In this episode, Rebecca talks with Walt Potter and Elizabeth Stephens of the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri about the Potter Digital Ambassadors program, which sends student digital natives into small community newsrooms for an intensive week of hands-on work. Stephens explains how ambassadors help newsrooms with little or no digital staff launch email newsletters, build social media templates, set up analytics, and find workflow efficiencies that free up capacity. Potter shares how the program grew out of conversations with community publishers, including a small-town publisher who simply asked for a journalism student to help build her a website, and why he believes local papers remain essential as trusted sources in their communities.

They also discuss how the program balances listening to what newsrooms ask for with introducing what they may not know they need, including the growing role of AI tools and the shift in how readers find news. Stephens reflects on what makes the change last after the ambassador leaves, from leadership buy-in to a first-time fundraising campaign that brought in significant revenue, and Potter looks ahead to how the program might help publishers tackle revenue challenges. They close with how newsrooms in Kansas, Tennessee, Iowa, Vermont, and Missouri can get involved.

Disclaimer: Ms. Tyler’s account of the events discussed in this episode reflects her personal understanding alone. The related cases remain pending, and any allegations discussed should not be interpreted as findings of guilt.

In this episode, Kevin Berrier talks with Niki Tyler, founder of Call the Cleaners, about the unimaginable loss of her daughter Danielle and the long journey back to finding purpose. Niki shares how in the darkest period of her life, starting a cleaning business gave her something to pour herself into and a reason to get out of bed each day.

They also discuss how Niki has worked to keep Danielle’s memory alive in the years since, from a scholarship at her former high school for students chasing their own dreams, to a newly launched nonprofit, Danielle Tyler’s Legacy of Light. Niki closes by reflecting on what it means to carry her daughter’s story forward and make sure she’s remembered for who she was: kind, compassionate, and full of light.

DANIELLE TYLER'S LEGACY OF LIGHT NON-PROFIT PAGE: https://carrollcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=6379

JUSTICE FOR DANIELLE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/389745519063456

JUSTICE FOR DANIELLE CHANGE.ORG: https://www.change.org/p/judicial-system-help-get-my-daughter-danielle-justice-justicefordanielle

In this episode, Rebecca talks with Baltimore author, journalist, and educator D. Watkins about The Engagement, his new magazine-style radio show launching October 19th on WYPR and Baltimore Public Media. Watkins explains why he believes the best conversations happen on public radio, how the show will bring sources directly into dialogue with the audience, and why he’s committed to interviewing people with lived experience rather than relying only on credentialed experts. He also shares a story about a two-year investigation into workplace discrimination that never saw publication, and what it means to earn a source’s trust without asking anything transactional in return.

They also dig into Watkins’ own storytelling roots, from the personal essay writing that shaped his memoirs to the childhood hours spent in NA meetings with his father that, he realizes in the conversation, taught him how to recognize when people are speaking from the heart. The two discuss the difference between journalism’s need for facts and memoir’s demand for vulnerability, and Watkins closes by describing what success looks like for the show six months in: a space where layered perspective replaces simple talking points.