Podcast
Ink and Airwaves
Hosted by Patrick R. Johnson · EN
Welcome to Ink and Airwaves, where the timeless craft of journalism meets the dynamic energy of podcasting. Each season, we explore the world of storytelling and news creation through the lens of news literacy. Hosted by students, this podcast dives deep into the principles that define journalism—from the ethics that guide it to the challenges it faces in a rapidly changing world.
Join us as we uncover untold stories, examine the forces shaping our media diets, and reflect on what it means to be news-literate. Whether you're a news junkie, a curious listener, or just someone who wants to think more critically about the news you consume, Ink and Airwaves invites you to question, explore, and discover the power of a well-told story.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
What Local News Means to Us: Spectrum News 1
1w ago00:21:19Tap to summarizeIn this reflection episode, the team steps back from reporting and compares notes on what changed in their own news habits after analyzing Spectrum News 1 Milwaukee. They talk through where local news fits into their day-to-day lives, what pulls them toward national headlines or social feeds instead, and how emotions like stress, avoidance, and "doomscrolling" shape what they choose to watch or ignore. The group also names where Spectrum's approach to circulation and access met them or missed them, then connects those observations to bigger course ideas about news literacy, trust, verification, and civic responsibility. The episode closes with concrete next steps each person plans to take to stay more engaged with local news without letting it take over their attention.
Transcribe →How Spectrum News 1 Milwaukee finds (or loses) its audience
2w ago00:08:25Tap to summarizeThis episode traces how Spectrum News 1 Milwaukee moves audiences from platform to platform, and what that design implies for access to local information. Using only what is publicly visible, we follow one story's "audience journey" from social discovery to a click-through on the site, then zoom out to the site's structure: a dominant top module, recirculation widgets that steer readers to additional stories, and navigation that organizes news by content type. A key finding is that Spectrum appears to prioritize its app as the main relationship tool in place of newsletters, which changes who gets consistent updates and how directly people can build habits around local news. We also look at Instagram activity through Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin, where posting cadence is steady but visible engagement appears low, raising questions about how circulation strategies translate into sustained attention in a specific local market.
Transcribe →FoodShare uncertainty in Milwaukee and how USA Today framed it nationally
2w ago00:12:50Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Ink & Airwaves, the team compares how the same national policy pressure becomes two different stories depending on scale and audience. We break down Spectrum News 1 Milwaukee's reporting on FoodShare funding concerns and Gov. Tony Evers' letter urging the USDA to act, then compare it with USA Today's national coverage focused on whether SNAP benefits will be sent in November. Using a close read of each article's lead, nut graf, evidence, sourcing, and tone, we show how local coverage tends to foreground immediate community impact and state-level action, while national coverage emphasizes broader uncertainty, federal timelines, and system-wide consequences. The takeaway is about craft: framing and sourcing do not just describe an issue, they shape what the public thinks is at stake and who is responsible to respond.
Transcribe →Inside the work of Aly Prouty, Multimedia Journalist of Spectrum News
3w ago00:35:20Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Ink & Airwaves, host Zoey Calvin takes listeners inside the day-to-day work of Aly Prouty, a Digital Media Producer at Spectrum News 1 serving Milwaukee and the wider Wisconsin audience. Through a process-focused interview, the episode traces how digital news gets made, from deciding what to cover to verifying information, choosing sources, and shaping a story for publication. Using Prouty's reporting on a high-stakes local healthcare contract update as a concrete example, the conversation surfaces the judgment calls that sit behind every headline: what counts as reliable, how ethical concerns show up in real time, and how trust is built with audiences who may encounter journalism on different platforms. The episode closes by reflecting on constraints in the newsroom, collaboration, and what it means to serve the Milwaukee community through digital reporting.
