A Message From NHPR’s Document Team, Summer 2024
““It was truly one of the first times I’ve heard my story… You have truly captured our voices, and the lack of support and retaliation when we come forward... Thank you sooo much for committing to a better future.””
Lauren Chooljian relaxes onstage at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth before a community discussion on The 13th Step podcast.
January 18, 2024
This is one of the hundreds of messages we’ve received over the past year in response to The 13th Step – the podcast from NHPR’s Document team, hosted by Lauren Chooljian, chronicling our investigation into sexual misconduct in the addiction treatment industry. It took three grueling years of reporting and editing – and overcoming serious legal and safety challenges – to bring this story to light, but messages like this one make it so worthwhile. They are evidence of the deep impact this work has had on listeners like you.
That impact can also be measured by the dozens of people who came out for live community events in Portsmouth and Lebanon; by the bill proposed in direct response to the podcast by advocates who want to change a “culture of silence” in the state’s addiction treatment industry; and by the honors this work has received with some of the most prestigious awards in journalism.
Jason Moon and Rabia Chaudry were center stage at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord discussing the impact of true crime media on the criminal justice system after the release of Bear Brook: A True Crime Story.
May 17, 2023
NHPR’s Document team does not shy away from telling difficult stories. Our newest podcast series The Youth Development Center, hosted by Jason Moon, investigates the growing child abuse scandal in the state’s juvenile justice system and centers the voices of people who lived it.
One reason we can continue reporting these heavy, important stories is because the news organization you support is made up of people who truly care – not just about the work, but about the wellbeing of the journalists who do it. NHPR’s leaders understand the toll this work can take, and we work hard to ensure staff have the time and support they need to keep going. We do this with the confidence that you have our journalists’ backs, too.
Thank you.
Katie Colaneri, Senior Editor of Podcasts
Banner photo: Lauren Chooljian, senior reporter and producer of The 13th Step speaks at Columbia University. (Photo courtesy of the duPont Awards, January 25, 2024)