injury” in the newsroom
💔 How layoffs and social media toxicity are reshaping reporters’ sense of purpose
🎙️ Why many journalists feel silenced, even in organizations built to tell the truth
🌍 And what needs to change to make journalism sustainable again
This conversation is candid, compassionate, and deeply human: a look at what it really means to do the work of journalism when the industry itself is falling apart.
How do we rebuild trust, without breaking the journalists who keep us informed?
00:00 - Start
02:11 - Jenna Remembers the Trauma of Sandy Hook
08:05 - Technology Changed the Game
11:08 - When You Are the Story
14:31 - You Shouldn’t Have to Shrug It Off
17:04 - Journalism Can Make You Sick
18:26 - Put Your Foot Down
22:37 - A Human Condition: A Play About Journalism
25:06 - Take the Veneer Off
27:28 - We Can’t Be Unseen
35:35 - Journalists Need 2 Things to Heal
44:49 - The Algorithm IS NOT Your Friend
48:08 - Only People Not Bots Can Do Journalism
52:29 - PTSD Should Be Recognized
55:15 - Why Did You Become a Journalist?
Media Resilience Network
https://mdrnet.org/
Take the Survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdAXBQMP8wgy_ecx2dh4WeqAb3fSUyIh8fndSkZrYBGR22yNg/viewform
Bill Maher reports back on his dinner with President Donald Trump, saying “everything I’ve ever not liked about him was… absent.” Jenna and Dom are left scratching their heads wondering, wait, what?
The Associated Press–Trump saga isn't over! After refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” the AP got blocked from some White House press events. Now a federal judge has weighed in, so what does the ruling actually say?
In part one of our conversation with Rick Perlstein — historian, journalist, and author — we trace how presidents have fought with the press, from Richard Nixon’s enemies list to Trump’s war on coverage he doesn’t like. The tactics may change, but the playbook sounds familiar.
Timecodes:
Start of show - 00:00
Bill Maher’s dinner date with Trump - 02:10
AP-Trump saga continues - 05:13
Rick Perlstein interview Nixon: The Press Is the Enemy - 09:51
Nixon: Silent Majority - 17:57
Spiro Agnew: Speech on the Media - 23:42
Nixon: No Washington Post In the White House - 45:26
More Next Week - 55:49
You can find Rick Perlstein’s books “Nixonland” and “Reaganland” at bookstore.com.
Links for this episode:
Judge orders White House to lift restrictions on Associated Press over use of Gulf of Mexico
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-associated-press-dispute-gulf-of-america/
Audio Credits:
“The press is the enemy.” - The Richard Nixon Library
https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/823/conversation-823-001
The Great Silent Majority (full version) - Courtesy: Richard Nixon Foundation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpCWHQ30Do8&t=1552s
US Vice President Spiro Agnew speech on the media - Courtesy: Wikicommons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spiro_Agnew_speech_on_media_excerpt.ogg
Richard Nixon and Ronald Ziegler conversation about the Washington Post - Courtesy: Richard Nixon Library and Museum
https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/white-house-tapes/34/conversation-034-050
Laid Off and Looking
Most people think journalists are trained to stay detached, to report the story, and not feel it.
But what happens when the story breaks you?
In this episode we talk with journalist and researcher Louisa Ortiz Pérez, founder of the Media Resilience Network, who launched a groundbreaking survey exploring the emotional toll of journalism during the era of layoffs, audience distrust, and constant crisis coverage.
Louisa reveals what her data shows about:
🧠 Burnout, anxiety, and “moral injury” in the newsroom
💔 How layoffs and social media toxicity are reshaping reporters’ sense of purpose
🎙️ Why many journalists feel silenced, even in organizations built to tell the truth
🌍 And what needs to change to make journalism sustainable again
This conversation is candid, compassionate, and deeply human: a look at what it really means to do the work of journalism when the industry itself is falling apart.
How do we rebuild trust, without breaking the journalists who keep us informed?
00:00 - Start
02:11 - Jenna Remembers the Trauma of Sandy Hook
08:05 - Technology Changed the Game
11:08 - When You Are the Story
14:31 - You Shouldn’t Have to Shrug It Off
17:04 - Journalism Can Make You Sick
18:26 - Put Your Foot Down
22:37 - A Human Condition: A Play About Journalism
25:06 - Take the Veneer Off
27:28 - We Can’t Be Unseen
35:35 - Journalists Need 2 Things to Heal
44:49 - The Algorithm IS NOT Your Friend
48:08 - Only People Not Bots Can Do Journalism
52:29 - PTSD Should Be Recognized
55:15 - Why Did You Become a Journalist?
Media Resilience Network
https://mdrnet.org/
Take the Survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdAXBQMP8wgy_ecx2dh4WeqAb3fSUyIh8fndSkZrYBGR22yNg/viewform