Transcribe →Producing News in Brew City: Spectrum News and the Local Contexts of Their Practice
3w ago00:08:14Tap to summarizeThis episode of Ink & Airwaves maps the conditions shaping how Spectrum News operates in Milwaukee and what those conditions make possible, difficult, or unlikely. We introduce Spectrum News as a local outlet serving Milwaukee-area audiences, then break down the forces that shape its day-to-day journalism: who it serves, how the organization is structured, and how its business model influences priorities and resources. We also look at the legal and policy realities that affect reporting in Wisconsin, and the social and political context of Milwaukee that shapes trust, sourcing, and community impact. The episode closes by naming the biggest constraints Spectrum News faces right now, along with the opportunities that could strengthen its ability to inform and serve Milwaukee.
Transcribe →What Local News Means to Us: Lexington Herald-Leader
4w ago00:23:23Tap to summarizeIn this reflection episode of Ink & Airwaves, the team talks about how their relationship with local news has shifted after analyzing the Lexington Herald-Leader all season. They talk candidly about what it feels like to "meet" local journalism again, including new respect for the labor behind community coverage, the pull of national headlines and doomscrolling, and the emotional weight that news can carry during crises. The group also names where the Herald-Leader connected with them, where access barriers like paywalls can complicate reach, and what they now see as the civic purpose of local reporting: accountability, community knowledge, and grounded information in an era of misinformation and AI. They close by outlining concrete personal commitments, from reading local news more consistently to checking sources and building healthier consumption habits.
Transcribe →How the Lexington Herald-Leader Finds (or Loses) its Audience
4w ago00:10:57Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Ink & Airwaves, host Milana Satanovsky examines how the Lexington Herald-Leader circulates its journalism through the channels the public can see: the website, social media, and newsletters. The group walks through what a reader encounters first, including how the homepage is organized, how sections and navigation shape discovery, and how visual design and placement affect what feels "important" or clickable. They also highlight the newsletter ecosystem, including the breadth of topic-specific options that aim to match Lexington's interests and routines. The episode focuses on access and audience pathways, naming what appears to work well in helping readers find stories and where friction or missed opportunities might limit reach.
Transcribe →No Kings Protests from Lexington to the Nation
Jul 1400:11:16Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Ink & Airwaves, host McKenna Kirchman and an analyst panel compare local and national coverage of the No Kings protests in October 2025. Using one Lexington Herald-Leader story published October 18 and an NPR national report published October 19, the team breaks down how each outlet constructs the event through structure, framing, sourcing, and tone. They show how the local story builds meaning through on-the-ground voices, emphasizing what the protest felt like in Lexington and why it mattered to residents, while the national story places the same moment into a broader narrative about the movement and its significance across the country. Together, the episode demonstrates how "the same event" becomes different journalism depending on audience, proximity, and the kinds of voices each newsroom prioritizes.
Transcribe →Inside the work of Kendall Staton, City/County Reporter at the Lexington Herald-Leader
Jul 1000:46:29Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Ink & Airwaves, host Bella Gruber talks with Kendall Staton about what it takes to do city and county reporting that actually serves people. Staton reflects on covering the Lexington metro area's mix of long-rooted communities, rapid growth pressures, and deep inequalities, and how those realities shaped the angles she chose and the voices she centered. She walks through how stories move from early signals and public meetings to reporting that captures lived impact, and why tight writing, patient interviewing, and over-explaining "what talking to a reporter means" are part of ethical practice. The conversation also wrestles with public interest versus harm, what it means to demystify journalism through responsiveness, and how local reporting can spark tangible change, from policy shifts to stronger accountability around open records. Staton closes with a direct argument for community journalism as democratic infrastructure, and why young reporters still matter most where the stakes are closest to home.
Transcribe →The Lexington Herald-Leader and the pressures shaping local journalism
Jul 700:12:19Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Ink & Airwaves, host McKenna Kirchman maps the conditions that shape reporting at the Lexington Herald-Leader across Central and Eastern Kentucky. The team explains how ownership under McClatchy influences funding through ads and subscriptions, and how legal realities in Kentucky, including open records rules and the absence of a strong shield law, affect what journalists can safely pursue. They also examine how political trust, community engagement channels, and subscription friction shape audience relationships, especially as print frequency shrinks and digital access becomes the primary model. The episode ends by naming constraints and opportunities ahead, including new investigative capacity and newsroom investments that could strengthen accountability reporting.
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