Don't Bury the Lede

Ever wonder who really decides what becomes “news”? In this episode of Laid Off and Looking, we go inside the assignment desk, the nerve center of every newsroom with Professor Benjamin Davis, award-winning journalist and Chair of Multimedia Journalism at Morgan State University. Davis has worked at ABC News, MSNBC.com, and NPR, and he’s here to break down the uncomfortable truth: 👉 The stories y...

Ever wonder why the news, especially TV news is the way it is? This week on Laid Off and Looking, veteran TV news director and journalism educator turned media critic, Jennifer Schulze shares some frank words on how broadcast journalism went off track. From shrinking newsrooms and corporate pressure to the obsession with “going viral,” Schulze explains how decades of cutbacks and bad incentives tu...

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 Luisa 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 cris...

Ever wonder why your local NPR station or PBS News sounds so different from your local TV news? It’s not just tone, it’s money, mission, and mindset. In this episode of Laid Off and Looking, Domenic and Jenna talk with Stan Jastrzebski, longtime public radio news director for KBIA in Columbia Missouri. He's also a journalism researcher and breaks down why there is a divide between public media and...

Think “data journalism” sounds dry? Think again. In this smart (and surprisingly funny) episode of Laid Off and Looking, we talk with Jess Awtry, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Communications at the Pew Research Center, about how numbers, charts, and audience analytics are shaping the future of news. Jess breaks down why data is more than spreadsheets, it’s storytelling, accountability, an...

What happens when a journalist interviews a comedian who might secretly understand the media better than most journalists? In this episode, Paul Saylor, musician, comedian, and runner-up in the New York Queer Comedy Festival, joins Jenna Flanagan and Domenic Camia on Laid Off and Looking to unpack: Why news and comedy are basically dating each other now: How AI, algorithms, and outrage are reshapi...

Culture reporting isn’t fluff. It covers music, film, reality TV, the arts, and so much more, showing why these things matter and what they reveal about us. Jenna and Dom talk with writer and scholar Kovie Biakolo about why cultural reporting is essential, what’s lost when newsrooms cut it, and how it’s different from influencer commentary. Kovie points to “Love Island USA” to show how desirabilit...

Welcome to Press Pass, our new bonus series where Jenna and Dom go on tangents, share gossip, and get into everything shaping the news. For our first episode, we watched all ten episodes of Peacock's hit series “The Paper” (“The Office” spinoff) and compared it to our own newsroom days. We talk about what the show gets right, what it plays for laughs, and why local news deserves better. Plus, we s...

Can artificial intelligence replace editors and producers in newsrooms? And how does journalism build a future rooted in equity and accountability? In this in-depth interview, Sisi Wei, Editor-in-Chief of The Markup, shares her insights on: ✅ The risks of over-reliance on AI in journalism ✅ Why diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential for credible reporting ✅ How newsrooms can rebuild tru...

The news isn’t just in the hands of reporters anymore. Commentators and influencers cover the news too, and the lines between them get blurrier every day. So who even counts as a journalist today? For answers, Dom and Jenna sat down with Kelly McBride, senior vice president and chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at the Poynter Institute. Kelly helps newsrooms navigate issu...

We’re back! 🎙️ Welcome to Season 3 of Laid Off and Looking with award-winning journalists Jenna Flanagan and Domenic Camia. In our season 3 opener, Jenna and Dom share how we spent our summer, the challenges of building an independent media business, and why this season is all about asking even harder questions: 📰 Journalists vs. Influencers – What happens when reporters are forced to compete for...

Jenna and Dom break down the backlash over Jake Tapper’s new book Original Sin, co-written with Axios’ Alex Thompson. It examines former President Joe Biden’s decline and if the press looked the other way. It’s pushed questions about trust in legacy media right back into the spotlight. Then they sit down with Shelby D. Smith, a journalist and digital creator making the news easier to follow on Tik...

The Knicks stunned the Celtics and Jenna’s still recovering, but the show must go on! This week, Jenna and Dom look at two viral interviews gone sideways- one with former NFL coach Bill Belichick, the other with White Lotus actor Walton Goggins and ask: where’s the line between fair game and off-limits? Then, they catch up with Ben Max, an expert on New York City politics and former executive edit...

The white smoke rose and suddenly... history. In this week’s episode, Jenna and Dom react in real time to the surprise announcement of the first American Pope, Leo XIV. They take you behind the scenes to show what it’s like when a breaking news story hits, from the control room to the anchor desk. Then in Part 2 of their chat with executive producer Patrick King, whose credits include The Daily Sh...

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner skipped the comedian this year, and the whole thing felt... weird. Jenna and Dom talk about what that choice says about the state of the press, whether the decision was more about playing it safe than celebrating free speech, and how a night meant to celebrate journalism ended up spotlighting its insecurities. Then in part one of our chat with executive produ...

President Trump’s coming for NPR and PBS! Jenna and Dom get into what’s behind the push to pull their funding, and why it’s part of a bigger culture war play. Why does “60 Minutes” always seem to get under Trump’s skin, and is there anything he can actually do about it? Then, in part two of Jenna and Dom’s conversation with journalist and author Rick Perlstein, he lays out how President Ronald Rea...

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, s...

Are we watching journalism evolve or just unravel? Jenna and Dom are taking a closer look. Megyn Kelly’s launching a podcast network and calling out the “old rules” of journalism. So what exactly are the ‘new rules’? Then, a Media Matters report uncovers how the right is dominating online media and slipping into sports, comedy, and pop culture. And journalist Laura Jedeed joins the pod to unpack t...

Jenna and Dom are back from a brief break and boy did a lot happen! They unpack the leaked Signal chat between Trump-era officials that’s raising questions about national security, and who gets prosecuted when lines are crossed. And they also break down the Capitol Hill grilling of NPR and PBS, as House Republicans threaten to pull public media funding over claims of bias. Topic Timestamps: Signal...

The scary world of vanishing information! First up, Jenna and Dom talk about what's with USAID telling employees to destroy classified documents? Next, they discuss MTV News pulling their entire website offline last year. In the spotlight, guest Michael Alex, who pioneered MTV's digital presence in the 90s, joins the pod and shares fascinating stories about launching MTV's first website and fighti...

There’s nothing like the New York Post headlines and this week, Jenna and Dom have some fun with their latest! Then, journalist and former Page Six editor Frank DiGiacomo joins the podcast to talk about his new book, “Paper of Wreckage,” an insider look at the New York Post’s wild history. From its transformation under Rupert Murdoch to the outrageous headlines that made it infamous, we dive into...

This week, Jenna and Dom break down the latest headlines about LGBTQ+ erasure with Cathy Renna from the National LGBTQ Task Force. Why did the National Park Service quietly remove ‘transgender’ from the Stonewall Monument's site? Why did PBS pull LGBTQ+ teaching resources? And what role does the media play in preserving history when the government won’t? Plus, journalist and content creator Viktor...

This week, Jenna and Dom can't help but notice a pattern: "Hostile Government Takeover" isn't just a viral TikTok song; it's basically the theme song for the week's headlines! They're joined by media critic and Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) founder Jeff Cohen to break down all the big stories. First up: Former “New York Times” columnist Paul Krugman says major news outlets are "sanewas...

This week on the Laid Off and Looking podcast, Jenna and Dom break down the escalating drama between the White House and the Associated Press over renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America." They discuss why everyone should care about what's happening here, exploring the implications of this dispute and its impact on press freedom. Then, they chat about comedian Hasan Minhaj’s YouTube vi...

Dom and Jenna are both down for the count this week but will DEFINITELY be back next with to continue the discussion around what is happening to journalism in America.