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All-Abilities Media
Journalists grow by
working together
By Francesca Dabecco
All-Abilities Media
A Valid Podcast focuses
on COVID-19 threat
By Jennifer Szweda Jordan
Photo by Jennifer Szweda Jordan
Erin Gannon, who started her podcasting career at the Center for Media Innovation in
2015, sits between CMI director Andy Conte and NPR’s Melissa Block at the Media
Innovators Speaker Series in March 2019.
Prior to the pandemic, podcaster
Erin Gannon and I met at the Center for
Media Innovation a couple times a month
where I worked with her on Unabridged
Press’ collaboration with the CMI: the
All-Abilities Media Project.
Erin is the host of a two-time Golden
Quill award-winning podcast, “Look Who’s
Here.” She is 48, has Down syndrome, and
when she walks into a room, she fills up the
space with her enthusiastic presence. As a
freelance journalist (and Point Park
alumna), it’s a privilege for me to be back
at the CMI and work with her, as well as
elevate other stories from people in the
disability community.
everyone there and what they do...It feels
the breadth of new voices invited into the pages 58-59.
10 You got that right, Erin. Goodie, it will be.
11
Recently, Erin and I caught up on a Zoom
call and chatted about how we’re dealing
with being stuck at home, what little things
make us happy during these crazy times
and what we look forward to when we can
return to the CMI and work together again.
Erin has been doing lots of crafts, like
painting rocks with her best friend Marisa
who lives at a group home with her. I’ve
enjoyed planting my small urban garden
outside my apartment on the North Side.
We both agreed that we miss experiencing
life in downtown Pittsburgh.
For Erin, being on Point Park University’s
campus is especially meaningful. “I never
went to college,” she said. “Watching
like I’m in college.”
On campus, she says CMI Director Andy Conte
is an inspiration to her.
“It’s not just what he does,” Erin says, “it’s
who he is.”
As it happens, Andy was a mentor to me too.
As my professor in entrepreneurial journalism
during undergrad, he made me believe in my
own abilities as a storyteller. In that way, Erin
and I are having parallel experiences.
Together, we’ve worked on journalism
skill-building, like note-taking and preparing
questions for interviews. I also accompanied
Erin on an exciting media visit to Y108 radio.
“Each time I come to the CMI, I learn new
things, like different ideas to work on and
different questions to ask. I just feel
comfortable doing it,” Erin said.
She has taught me a lot too. Erin has such a
grand curiosity, and she makes interviewing
look so easy.
“From beginning to now, I’m more
comfortable now,” she said.
“In interviews, sometimes I do
get a little nervous,” Erin said.
“I take deep breaths and just
close my eyes for a few seconds
and just focus on the actual
questions.”
I think that is some great advice — and not
just for interviewing. As the days pass with
great uncertainty, we can all find some
comfort in taking a deep breath and focusing
on the present moment in front of us.
Before we wrapped up the call, I told Erin that
while we are eager to get back to normalcy,
we can appreciate being able to connect from
the comfort and safety of our homes… And
one day, we will meet again at the CMI.
“Goodie!” she said.
Photo by All Abilities Media
Point Park University broadcast student Nick Tommarello (left) works with disability advocate Alisa Grishman to create a podcast
mission statement. They’re in the CMI’s podcast studio.
How far our work to integrate
people with disabilities in media has come!
Two years after we invited people with
disabilities to air grievances about news
coverage at an event on the North Side,
some of the very same people are part of
COVID-19 news coverage.
A Valid Podcast, streamed live on
Unabridged Press’ YouTube and Facebook
pages, and carried on Apple and other
major podcast platforms, brings together
our students and staff along with professional
journalists. What makes A Valid Podcast
stand apart from other news coverage is
conversation. Disability advocates Alisa
Grishman, Josie Badger and others are
analysts on the program.
They’re engaging in conversation with reporters
like the Post-Gazette’s Sean Hamill,
who’s been covering COVID-19 cases and
deaths at Beaver County’s largest nursing
home. The advocates are gaining a better
understanding of journalism, and reporters
like Hamill are hearing an underrepresented
perspective. The episode with Hamill
also included a recently discharged nursing
home patient. Her sobering story is worth a
listen, and is featured in the illustrations on
A Valid Podcast is an outgrowth of the
Center for Media Innovation’s collaboration
with Unabridged Press that aims to integrate
people with disabilities in media coverage.
Season Two of A Valid Podcast is hosted by
Alana Gibbs and Darah Thompson, sisters
with invisible disabilities who are eager to
participate in the podcast in part because,
as women of color, they are underrepresented
in disability news coverage.
To learn more, or to participate in this work,
contact jennifer@unabridgedpress.com or
412-339-0748.
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