Jun 11, 2019
Why did police destroy over 400
rape kits in cases where the statute of limitations hadn’t expired
or when there was no time limit to prosecute? That’s the question
that drove CNN reporter Ashley Fantz and her colleagues Sergio
Hernandez and Sonam Vashi to spend more than a year to create
Destroyed, a multi-media investigative report that has already led
to changes to how police handle rape kits, calls for legislation
and more changes on the way.
On this episode, Ashley
shares the challenges she had to overcome to report this story and
takes you inside the mind of a journalist who has tackled some of
the toughest problems in society and the world. She gives an inside
look at how editorial teams tackle highly-complex, data-driven
reporting, her process and how she navigates the emotional
geography that comes with writing investigative reports about hard
hitting topics including child abuse, the high suicide rate among
military family members, the war in Syria and the deadliest tornado
in U.S. history in Joplin, Missouri.
I’ve known Ashley for
more than two decades since we met as students at the University of
Missouri-Columbia. I deeply admire the direct impact she has made
in the world with her tenacious reporting and I’m thankful for what
she shared on this episode. Follow her on Twitter @afantz. You are what you overcome.
#choosethehardway.
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Thanks for listening. If you have questions,
comments or want to suggest a guest please reach out to
@hardwaypod on social or email me at
choosethehardway@gmail.com. I’ve had times in my life when I’ve
been in hot pursuit of my dreams and gave up when I hit obstacles I
didn’t think I could overcome. After more than two decades working
with the world’s top performers, I’ve learned that to be the best
in the world, or just find your personal best, you have to choose
the hard way. There aren’t shortcuts or hacks that will get you
there. And you’re going to fail over and over along the way. By
sharing these stories, I hope to empower more people to reach
beyond who they think they are and just keep going, no matter what
they encounter in life.
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