stories
Columbia Journalism Review
Accidental Journalists: A bunch of novices chip in to buy the failing Washington Island Observer, creating second careers, headaches and a better-informed community on a remote Great Lakes island.
Photo courtesy Mary Gute Witte
Milwaukee Magazine
Double Byline: A cozy partnership between Marquette University and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
School’s Out: Hobbled by budget cuts, the Wisconsin press is largely absent in its coverage of education
Outside Looking In: Can far-flung journalists really understand Wisconsin’s unique political landscape?
On the Air: Wisconsin native and This American Life producer Ben Calhoun brings Badger State stories to a national audience
Hail to the Chief: Is the Milwaukee Police Department’s whiz-bang website more than a PR venue?
Town Criers: As community news outlets disappear, a new breed of hyperlocal websites springs up
TV News is a Phony Wasteland to the Digital Generation: Why young people tune it out
Field Work: WUWM reporter Susan Bence took the long way to her dream job
Choosing Death Over Alzheimer's: On a warm July evening, Mary Gute Witte discovered the bodies of her mother and father, sitting in the car in the garage of their upscale suburban Milwaukee home. They had covered their heads with plastic bags and asphyxiated themselves by pumping helium into the bags. Audio story produced for Milwaukee Magazine.
Photo courtesy Jan Kaufman
TRANSOM AUDIO STORYTELLING WORKSHOP
Artists Hiking 98 Miles of Shoreline: There’s no trail around the perimeter of the Leelanau Peninsula. That means there are hidden places along the lakeshore rarely seen from land. It also means hiking those 98 miles is a big project. But some local artists are walking it, mile by mile, over the course of a year.
WUWM MILWAUKEE PUBLIC RADIO
As host of Milwaukee Public Radio’s Lake Effect program, I interviewed hundreds of newsmakers and produced stories for the daily show.
Lake Effect program sample: Brookfield, Wisconsin attorney Jeff Kaufman lived with Lou Gehrig’s Disease for more than two decades. I spoke with Kaufman when he and a renowned embryonic stem cell researcher were working to slow the progression of ALS. The segment won a regional Edward R. Morrow award for writing.