Reporting the unimaginable
Anne Saker's story, “Seven days of heroin,” had one bright spot — until it didn't. What should she do?
Editor's note: Every spring semester, the Denison University journalism program conducts a Podcastathon, an opportunity for classes across the curriculum to do audio-based storytelling. What follows is this year's top prize. It was created for the course Doing Journalism with Ethics and Empathy, offered by Professor Alan Miller.
Anne Saker worked with a team of reporters for the Cincinnati Enquirer to put together a major report, “Seven days of heroin: This is what an epidemic looks like.”
It was 2017, and the timely reporting earned a Pulitzer Prize. But Saker had a major ethical dilemma to wrestle with.
She had a bright spot in her reporting. Stephanie Gaffney was a recovering heroin addict taking care of her happy and healthy 8-month old daughter, Eliana. Then, two weeks after Saker reported on her recovery process, Stephanie died from a heroin overdose.
Now what?
Anne Saker was a journalist for the Cincinatti Enquirer.
Anne Saker was a journalist for the Cincinatti Enquirer.
Iliana and Beth. Beth is Stephanie's mother.
Iliana and Beth. Beth is Stephanie's mother.
Beth and Iliana.
Beth and Iliana.
This screenshot from 7 days of heroin shows Iliana just before her mother died.
This screenshot from 7 days of heroin shows Iliana just before her mother died.
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